Just follow the Canal ....

The audacity of people to build marble palaces on a sinking marsh still amazes me. While floating down the canals of Venice, you pass by quaint villas and old palaces in all their Venetian charm. Walls of lilacs are draped over crumbing walls and Gondolas gather in bunches to tourists delight.



During our visit to Venice we stayed inland in the little town of Mirano to save money. While figuring out the public transportation system was a pain, it was nice to see parts of Italy untouched by tourists. Old abandoned houses were overgrown with wildflowers and vines while others stood proudly next to their gardens and roaming farm animals. There even were some old mansions that were clearly built in Venice’s heyday.

We slowly found out that our choice of town was a bit out of the way, but we did find our way into Venice eventually! With our water transportation tickets in hand we floated towards San Marco’s plaza to see the famous Basilica.



The church was closed that day so we walked through the tiny side streets surrounding the Plaza. We soon learned that Venice is laid out like a labyrinth, but we found a little restaurant that Lonely Planet recommended and sat down for our first plate of Italian Spaghetti. Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint and ran a pretty good race next to my grandma’s, but I do wish the serving size was a bit more generous.



After lunch we hunted down some gelato and took a tour of the Palazzo Ducale. The Palazzo used to hold the Italian equivalent to the CIA and was where Casanova was held captive for "seducing nuns".

After our tour we hit up a local pizza shop near S. Toma. This was probably the BEST pizza I’ve ever had EN MI VIDA; it even beat out pizza in Naples. We sat near the “pizza-making counter” and I stared mesmerized by everything they put into the oven. If I had a bigger stomach, I’d have order the calzone too, it was as big as my head!

The next morning we ventured back to the Basilica. The inside of the church was magnificent. The ceilings were high and intricately laid with golden mosaics; each telling a story from the Bible. I can only imagine what people must have thought of this church when it was first built considering all other buildings were mainly wooden with low ceilings. Only the best for the remains of Saint Mark!



Next we took a boat over to Murano, the island of the glassmakers. Back in medieval times, if glass artisans left their island they could face execution. Venice managed to keep their glass making techniques a secret for centuries, but now the island welcomes visitors to tour the island and the museum. We visited the glass museum, which was rather small, but interesting. You’d never imagine everything that goes into glass blowing. That night we grabbed some more pizza and headed back to our tiny inland town.



Our last day in Venice we dropped off our luggage at the train station and headed to Rialto. This was one of the more bustling areas overflowing with chatty shop owners and shoppers. We enjoyed wandering the streets for a while before finding the Fashion Museum where we toured rooms of an old palace and got a glimpse at how Venetians lived. After one peak at a Countess' corset, I’m glad I was born in the 90s.

After grabbing gelato, we took a boat to Burano, the lace-making island.Another guarded secret of Venice, but what really caught my eye, and most of the photographers, was the color of the houses. Each house was painted a brillante blue, pastel pink or lime green. Suave purples popped up and yellow houses rounded the corners. It was a magical little place. Cute parks “laced” the island and locals were out and about heading to church and gathering with family, as it was Easter Sunday.

Colorful little Burano was the perfect end to Venice. Venice is probably one of the few cities you can have fun getting lost in because around every corner is a new surprise. Not the mention, the pizza and gelato are great. I left the island with a heavy heard and remedied it with, of course, more pizza before we caught our overnight train to Naples.