21 March continued ...

We did not walk directly to Frari church, ventured out toward San Tomà instead. Cute, narrow alleys and picturesque bridges here. We passed by Carlo Goldoni museum, just a quick look into the courtyard was enough, then continued to the next little square, Campiello San Tomà, where we stopped by gelato place Il Doge. Yummy! Around the corner was the slightly larger Campo San Tomà. Beautiful, intimate, interesting. The church was unfortunately closed, but we had a quick look into the public libary vis-a-vis. A minute later we reached Campo dei Frari with its church, one of the highlights in Venice. It is too bad the entrance is on the left side. This way you don't get the Wow-effect of seeing Titian's Assunta through the rood-screen as first impression. Anyway, we paid our 5/3 € admission and went in. The church is huge and airy. We walked to the center and looked around. All the monumental graves along the walls were impressive, but it was Titian's Assunta that caught our attention. It was ablaze in strong colours and outshone everything else. Automagically we walked through the portal of the rood-screen and along the beautiful woodcarved choir-stalls until we stood right before Titian's masterpiece. Ignoring the scaffolding on the right side of the apse, we admired this altar painting for a couple of minutes. Still in awe, we turned to see the other fantastic works of art in the church. It would be tiresome to list them all here but I assure you we spent clearly more than an hour in the Frari church. See pictures below!


Crowds in narrow alleys


Casa Goldoni


Gelato place Il Doge


Campo San Tomà with public library and campanile of Frari church


Campanile and entrance of Frari church, left at the corner our lunch spot


Frari church


Frari church


Frari church, Titian's Assunta


Frari church, Claudio Monteverdi's gravestone


Frari church


Frari church


Frari church


Frari church, cloisters


Frari church, Canova's grave


Frari church

Tired from all the art works we left the church and stumbled into the next restaurant for lunch - Snack Bar All'Angolo, vis-a-vis from the Frari church entrance. Touristy, I know, but so what ... It was too cold, a bit windy to sit outside (in the shade), so we went inside. The food was ok, service good. I had fillet of seabream, mediterranean style (which meant that a few tomatoes and olives had found their way on the plate ...) with potatoes and a few leaves of salad, mom had chicken breast with the same sort of salad. We shared a half litre of white wine (surprisingly good) and a 1 l bottle of sparkling water. The check was 48,70 € - no coperto. All in all not a bad deal. While mom waited in the restaurant I rushed out and walked to the back of Frari church to catch at least a glimpse of church and Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Although the latter was on my list, we were too tired to appreciate the many art works inside at that moment. So the (very beautiful) facades had to be enough. A short walk (but again so many picturesque corners that deserved taking photos ...) took us to vaporetto stop S. Toma. We jumped on the next boat #1 toward the train station and got off three stops later at Rialto, only a few minutes later. Back to the apartment for a short nap. An hour later we set out again. Although it was already 3 pm we decided to make good use of our vaporetto pass by visiting the island Murano. On our walk to the boat station Fondamente Nove we crossed the lovely Cannaregion district again. Seeing the doors of Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo open we could not resist and went in. Although it is small and not famous we liked it very much. We found an altar painting by Giovanni Bellin and works of Sebastiano del Piombo. It was overcast by now, not the best weather for the the boat ride to Murano, but we stuck to our plan, walked on and arrived about 4 pm at the boat stop Fondamente Nove.


