On Monday, March 19, Chip and I stepped on a train bound for Venice, to begin our weeklong journey across Northern Italy. Three hours later our train arrived at Stazione Ferrovia Santa Lucia, Venice’s major train station. We grabbed out luggage, walked through the train station, and found ourselves out front, at the top of a long flight of steps leading down to the Grand Canal. The waterway was a bustle of activity. New arrivals bounded down the steps toward the ferries, those about to depart passed them on their way up the steps, struggling with their luggage, and the canal was filled with water conveyances of every kind: ferries, private watercraft,
carabinerie (police) boats, barges, water taxis, delivery boats, and, of course gondolas.
I don’t care how much you’ve read about Venice, how many films you’ve seen that are set there, how much you’ve dreamed of coming here; nothing can prepare you for seeing Venice for the first time. And, yet, strangely I felt as if I were coming home to a familiar place. There is nowhere on earth like Venice. Historically, towns and cities have always been built near water sources,
but never before on water, until Venice. I can’t even imagine what would give someone the idea to build a city entirely on water, but thank goodness they saw their dream through, for because of them we have Venice, beautiful, haunting, inimitable Venice, a city that stole our hearts the moment we stepped off the train and reached the top of those steps.
And suddenly we found ourselves on a ferry cruising down Venice’s Main Street, the illustrious Grand Canal, perhaps the most famous thoroughfare in the world. This S-shaped canal follows a path from the train station to Piazza San Marco; along the way more than 200 grand
palazzos (palaces) line the shores, having served as the homes to Venice’s most wealthy families, some since the 12th century. Although some are still private residences, many have been converted to hotels, museums, university buildings, and government offices. The Grand Canal is 2 ½ miles long, between 40 and 76 yards wide, and approximately 9 feet deep. A ride down the entire canal gives one the perfect introduction to all that Venice has to offer.
But first we got off at the
Ca’ d’Oro (translates to “House of Gold”) stop to check into our hotel, the Hotel Ca’ d’Oro, located on a little courtyard off a narrow side street in the Canereggio neighborhood. We were thrilled, upon checking in, to discover that our bathroom had an amazing view of a charming neighborhood canal. Unfortunately, our room itself had no view. Believe me, we were tempted to sleep in the bathtub!
We also discovered that our hotel had a wonderful rooftop terrace with more amazing canal views; however, we never got a chance to actually use it after our first morning (more on that later).
After checking in and exploring the hotel, we were ready to explore Venice. So we got onto another ferry to complete our trip down the Grand Canal. We passed under the beautiful Rialto Bridge, numerous palazzos, the Gallerie d’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Basilica San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, and the Bridge of Sighs. And we kept going, until the Grand Canal opens itself up.
As our journey continued, the skies grew grayer, the air grew colder, and the winds began whipping, making it difficult for gondoliers to maneuver their crafts. We decided to disembark at the San Zaccaria stop, and the moment we did, the skies opened up. We ran for cover down a narrow alleyway; only I had an umbrella, but it really didn’t help much with the rain pelting down. My umbrella was even blown inside out several times, but managed to survive.
We finally took shelter in a small trattoria right on the waterfront, where we were given a window seat from which we watched those outside battling the storm. I ordered a traditional Venetian fish stew, and the cold, wet weather made it one of the best stews I’ve ever had.
The rain eventually let up, so we left the trattoria and began to walk along the waterfront, passing numerous canals along the way, toward Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square), which serves as the heart of Venice. This famous piazza is lined with porticoed buildings, many with shops and restaurants on their ground floors.
But the real focal point is the Basilica di San Marco, a stunning structure of Byzantine and Romanesque architecture. In addition to its five domes, what makes this basilica especially unique is its interior, done almost completely in mosaics, 43,055 square feet of mosaics to be exact, which run from floor to ceiling. It’s just imperative to see these up close, so we climbed the stairway to the Galleria and the Museo di San Marco, which affords the best views of this amazing work. In addition, once you reach the top, you’re able to step outside for a sweeping view of the entire piazza, including the Campanile, Venice’s brick bell tower that stands 325 feet tall, not including the angel at the top.
