Venice, Italy

Wow! What a city. Venice was so interesting and dynamic that I had a hard time wrapping my head around the history we saw in the city. It's hard to imagine people lived in such small quarters for such a long period of time.
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Now, Venice is mostly touristic because of its interesting canals and hidden alleys. We figured Venice and Florence would be two great cities to visit for our third anniversary, and we were right!

Our first day we visited the Rialto market to grab a ton of fresh Italian fruit. We were not disappointed! The best fruit I've ever had in my life.

We didn't buy any fish, but we thought it all looked amazing!

The Doge's Palace (corridor above) was the residence of 120 doges who ruled Venice from 697 to 1797. The Doge is considered the ruler, or King of the city itself. At one time, Venice was very powerful in the world. Many artists, rulers, and powerful people lived in Venice.

There are a ridiculous number of bridges throughout the city because it is all built on water. It was impossible to walk more than 100 feet before you had to cross another bridge.

After a long day of walking and sight seeing, we went back to the Hotel Marconi next to the Rialto bridge to find a bottle of Prosecco in our room. The hotel gave us the bottle for our anniversary. We spent lots of time out front of our hotel in this spot drinking wine, playing cards and just talking about Venice.

Each day of our vacation we got out on the town before 7 a.m. to see the city without tourists. Plus, it was very hot so we figured we could be out while it was much cooler. The Rialto bridge is the most famous sight in Venice. It stretches across the Grand Canal, and holds many stores across the bridge itself. Plus, there is a replica in Las Vegas at the Venetian in case you thought it looked familiar. =)




Piazza San Marco is at the heart of Venice because it is surrounded by Doge's Palace and the Basilica San Marco. This picture was taken at 6:45 a.m. so the tourists were no where in sight. Noon is a total different story.

This is a shot of the Basilica and the Palace.


After we left Piazza San Marco, we headed out for an hour walk around the city through alleyways and much more. Some alleys were so close you could touch both buildings with your hands (or your feet).

Some places were so short you had to duck or walk carefully.


Later on in the day, we went back to Piazza San Marco to go to the top of the Campanile, the bell tower. The Campanile used to hold torture chambers and a watch tower. In 1902 the tower collapsed into the square, and was rebuilt in the exact fashion as was in the past.

Views from the top.

Our guide book told us to eat at the famous Harry's Bar, the legendary restaurant of Ernest Hemmingway and the place where Bellini's were invented (A Bellini is a drink made of peach nectar and champagne). The bar is named after the American who funded the place.

We sat down to have lunch and realized quickly that our lunch was going to be expensive!!! The Bellini's were $24 each. Needless to say, we split a sandwich and left quickly. =) On our way out we were given a bright blue bag with homemade pasta to take home. Interestingly enough, the bag is the same color as Tiffany's of New York. We think this was purposefully chosen from the American owner.

We took a boat from our hotel to Murano island to see the famous glass blowing. Venice is known for it's exceptional glass blowing techniques so of course we had to see for ourselves.

The ride itself was romantic through all of the small canals, and then out onto the open ocean to the island.

This took 3 minutes for the glass blower to make. Amazing!!
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We absolutely adored Venice, and may go back during their famous November 21st festival. Keep scrolling up to see the rest of our Italian trip. If you would like to see more pictures from Venice, please click the link below.

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