lunch at Snack Bar All'Angolo


Scuola Grande di San Rocco


Scuola Grande di San Rocco


Frari church, choir


Chiesa di San Rocco


vaporetto stop S. Toma


Traghetto at San Toma


Crowded alley


Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo


Chiesa di San Giovanni Grisostomo


Campo Santa Maria Nova with church Santa Maria dei Miracoli


Santa Maria dei Miracoli


Santa Maria dei Miracoli

The boat passed the cemetery island San Michele (looked beautiful) and stopped a couple of times at Murano until we got off at Murano Museo. It may have been the lack of sunshine or the late hour but we were not much impressed with Murano. Desperately in need of caffeine we walked into the first bar we saw, right by the boat station. It was Rivalonga Cafe, part of the Hyatt hotel. Although most people sat outside we thought it was too cold and headed inside. Modern, stylish ambience, nice for a change, the service was excellent, unfortunately no cake but at least very good coffee. Americano for mom, Latte macchiato for me. The check was 10,50 €, still ok. We walked along a canal to the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, passing the glass museum (closed, of course, at that time). The displays in the glass stores were magnificent (but the prices, too!) The buildings on the opposite side of the canal looked somehow run down, but not with the charm of those in central Venice. Maybe the lack of sunshine? The basilica, however, was beautiful. The whole complex with campanile, vicarage, the little square and the elegant bridge spanning the canal was very picturesque. The picture taken from the other side of the canal shows it, I think. The church was already closed, though, earlier than usual that day. Reason was a constitutional referendum held that whole weekend in Italy which caused major changes of the vaporetto schedules also. Back to the boat station where we saw a Coop nearby and did our grocery shopping for that day. The boat ride(s) back were our one and only disaster with public transportation in Venice, probably due to the changes of schedule mentioned above. Arriving at Fondamente Nove mom did not feel up to walking home anymore, so we decided to take the boat. However, the queue was so long that we missed the first one, then had to stand all the way to station Ferrovia (train station) where we missed another boat, again due to the long queue. It took us almost two hours from Murano back to Rialto and the apartment. Basta cosi for this evening. I prepared Caprese for supper (with that delicious Battipaglia Mozzarella di Bufala and the tomatoes bought at Rialto market in the morning), we had bread and cold cuts, washed down with some very good rose wine from Veneto (Chiaretto).


San Michele in Isola on the cemetery island


First Murano stop


Rivalonga Cafe


Walking along a Murano canal


Canal at Murano


Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato, campanile and bridge


bridge and campanile


Murano


Waiting for the boat at the train station

22 March

Sunday, very quiet in the morning but the alleys quickly filled up with tourists. Sunshine again! We took the vaporetto from Rialto along Canal Grande in direction San Marco and enjoyed all the magnificent palazzi along the way. To my surprise the boat did not stop at Santa Maria delle Salute. We made the best of it - after getting off at San Marco Vallaresso we walked around once more in the beautiful Giardini Reali, one of the few green spots in the city. Only a couple of days after our first visit much more was in bloom now. Fantastic! After a quick visit to the Piazetta, taking some more photos of Palazzo Ducale etc. we took another boat back to Santa Maria delle Salute church (and fleeing the crowds at San Marco.) This landmark church is not only magnificent from the outside, it is also gorgeous inside. Designed by Baldassare Longhena it is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture and holds artworks by Titian, Luca Giordano and others. We arrived during the last minutes of Mass, kept quiet and enjoyed the music and solemn spirit. After mass we walked around, admired the magnificent altars and the huge dome, caught a glimpse of the icon of the Madonna delle Salute and lit up two candles for my grandparents.


Canal Grande with Commissario Brunetti's terrace


Ca' Rezzonico at Canal Grande


Santa Maria delle Salute


Arriving at San Marco


Giardini Reali


Giardini Reali


Giardini Reali


Giardini Reali


Promenade at San Marco


Strolling at San Marco


Molo di Palazzo Ducale


Piazzetta San Marco


Ponte dei Sospiri


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute


Santa Maria delle Salute

We had not explored the Dorsoduro district before so that is what we did next. A small alley and a couple of bridges would take us right to the Guggenheim museum, but we stopped one bridge short of the museum at the picturesque Campiello Barbaro. A small gelato shop caught my attention. It is never the wrong time for ice cream, so we bought some. Yummy as always in Italy, enjoyed on a bench on this small square. No queues at the Guggenheim, but modern art is not really our thing, so a walk through their front courtyard was enough. Around the corner by the little canal was an inexpensive bar, very busy, and a few steps away we found a pizza place that sold yummy looking, incredibly cheap pizza. Although still relatively early we decided this was our lunch stop. We bought two pieces of pizza (tonno and capricciosa), each 3.50 €, and a Spritz (Campari and Aperol again), each 3.50 €, too, and sat down on the edge of the canal, just like the other folks around us. Food and drinks were pretty good, but the real fun was the show that the seagulls delivered: One of them was so bold to attack a girl next to us, trying to snatch a piece of her pizza that she held in her hand. She screamed, jumped up and ran into the next open door seeking shelter. The seagull flew around and landed on a windowsill of the houses vis-a-vis where an elderly lady fed her.


