It is one of the most sensual of cities that appeals to all our senses:
VISUAL – majestic palazzos, bridges over the canals, gondolas crisscrossing in every direction;
AROMAS – wet stone, seaweed, the sea, coffee;
ACOUSTICS – church bells, the water taxis or vaporettos, the waves on the brickwork or underside of bridges;
And all of this can be experienced on foot or on the water. It’s so special!
BUT, for all these reasons, it is a very popular city to visit, and tourism is overwhelming. My itinerary attempted to avoid the tourist traps as much as possible, and get away from the massive number of tourists that clog the alleyways of the main part of the city.
Upon arrival at the Venice airport, we took a private water taxi into Venice. That is, in my opinion, the best way experience what it’s like to be in Venice from the minute you land . Book your water taxi ahead of time. https://www.motoscafivenezia.com/en
DAY 1:
Private walking tour with Lucia ([email protected])
Tour Itinerary:
Meet at All’Arco for some cicchetti (the Venetian equivalent of tapas).
Go to the Gondaco dei Tedeschi terrace for incredible views of the Grand Canal and its surroundings.
Visit Museo Fortuny that is housed in a historic palazzo that belonged to the visual artist Mariano Fortuny and houses his art and high fashion garments and fabrics that he became famous for. We were not able to visit the Fortuny Factory and Showroom because it was closed that day, but I would add that to this itinerary.
And our final stop was the Peggy Guggenheim museum.
Timing is everything in Venice: If you do want to wander around St. Mark’s Square, do it after the sun goes down. Any day trippers that may have been there are long since gone.
DAY 2:
Take a water taxi to Burano to walk around this small island filled with colorful buildings. It is touristy, so a quick loop around for me was enough. Then walk over the bridge to Mazzorbo, a tiny island that houses Venissa, a small hotel and vineyard (the only in the Venice Lagoon). Lunch at Osteria Contemporanea, the more casual of the two restaurants at the hotel, was fantastic. They offer a menu of local dishes with a modern spin. And you will feel like you are miles, and miles away from the busyness of Venice. It is a very tranquil rural agricultural place, with a wonderful mix of farm by the sea.
We stopped in Murano before heading to Burano, but as much as I appreciate the talent it takes to blow glass into so many different shapes and colors, the pieces produced there are not for me, and you get trapped by salespeople.I would skip it!
DAY 3:
Eolo Private Cruise (all-day)
This was a very luxurious way to escape the crowds by staying on the water. Mauro Stoppa owns a traditional Venetian bragozzo - flat-bottomed 1930s fishing boat – and he and his crew took us around the lagoon for all all-day cruise. The flat bottom allows it to travel across shallow waters, escaping the more trafficked canals. We visited Torcello in the northern part of the lagoon, that most people never see. We visited the Romanesque church with Byzantine mosaics as well as climbed the tower for beautiful views of the lagoon. We also walked along the pathways that bisect the fields, and visited Cipriani’s garden. When back at the boat, Mauros’s team served us a delicious multi-course lunch paired with great local wines.
Eolo - Mauro Stoppa [email protected]
We departed the following day.
STAY : Palazzo Cristo
A 16th-century house on Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo in the Castello neighborhood, still thriving with Venetian families and local life. It has a few luxurious apartments that get serviced daily like a hotel. We absolutely loved it there! And the neighborhood of Castello is very charming and wonderful to explore.
Venissa in Mazzorbo would have been another lovely place to stay, as well as Locanda Cipriani in Torcello. A few days in Venice and a few in these smaller islands are the perfect combo!
EAT: As much as I want to recommend restaurants in Venice, aside from what I already mentioned, nothing was very memorable.
