Wednesday 19 March 2014

Travel Diary: Venice Part 1













Well I finally got to visit Venice and after all these years in Italy it was top of my list of places to see. My biggest fear was that this floating city would be overrated, cheesy even. Full of tourists it was, even if carnival had ended the week before,but this did not effect it's charm.
I loved exploring the city with Lorenzo, from getting lost in the maze of narrow, narrow streets to hopping over the little bridges.
We stayed in a little hotel just off Piazza San Marco, called Hotel Antigo Trovatore which I would definitely recommend. Our room was bright, airy and so clean. The price was more than reasonable, also considering we were a 2 minute walk from Piazza San Marco.
On the first day we arrived by train from Rome with Italo, who do great train offers if you can book in advance. After lunch we went to visit the Palace of the Doges, where we could also enter Ponte dei Sospiri and the cells underneath the building, where Casanova was held. Then we took a walk around, just trying to familiarise ourselves and stopped for a class of the famous Venetian Prosecco while we watched the sun set on San Marco.
For dinner we ventured out to find the local Venetians. Living in Rome, we are well aware that the best restaurants are not near the main tourist attractions. I had done some research online and I read that most of the locals hang out in the Cannaregio area. It took us a good 30mins on foot, but we found lots of little restaurants and  small bars along quiet canals, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourists. It was very romantic as we strolled back to our hotel after dinner, with the street lights reflecting off the water.

Part two coming soon....

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