Watching Venice slowly appear as we approach from the airport in a vaparretto is pure magic.  A city, frozen in time, rises out of the sea.Of all the cities that we have visited, none transported us back in time like Venice.  It is a palpable feeling of being in the Middle Ages, and while there, I was going to talk trade routes with the Doge.

The labyrinth of streets make getting lost easy, and we walked hoping that would be the case and soon finding out it was the case. We could almost hear whispered conversations in alleyways because of the acoustics.  Some of the little side alleys are impossibly small allowing room for no more than a single line of people and charming beyond belief.  Crowds can clog these pathways especially ones that head towards Piazza San Marco or over to the Rialto Bridge.  But early morning is blissfully quiet with only a few shutter bugs contemplating the next shot. Jet lag made early mornings naturally happen.

With no cars, strolling is encouraged.  And the more we walked the more we discovered Venice’s charm.

One late afternoon when we needed a break from walking, a gondola ride was the perfect way to relax.  Typically, the gondolier owns his own boat. David, our gondolier, told us about the buildings we passed and their history.

Our meals were never planned, and so we stopped when our stomachs made their demands.

Our first night, we stopped at Ristorante Falciani which has a great location on the Northeast edge of Piazza San Marco allowing us to people watch and relax while sipping wine and enjoying dinner as the sun went down.

The next day, we first hit the Basilica San Marco getting in line early.  It is old, dating back to 1071 (first started in 829 it was burned down during a revolt in 976) and it feels old with its Byzantine style and some items dating back to the 3rd century.  Inside is dark and rough, providing a contract to the beautiful mosaics.

The Doge’s Palace, the domain of the city’s rulers, shows itself elaborately with a mix of Byzantine, Renaissance, and Gothic architecture.  Get there early as lines form fast.  Some of Italy’s best artists at the time added their touches to walls, to staircases, and rooms.

After the art and history overload we needed a change of pace, and decided to take a vaporetto over to Dorsoduro, the island just off the south of San Marco.  We lazily strolled with no purpose and no itinerary, and stumbled upon a nice surprise.  At the water’s edge of one of the canals was a gondola workshop building and repairing the boats.  Fascinating to watch, and only briefly interrupted by a photoshoot that went by.

We resumed the adventure when our stomachs interjected saying “ho fame”.   At the far edge of the island is a stone promenade where we stumbled across Ristorante Riviera.  With an amazing location, we lunched next to the Venetian lagoon eating seared sea scallops and caprese salad while sipping the house wine as boats went by.  Everything was outstanding.

In the late afternoon the outside seats of the cafes and restaurants in the Piazza fill up.  To sit and hear classical music in this most classical of Italian cities will soften even the most unromantic soul.  A bit pricey but worth every Euro!

And last but not least: The Torre dell’Orologio (the clock tower) dominates the piazza and can be seen from anywhere in Venice, and our climb was rewarded with a view of Venice from above.

Our only regret is we should have stayed longer, but we had a Trenitalia high speed train to board in the morning for Firenze.

We will meet again dear Venezia.