Interestingly, the campanile is fairly new; the original structure stood for almost 1,000 years before mysteriously collapsing, with no warning, in 1902. The structure was rebuilt and eventually reopened in 1920. The campanile itself has an illustrious past. During the 15th century, any religious person found guilty of immoral behavior was suspended in a wooden cage from the tower for up to a year, given nothing but bread and water. I guess that will teach you to be chaste!
After descending and exiting the basilica, we walked through the center of the piazza, right through the flock of famous San Marco pigeons, which have grown in number over the years. People seem to delight in trying to get the pigeons to land on their arms (something we just don’t quite get). There is even a woman selling pigeon feed to aid in the process, looking as if she stepped right out of
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. We, on the other hand, got through as quickly as we could, stopping for a few pictures along the way. We really didn’t relish the thought of one of those things touching us!
And then I spotted Caffè Florian, a place I have for years dreamed of sitting in, simply to breath in the same air that so many famous figures have in the past. Caffè Florian is Venice’s oldest cafè, having operated continuously since 1720. Over its long history, people like Byron, Goethe, Rousseau, Dumas, Dickens, and Proust have graced it tables. While a small band played classics outside, Chip and I took a table inside to get out of the cold. Our coffee there was fairly pricey (much to Chip’s chagrin), but, hey, it’s the Florian and something we’ll probably do once in our lives. And, to me, it was worth every cent.
But we weren’t ready to stop there. The next destination was another illustrious watering hole, Harry’s Bar. This legendary hangout was opened in the 1930s by an Italian, Giuseppe Cipriani, who happened to hear an American named Harry complain that there were no good American bars in Venice. So Giuseppe decided to do something about it, and the result was Harry’s, named after this man that he never saw again. Here you can sit at the same tables where Ernest Hemingway, Aristotle Onassis, Orson Welles, and others have done for decades. In fact, Harry’s also plays a prominent role in fictional works by Hemingway, Patricia Highsmith, and other American authors. Since its founding, Harry’s has been most known for serving the best Bellinis in town (white peach juice and prosecco). So, guess what I had!
It was finally time to leave Harry’s and to head back home, stopping for dinner along the way. The rains continued the entire way back, making the stones of Venice glow warmly and magically.
On Monday, March 19, Chip and I stepped on a train bound for Venice, to begin our weeklong journey across Northern Italy. Three hours later our train arrived at Stazione Ferrovia Santa Lucia, Venice’s major train station. We grabbed out luggage, walked through the train station, and found ourselves out front, at the top of a long flight of steps leading down to the Grand Canal. The waterway was a bustle of activity. New arrivals bounded down the steps toward the ferries, those about to depart passed them on their way up the steps, struggling with their luggage, and the canal was filled with water conveyances of every kind: ferries, private watercraft, carabinerie (police) boats, barges, water taxis, delivery boats, and, of course gondolas.
I don’t care how much you’ve read about Venice, how many films you’ve seen that are set there, how much you’ve dreamed of coming here; nothing can prepare you for seeing Venice for the first time. And, yet, strangely I felt as if I were coming home to a familiar place. There is nowhere on earth like Venice. Historically, towns and cities have always been built near water sources, 
but never before on water, until Venice. I can’t even imagine what would give someone the idea to build a city entirely on water, but thank goodness they saw their dream through, for because of them we have Venice, beautiful, haunting, inimitable Venice, a city that stole our hearts the moment we stepped off the train and reached the top of those steps.
And suddenly we found ourselves on a ferry cruising down Venice’s Main Street, the illustrious Grand Canal, perhaps the most famous thoroughfare in the world. This S-shaped canal follows a path from the train station to Piazza San Marco; along the way more than 200 grand palazzos (palaces) line the shores, having served as the homes to Venice’s most wealthy families, some since the 12th century. Although some are still private residences, many have been converted to hotels, museums, university buildings, and government offices. The Grand Canal is 2 ½ miles long, between 40 and 76 yards wide, and approximately 9 feet deep. A ride down the entire canal gives one the perfect introduction to all that Venice has to offer.