Church San Gregorio, ponte de l'Abazzia


luxury hotel in a palazzo


Campiello Barbaro


Campiello Barbaro


Campiello Barbaro


Guggenheim museum courtyard


bustling, inexpensive bar


Un Spritz, per favore!


Inexpensive pizza


Elderly lady feeding the seagull

Well rested we felt up to a museum visit. The Gallerie dell'Accademia were close and this is where we went. Admission was 15 €, no discounts for seniors One of the reasons we picked this one is that we both like old monastery buildings, and this museum is in one. Unfortunately the former church and adjoining rooms were closed. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit, especially the earliest (medieval) pictures, that you rarely see in the famous churches in Venice anymore. Other favourites were works of artists that we knew from the Dresden Old Masters Gallery, but in very different style and with different motifs (Giorgione, Titian, Tiepolo e.g.) Not to forget Rosalba Carriera's delicate pastel portraits (I did not know she was a Venetian.) Quite tired but happy we left and walked over Accademia bridge to Campo San Stefano where we rested for a while, doing some people watching. The church was closed (yuck), but of course I took the famous photo with the canal/Rio di Santo Stefano flowing underneath the presbytery of the church. On our walk back to our apartment we passed some nice (Campo Sant' Anzolo) and not so nice (Campo Daniele Manin, that modern building an eyesore) little squares and made a quick detour to Corte Contarini del Bovolo to see the spiral staircase. After a short rest we set out again, seeking a place for coffee. Aimlessly walking along the alleys we found another open church, San Zulian, which we checked out (very impressive stucco works!) and found ourselves at Piazza San Marco, under the arcades right by Caffe Quadri. Instantly we were caught by the charm of the square again. Browsing the menu of Caffe Quadri I noticed that prices outside were outrageous, but inside reasonable. It was a bit chilly outside also, so we headed inside, were greeted in German (!) by the lady behind the counter and spotted a tiny table with two bar stools right by the panoramic window. YAY! My mom was happy to get her first filtred coffee (a rarity in Italy) and I got an Americano, both served with a generous portion of milk and each 4 €. I got a muffin, too, which was yummy (3.50 €). We had a blast watching the people on the Piazza and could easily listen to the live music from outside. Perfect for us. On the way back to our apartment we did a little detour, walked via Campo Santa Maria Formosa where the lion sculptures caught our eyes. Nice square with good looking hotels, an interesting eastern side of the church and an even more interesting museum (Fondazione Querini Stampalia, already closed.) A few corners farther we passed by Gelateria Gallonetto where a long queue had formed. Must be the best ice cream of Venice ... After supper - we cooked in our apartment for once, bread, cold cuts, Tortellini, parmigiano, the rest of the bottle Chiaretto - mom stayed in and I headed out to mingle with both tourists and locals. I turned to the Cannaregio district, stayed on the 'main' alleys that I knew and popped into bar "Un Mondo di Vino", recommended by rialtogrl. It was busy, but not crowded. Mostly locals here was my guess. The ladies behind the counter were super friendly, chatty and helpful. I had my first Select Spritz here, *the* Venetian Aperitif. Yummy. And the wines were also excellent and inexpensive. I will go back on my next trip to Venice. Afterward I checked out two other bars of which I don't remember the names - both nearby - and, frankly, they paled in comparison, although not bad. Time to head back and get some sleep!


Gallerie dell'Accademia


Ponte dell'Accademia


View from Ponte dell'Accademia


View from Ponte dell'Accademia


Campo Santo Stefano


Campo Santo Stefano


canal/rio underneath church Santo Stefano


Campo Sant'Anzolo


Campo Daniele Manin


Spiral staircase at Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo


Church San Zulian


Church San Zulian


Caffe Quadri - inside


Caffe Quadri - view from our table inside


Caffe Quadri - outside


Piazza San Marco


Church Santa Maria Formosa


Campo Santa Maria Formosa with church and two of the lions


romantic restaurant


prepared for honeymooners?


Queue at Gelateria Gallonetto

Continued bravas!

