We’ve been home from Italy for just over a month. Time for us to settle back into home life, sort through all the photographs we’ve taken, and load a selection into a holiday gallery on SmugMug.
If you’d like to see some shots from the blog and some new ones you won’t have seen, click here.
All the photos were taken using iPhones – as opposed to the usual Nikon camera back and lenses I have lugged to Europe in the past. All in all, apart from not having any real control over the depth of field, they look pretty good.
Having already published some Venice pictures, here are some more that we think might be interesting.
The torre in Piazza San MarcoHeron on a boat watching us arrive – a good omen according to AlariaAperol Spritz in the afternoonTrying to pass as a localJean liked the glass sculpture in the hotel lobby – but they would probably miss itAn evening in Piazza San Marco
Venice is a magical place. Over 4 days we have walked the narrow streets and alleyways, climbed more bridges across canals than you can count, and sat and people-watched in piazza’s ranging from the grand Piazza San Marco through to postage stamp sized ones tucked into the tiny spaces away from the crowds that define Venice.
We have eaten, yes, we have eaten. Whether it’s a simple sandwich and a coffee in one of the cafes in Piazza San Marco or dinner at our favourite restaurant Ristorante Da Ivo tucked away in a little back street which takes a bit of finding, the food has been exceptional.
But now we are leaving, with bags a little heavier from shopping and our wallets a little lighter from prices that can seem extreme.
And Venice is expensive. We remembered that from 24 years ago and it has not changed. But remember this is a truly unique place. For example, everything on the island is delivered by boat and then by handcart through the crowded alleys to shops and restaurants. That is an expensive process.
When we left, the hotel kindly arranged a luxury water taxi for our trip to Santa Lucia station – which was a fantastic way to say good bye. After arriving at the station we negotiated our way past the many porters offering to take our bags to the train for 20 Euro (about $NZ35 – no grazie) and we rolled out of Venice to our next stop – a week by the sea, on the Ligurian Coast.
An evening in VeniceDrinks at Cafe FlorianPiazza San MarcoOur favourite restaurantFrom our hotel roomGondolas near the Grand CanalCrowds as far as the eye can seeCanals in VeniceA glimpse of Ponte RialtoLunch in Piazza San MarcoJean loitering at the front of the hotelOn our trip to the train stationAhhhh, VenicePiazza San Marco from the waterGondoliFarewell Londra PalaceNegotiating the canals
After a 4 hour train trip from Rome, we arrived in Venice. The only train station I’m aware of with a canal running past its front. There to greet us was Alaria. She had organised a water taxi which took us and our bags through the canals of Venice, eventually reaching the Londra Palace. Our home for the next 4 days.
It’s a lovely hotel which has, in one guise or another, been receiving guests since 1857. It has both a bar and restaurant with terraces that look over the water.
If you are planning a trip to Venice then this could well be the relaxing retreat from the summer madness you are looking for.
We last visited Venice in 1999. That would be 24 years ago.
Although the memories have blurred with time, we have evidence of the trip in the form of the the photographs taken – with a Nikon 35mm film camera – as iPhones weren’t invented until 8 years later.
Looking at these shots, clearly neither of us have aged a day since then.
We are looking forward seeing the city again.
We will be back there is a fortnight and are staying on the Island at the Londra Palace. We have trips to both Murano and Burano planned and we may even spend a day at the Lido if the pull of a beach day becomes too strong.
From what we hear Venice will be crowded, with an inundation of day trippers. Hopefully the evenings will be quieter – and we can, once again, enjoy an aperitivo at Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco listening to the music.
A short video using footage from our 1999 visit to Venice.
toscanakiwi 