Adriatic Adventure: Venice, Italy

Now that I've sorted through mine and my boyfriend's photos, let the travel blogging begin!  I'm going to write about my vacation in the same order as my itinerary.  By doing so I hope that it makes it easier for those interested in traveling to the same or similar destinations to have some sort of guide on what to expect when traveling clockwise around the Adriatic for three weeks.

That said, we flew into Venice, Italy right after Memorial Day and spent 2 days there.  The cheapest way to get to Venice proper from the airport is to purchase a vaporetto pass in the airport.  Vaporetti, or motorized water buses, are Venice's public transit system.  Not only do these passes save you time, but they're a great value if you're spending more than a few hours in the city since a single ride costs €7.  They can be purchased in 12-hour to 7-day increments and are also accepted by ACTV's mainland buses, like the bus that takes you from the airport to your first vaporetto ride.

These were some of our first wonderful views of Venice on our first vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal.  As someone who didn't grow up near the water, it's so fascinating to see that the primary mode of transportation here, aside from walking, is boating.  Most things come in by boat and leave by boat.

During our first walk around the city we saw the most beautiful marzipan goodies on display.  I've never seen such artistic sculptures of marzipan before.  They're too beautiful to eat in my opinion!

Here we're at a nice viewpoint from the Ponte dell'Accademia.  This bridge is one of four that spans Venice's Grand Canal.

Of course we also went on a lovely evening gondola ride.  This won't be your cheapest expenditure in Venice (unless you split it between four people), but it's certainly a unique experience that you can't do anywhere else.  So, when in Venice, spring for the gondola! 

We stayed Magic Rialto hotel, which is situated by the Rialto Bridge with a glorious view over the Grand Canal.  Like Ponte dell'Accademia, Rialto Bridge also spans the Grand Canal.  Our favorite view of this spot was definitely at night when all of the lights illuminated the boats and docks.

We also took a short vaporetto ride over to San Giorgio Maggiore Island, which faces Piazzo San Marco (St. Mark's Square).  The island is known for its striking church, which was designed by Palladio.  It was free to enter the church, but we paid the €6 to go up the bell tower, which was worth every cent.

The view from the bell tower of the church of San Giorgio Maggiore was amazing.  From the top you can see Piazza San Marco with its Campanile, the bell tower, and the domes of Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica) peaking behind the Doge's Palace.

Needless to say, we also had our first gelato in Venice at Grom, a gelateria recommended by Rick Steves, whose travel books on which we relied heavily.  Hello, pistachio gelato, get in my belly!  People are most certainly right when they come back from Italy with heaps of praise for its gelato.

And last, but certainly not least, we spent a fair amount of time in and walking through Piazza San Marco where there are plenty of coffee shops and Murano glass retailers to choose from.  This is the view of the square from the top of the San Marco Museum.

One of our most memorable moments in Venice, of which the only picture of me is with a mouthful of sandwich, was when we stopped by Enoteca Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi, a local wine bar, near Ponte dell'Accademia.  It was great to try Italian wines without traipsing around the country (though I would have LOVED to have time to do that, too), not to mention the prices were amazing.  Only €1-€3 for pours of their feature wines?  Why yes, I'll have a glass or two!

What was your favorite thing in Venice?  Or, for those with wanderlust, what are you most excited to see there?