Aaaahhhh, Ingo! As usual, you set the standard for trip reports! The detail is thorough, soo descriptive, and inviting. And your photos of course are beautiful! So nice to see you here!

s

Ingo, Wow! Just Wow! So many wonderful photos that take me back to Venice. And make me want to go again. The first time we stayed in Dorsoduro and the vaporetto stop was at Ca Rezzonico. That photo is perfect and I love the romantic restaurant. Did you keep track of the miles you walked per day? It must be lot! Looking forward to more!

TDudette: Thanks again.
swandav2000: Thank you for the kind words. Too much praise! So good to see you on Fodor's.
gomiki: Thanks to you, too! No, we did not keep track of the miles we walked ... but it was certainly too much, LOL! Yep, you need to go back again. Venice is unique.

More to come this weekend ...

Thank you for taking the time to write the lengthy descriptions and include the lovely photographs of Venice. I spent a long time devouring every word and photo.

Ihad just finished reading this book when I came upon your trip report.
Between the book and your extensive trip report I feel like I got a good taste of a very interesting city.

“The Floating Venice Bookshop” by Annabel French.

TPAYT: Thanks for the nice comments. You're too kind! I did not know this book, I did a quick search. Sounds interesting, just perfect for Venice lovers.

Of course I am also reading books set in Venice. Right now I am reading the fourth book of the Nathan Sutherland, British honorary consul in Venice, series by Philip Gwynne Jones.


23 March

Sunshine again. Looks like we were totally lucky weather wise. Another church was on the *must* list, Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, short: Zanipolo. So we walked through the Cannaregio district to Campo Maria Formosa, got lost a little in the quiet alleys of the Castello district (which was fun) and arrived at the Zanipolo church from the 'backside', so to speak. The square in front of Zanipolo church was beautiful with Bartolomeo Colleoni's monument, benches, cafes, shops ... only very few tables in the sunshine were available. We ignored them, though, marveled at the stunning Renaissance facade of the former Scuola Grande di San Marco, now main entrance to the hospital of Venice, and headed straight to the church. Admission was 3.50 €, no discount for seniors here The interior of this largest church in Venice is stunning, somewhat similar to the Frari church. The Gothic architecture is more dominant here, though, and the rood-screen was removed so Zanipolo appears more consistent. Many magnificent tombs, gorgeous side chapels, we did not know where to turn first! We started on the right with the three annex chapels with decorations of the 17th/18th centuries. Very ornate, gorgeous. In the southern transept we found (at last!) a huge, colourful stained-glass (Murano!) window, absolutely stunning, and one of the few remaining in Venice. We continued our visit with the main altar, designed by Baldassare Longhena, as an ancient triumphal arch in Baroque style. We passed through a portal in the northern transept (above a giant clock with 24 hours face, typical for Venice) and entered the Cappella del Rosario. It was reconstructed after a devastating fire in 1867, hence we saw paintings of Veronese on the ceiling instead of the original works of Tintoretto and Palma. We didn't mind - the chapel is magnificent. Back in the northern side nave we found the entrance to the sacristy, built shortly after the Capella del Rosario (end of 16th century) but originally preserved. Beautiful woodcarving works and excellent paintings. During our visit we also saw lots of stunning tombs of Ducs, more than 20 if I recall correctly - too many to point them out here.


View from Ponte del Mondo Novo in the morning


A swimming crane


Campo Santa Maria Formosa


church Santa Maria Formosa


Welcome to the "most beautiful book shop in the world."


A book shop with a gondola!


Art installation "Book Stairs" by Luigi Frizzo


Castello district off the beaten path


Castello district off the beaten path


Castello district off the beaten path


Arriving at Zanipolo church


Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo


Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, monument for Bartolomeo Colleoni


Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, short "Zanipolo"


