From Lucca we caught an early train to Florence, where we had booked the fast train to Venice. It was a pleasant journey, capped off by the train slowing as it crossed the lagoon on the way into the Santa Lucia station in Venice. You probably haven't seen Summertime (with Katherine Hepburn), and would ordinarily not want to - it isn't one of her best films - but the train coming into Venice at the beginning definitely gives you the feel of the real thing.
We made our way to the apartment - always a challenge in Venice, because you have to wrangle the luggage over the bridges, as well as navigating the other people on the sometimes narrow walkways. We also had a third floor apartment (that is, three floors up from the ground floor) with no lift (elevator). We had known all that, so it wasn't a surprise, but it still was a considerable climb -- especially with luggage.
We did a lot of walking in Venice. Previously we had used the vaparetto as our main form of transportation, but with all of us in (relatively) good health, and with a less-convenient vaparetto stop, walking was the best option. That brought us through squares, and along canals we hadn't encountered before, as well as joining with the multitudes of visitors when heading for the popular tourist areas.
One thing we hoped to do was to climb the tower at San Giorgio Maggiore, to see its excellent view of St Mark's Square and the canals. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation.
We visited the Rialto Market, in hopes of seeing their fresh fish. However, when we arrived there was a lot of fruit and vegetables, but no meats or fish.
A visit to All'Arco, near the Rialto Bridge, for cicchetti was next. Cicchetti is an assortment of small bites, typically sold individually. Prices vary. Near the Rialto you may pay 2.50 euro per piece, while elsewhere you may pay only 1.50. Most patrons order from 4-8 and a glass of wine and enjoy a light meal.
Our walk through the Arsenale was a first for us. Off the beaten track (at least a bit), it is a little less crowded, and has more of a neighborhood feel to it. Streets are often a bit wider, and there are some trees.
To get views of some of the Grand Canal bridges from the water, we rode the vaporetto from St Marks up to Piazale Roma (near the train station). That took us past all four of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal.
I had wanted to get to Palazzo Tetta for sunset, to get the view from the nearby bridge. We didn't exactly get there at sunset, but we did find our way. It didn't come out too badly...
Ruth was eager to find a cone of fried fish, similar to the one we had enjoyed in Cinque Terre. Kenny had spotted a place on our walk to the Rialto, so we located it once more.
And another trip to Italy came to a close. Until next time.
Credits:
Copyright © 2022 Scott Thomas, Scott Thomas Images