But first we got off at the Ca’ d’Oro (translates to “House of Gold”) stop to check into our hotel, the Hotel Ca’ d’Oro, located on a little courtyard off a narrow side street in the Canereggio neighborhood. We were thrilled, upon checking in, to discover that our bathroom had an amazing view of a charming neighborhood canal. Unfortunately, our room itself had no view. Believe me, we were tempted to sleep in the bathtub!
After checking in and exploring the hotel, we were ready to explore Venice. So we got onto another ferry to complete our trip down the Grand Canal. We passed under the beautiful Rialto Bridge, numerous palazzos, the Gallerie d’Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Basilica San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, and the Bridge of Sighs. And we kept going, until the Grand Canal opens itself up.
As our journey continued, the skies grew grayer, the air grew colder, and the winds began whipping, making it difficult for gondoliers to maneuver their crafts. We decided to disembark at the San Zaccaria stop, and the moment we did, the skies opened up. We ran for cover down a narrow alleyway; only I had an umbrella, but it really didn’t help much with the rain pelting down. My umbrella was even blown inside out several times, but managed to survive.
We finally took shelter in a small trattoria right on the waterfront, where we were given a window seat from which we watched those outside battling the storm. I ordered a traditional Venetian fish stew, and the cold, wet weather made it one of the best stews I’ve ever had.
The rain eventually let up, so we left the trattoria and began to walk along the waterfront, passing numerous canals along the way, toward Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square), which serves as the heart of Venice. This famous piazza is lined with porticoed buildings, many with shops and restaurants on their ground floors.
But the real focal point is the Basilica di San Marco, a stunning structure of Byzantine and Romanesque architecture. In addition to its five domes, what makes this basilica especially unique is its interior, done almost completely in mosaics, 43,055 square feet of mosaics to be exact, which run from floor to ceiling. It’s just imperative to see these up close, so we climbed the stairway to the Galleria and the Museo di San Marco, which affords the best views of this amazing work. In addition, once you reach the top, you’re able to step outside for a sweeping view of the entire piazza, including the Campanile, Venice’s brick bell tower that stands 325 feet tall, not including the angel at the top.
Interestingly, the campanile is fairly new; the original structure stood for almost 1,000 years before mysteriously collapsing, with no warning, in 1902. The structure was rebuilt and eventually reopened in 1920. The campanile itself has an illustrious past. During the 15th century, any religious person found guilty of immoral behavior was suspended in a wooden cage from the tower for up to a year, given nothing but bread and water. I guess that will teach you to be chaste!
After descending and exiting the basilica, we walked through the center of the piazza, right through the flock of famous San Marco pigeons, which have grown in number over the years. People seem to delight in trying to get the pigeons to land on their arms (something we just don’t quite get). There is even a woman selling pigeon feed to aid in the process, looking as if she stepped right out of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. We, on the other hand, got through as quickly as we could, stopping for a few pictures along the way. We really didn’t relish the thought of one of those things touching us!
And then I spotted Caffè Florian, a place I have for years dreamed of sitting in, simply to breath in the same air that so many famous figures have in the past. Caffè Florian is Venice’s oldest cafè, having operated continuously since 1720. Over its long history, people like Byron, Goethe, Rousseau, Dumas, Dickens, and Proust have graced it tables. While a small band played classics outside, Chip and I took a table inside to get out of the cold. Our coffee there was fairly pricey (much to Chip’s chagrin), but, hey, it’s the Florian and something we’ll probably do once in our lives. And, to me, it was worth every cent.
But we weren’t ready to stop there. The next destination was another illustrious watering hole, Harry’s Bar. This legendary hangout was opened in the 1930s by an Italian, Giuseppe Cipriani, who happened to hear an American named Harry complain that there were no good American bars in Venice. So Giuseppe decided to do something about it, and the result was Harry’s, named after this man that he never saw again. Here you can sit at the same tables where Ernest Hemingway, Aristotle Onassis, Orson Welles, and others have done for decades. In fact, Harry’s also plays a prominent role in fictional works by Hemingway, Patricia Highsmith, and other American authors. Since its founding, Harry’s has been most known for serving the best Bellinis in town (white peach juice and prosecco). So, guess what I had!
It was finally time to leave Harry’s and to head back home, stopping for dinner along the way. The rains continued the entire way back, making the stones of Venice glow warmly and magically.
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