Zanipolo, main portal


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo


Zanipolo, main altar


Zanipolo, 24 hour clockface


Zanipolo, Cappella del Rosario


Zanipolo, Sacristy

Completely overwhelmed we left the church and walked over Ponte del Cavallo (great point for photos!) to the Cannaregio district and reached only about 15 minutes later Fondamente Nove with the boat station "A" from where our vaporetto #12 left for Burano. Yep - that was the plan for today, a visit of the northern islands of the lagoon. The boat ride to Burano took about 40 minutes - very enjoyable in this weather, passing San Michele, the cemetery island (no stop), then Murano and after that Mazzorbo. The boat was crowded which gave us an idea of the mass of tourists on the island later ... anyway, we got off at Burano, ignored the restaurant right by the station and turned left into one of the quiet alleys. It was funny how empty the side alleys were while the crowds waltzed along the main street. After exploring a bit - we were right away charmed by the little, colourful houses and cute details - we decided to join the crowds along the little canal and the main street to have lunch somewhere. We saw a nice looking place, Ristorante e Pizzeria Principe, and found a table right by the canal. YAY! We ordered two Spritz, Aperol for mom, Campari for me, a bottle of mineral water and a fish plate for two. Service was good, the sun was out, the drinks were excellent, the food was yummy - what more to wish for? Oh, not to forget the people watching which was fun, too. The fish plate was gilthead seabream and came with polenta and a bit salad. Very, very good. The check was 56.50 €, very reasonable. We took off and strolled along the main street, joining the crowd, letting our eyes wander around ... and guess what, my mom wanted to shop. Yuck. Doing all sorts of handicraft herself (embroidery, knitting ...) she explored the many shops. She ended up buying some embroidery and a curtain. Happily we walked on, visited the parish church, then walked back and grabbed a table at Bar Pasticceria Gelateria Ninfea, only a few steps from our lunch place. We each had a yummy tartlet, mom a coffee Americano, I had a coffee lungo. Very good service, the check was 17 €. We walked back to the boat station via quiet, very picturesque side alleys.


view from Ponte del Cavallo


Fondamente Nove


San Michele seen from Fondamente Nove


view back from the boat


Arrival at Burano


quiet side alley


"main street" Burano


our restaurant


our restaurant


fish plate for two


main street Burano


colourful houses at main street Burano


Parish church Burano


tartlet and coffee


our coffee place


main street Burano


a few steps from the main street


water tower Burano


side alley Burano


Burano


Burano

My main goal for visiting the northern islands had been the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta at Torcello, famous for its outstanding byzantine mosaic works. It was already quite late now, 3.30 pm or so, and we debated whether to add Torcello or not - considering the boat trip back to Venice central would take quite some time. We finally said yes to Torcello and hopped on the shuttle boat to Torcello, together with only a handful other passengers. A few minutes later we arrived. The island was sooooo very quaint! We loved it instantly. Very few buildings here, recreation time for the eyes ;-) We walked along the little canal, took the famous photo of the Devil's bridge, and reached the "centre" a few minutes later. The museum was already closed, but we didn't mind. First a quick visit of the Chiesa di Santa Fosca, a jewel of venetian-byzantinie architecture, then on to the Basilica. The lady at the entrance appreciated my attempts of speaking Italian and with smiles and gestures I bought the tickets: Basilica and Campanile (tower) for me, 9 €, Basilica only for mom, 4 € (senior reduction). My mom waited in the church while I went up the tower. It was quite a climb up but well worth the effort. The panoramic views were incredible - nearby the typical lagoon landscape with blue water and green little islands, sparsely inhabited, in far distance central Venice with its numerous towers and domes. Just wow! The climb down went much faster. When I entered the church I got a shock: scaffolding everywhere! Rushed as we were due to the late hour we had missed the (not exactly large) sign outside that warned the visitors "some areas of the church may not be visible due to construction works." I was thoroughly disappointed. All we could see was the southern side nave with apse and mosaics and the western wall with the - granted, most important - mosaics. Ok, I take what I can get ... spent some ten minutes or so having a closer look at those, then we left. The garden behind the church was nothing special (but in busier times certainly a quiet oasis for a rest), the restaurants along the canal were all closed by now and so we slowly trotted back to the boat station, enjoying the magic light and tranquility.


