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On 13 September I managed, for the first time, to visit one of the most beautiful cities in Italy: Venice
Being able to travel again, after passing the coronavirus lockdown phase, was an indescribable and beautiful feeling.
Taking a plane after all this time was thrilling and terrifying, for the number of people inside the plane, but also because on our return to Sardinia an engine failed and we returned to Venice airport! But beyond this frightening parenthesis, my entire stay in the Venice lagoon (and surroundings) was wonderful because I rediscovered in this city the beauty of antiquity, history, religion and the picturesque beauty (unique in the world) of a built city
literally on the water … with all that this particularity entails (pros and cons). For example, the “displacement” factor is probably the one that impresses everyone first, including me. In fact, to think that the only means of transport within Venice are boats and their own legs, in my opinion
it intrigues the tourist a lot, but at the same time creates a sense of anxiety thinking that in case of emergency water becomes an obstacle.
But once you start exploring the narrow alleys full of history and loaded with details from another era, you forget all the troubles.
As a turist probably the wisest thing to do on your first day in Venice (if not sooner) is to plan all the places to visit and buy the card to use the boats with more comfort and convenience. Fortunately, Venice in all its main places can be easily visited in a week, with all calm.
Here is a small list of the locations not to be missed on your next visit to Venice:
- Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
These are some of the beautiful places to visit in Venice and in this post I will try to show you some through my eyes. I would like to start with what was my favorite place in the lagoon and which is by no means the most obvious or obvious. Do you think that many tourists do not even visit it because it is a bit far from Venice and it takes time to reach it by boat, but for me it’s absolutely worth it … I’m talking about:
- BURANO
The island of Burano is in my opinion the most picturesque and particular location of the lagoon and you can see it as soon as you get off the boat.
As soon as you disembark, you immediately notice the large amount of green of this island compared to the other areas of the lagoon, especially compared to Venice, imagine that there is also a large and famous vineyard inside it called Tenuta Venissa .
Another unique thing present only in Burano are the beautiful colorful houses and shops … but not simple shops but real “Merletto” art galleries. Merletto is a particular process of yarns to obtain a light, precious and ornate fabric, starting from scratch and not working from an existing fabric.
This textile technique as beautiful as it is difficult to make has a very particular connection with the island of Burano where it is present also the museum and the prestigious lace school. You can find the legend and history behind Burano lace here . In addition to the colorful buildings and lace, Burano also has an ancient part made up of churches, statues and a bell tower more leaning than the tower of Pisa!
- MURANO
The island of Murano is known all over the world for the famous Murano glass where skilled craftsmen have been working glass for centuries
creating incredible objects and sculptures through the technique of “blowing” or manual modeling with specific tools. In addition to the great skill of the craftsmen, great physical resistance to heat is needed to work glass. Unlike Burano, the island of Murano does not have colorful buildings and a lot of vegetation but has many ancient and historical buildings, as well to the various glass processing workshops, and there is also a beautiful signal light for boat.
- VENEZIA
Basically the Venice lagoon consists of an archipelago of islandsbuilt on wooden stilts. The city of Venice is the only one directly connected to the mainland thanks to the Ponte della Libertà , where Marghera is located on the other side. Surely the tourist center of Venice is Piazza San Marco together with the Basilica and the Campanile of San Marco. From the bell tower you can enjoy the best view of the entire Venice lagoon and wait in line worth the show. The very fast elevator takes you to the top of the bell tower where you can enjoy a 360 ° view and you can also use paid binoculars.
The basilica of san marco, just as spectacular as the bell tower, is loaded with history, sculptures, works of art and crazy details always well described. This also allows those unfamiliar with the history and culture of the place and the works to understand its importance.
The beauty of Venice and its places is given by the fact that every building, every corner, every detail of the city is rich in history,
of meaning and artistic beauty. Even in a bookshop like that of Alta Acqua you are impressed by what you see at
inside like a gondola and ancient bathtubs used as bookshelves or an entire wall made of books!
In the back of this library it is even possible to enter an ancient moored gondola for free!
It’s true … Venice is not one of the most “comfortable” cities for the disabled and people with accessibility problems, but Venice and the Venetians
they do everything they can to make all its places and attractions accessible. Thanks to ramps, lifts, elevators and even the employees of the attractions, it is often possible to solve any problem. But one other very important thing is the signs, information and indications present throughout Venice in order to help the tourist in every move, even in a difficult period like that of the coronavirus (masks and sanitizers for the hands always present!)
Of course, being in Italy, you can’t forget to mention the food! And here in Venice there are many excellent dishes to try, both at the level of traditional and modern recipes. In this region of Italy, the combination of food and drink is fundamental and this appearance is clearly visible when you go to taste the famous “Venetian Cicchetti”. The cicchetti are typical appetizers, similar to Spanish tapas, whose composition varies according to the time of year.
It is a small taste of fish or cold cuts, hot or cold, placed on bread or polenta. They are served everywhere in the Venice area, especially in the “Bacari”.
Bacaro, or bacaréto, is a type of Venetian tavern with a popular character, where there is a wide selection of wines by the glass and small foods and snacks, characterized by few seats and a long glass counter where the products for sale are displayed.
In this little vacation I also had the good fortune to meet two great Local Guides, as well as friends, when I moved to the beautiful and picturesque city of Treviso . I’m talking about @ErmesT and Raffaele (sorry I can’t find the nickname for tag) who gave me a mini tour of this beautiful medieval city!
Did you know that legend has it that the delicious TiramisĂą was invented right here in Treviso? (Here you can find the story!)
I have to admit, I completely fell in love with Venice, since I visited it I immediately put it in the first place among my cities favorite Italians. Its charm, its history and its characteristics are unique in the world! If you have never been there, I recommend that you put it first in the list of your dream destinations!
P.S. Here you can find some of my reviews of the places mentioned in the post!
BASILICA SANTA MARIA DELLA SALUTE
All the photos were taken with my Pixel 3XL