view from the shuttle back to Burano


Torcello, a walk along the canal


Ponte del Diavolo


Chiesa di San Fosca


inside the campanile


view from the campanile


view from the campanile in direction Venice center


view from the campanile, Chiesa San Fosca below


view from the campanile


Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta


Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta


Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta


Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta


Ponte del Diavolo on the walk back

We did not have to wait for long till the next shuttle boat arrived and took us to Burano from where the boats to Venice center depart. We did not look forward to the boat ride back, remembering the unpleasant trip back from Murano two days ago, the two changes, missed boats ... and right, there was another long queue at the pier for boat #12 to Fondamente Nove. I was pretty certain we would not make it on the next boat, so I looked for alternatives. I discovered another pier, located between those for the shuttle and boat #12, from where only a couple minutes later boat #14 would leave via Punta Sabbioni and Lido to San Marco. YAY! The queue was short. This boat ride would complete our loop around the northern lagoon, so we decided to take it. We did not regret it. We were quick enough to secure seats in the back of the boat, outdoor. The light was pure magic, the sunset getting closer and closer. It took an hour to get to San Marco but we enjoyed every minute. When the sun went to sleep as a red fireball behind the silhouette of Venice everyone oohh-ed and aaahh-ed; smartphones were grabbed and photos taken. When we got off the boat at San Marco this magic was gone, it got dark quickly and another magic appeared - the lit up buildings around the square. Venice never ceases to amaze its visitors. We stayed at the Piazza for a couple of minutes, then walked back home. Supper was not a big affair, some cold cuts, cheese, bread and a glass of wine.


a look back at Burano - and yes, the parish church really has a leaning tower


Venice in the distance (zoomed)


Punta Sabbioni in evening light


Sunset over Venice


Sunset over Venice


Sunset over Venice


Sunset over Venice


Arrival at San Marco


San Marco


Piazzo San Marco


Rialto bridge

Just amazing! The sunset photos are gorgeous and I love the last one of the Rialto Bridge. I am so impressed that you can title all your photos. I know it would all end up being a blur for me! More please!

Glad you are enjoying Phil Jones’ books set in Venice. His book To Venice with Love is also great, it details how Phil and Caroline gave up their detested jobs in the UK and ran away to Venice. We were in the happy place of helping them to unpack when their belongings arrived!

gomiki: You are too kind! The memory is still fresh, I bet in a couple of weeks I would not remember the places by name anymore.

Peter_S_Aus: Wow, you know Phil and Caroline in person? Please let them know that I love these books! Hopefully there are more to come ... "To Venice with Love" is not translated in German yet, but I'll check if I can get it in English.


24 March

Our last full day in Venice. We had the feeling we had already explored enough picturesque squares and alleys, seen more than enough churches and decided to head out to Lido to just hang out in one of the little villages there and spend some time on the beach - the weather was inviting, pure sunshine again, no wind, max. temperature about 65 F. First, however, we visited the Rialto market another time. The plan was to buy some cheese, prosciutto, olive oil and balsamico etc. to take home. Once more we were enchanted by the market, especially the fish market. We had a blast watching the seagulls trying to get their share of fish and the guys chasing them away. The hunt for cheese was not fully successful, though. Unfortunately the Mozzarella di Bufala by Battipaglia was not available, delivery was announced for the next day. We agreed that I would return the next day on the way to the train station. I bought some Taleggio and Pecorino, though. In a nearby shop I bought salami and prosciutto, then headed to Drogheria Mascari (Thanks rialtogrl for the recommendation again!) for oil and balsamico, and of course I could not resist grabbing some chocolate as well. Back to the apartment, putting the groceries away, and off we went, fighting our way to San Marco through the crowds. It was only 10.30 am and way more busy than on the previous days. Nonetheless we enjoyed the scenery - always remembering it was our last day in Venice - and walked to the pier where the boat to Lido left.


Casa del Parmigiano


Rialto market


Rialto fish market


Rialto fish market, seagulls planning their attack


Drogheria Mascari


Canal Grande from Rialto bridge


crowded alley


Piazza San Marco


Clock tower at San Marco


With no real plan we jumped on the first bus that caught our eyes. By incident it was Bus A which ran through the residential areas (unlike bus #11, that had taken us around those along the beach on the eastern side of Lido) - a nice sightseeing tour for us - and to Malamocco, the first village that looked appealing to us. We got off at Malamocco centro. The (Fishermen's?) village was sleepy, almost nobody was on the streets, which was a stark contrast to central Venice, almost unreal. We liked it, though, with its cute little houses, the super clean wide streets and narrow side alleys. We also found an open cafe and an open bar (coffee for 1.30 €!), and imagined how the locals gathered here after work. It is also much greener than central Venice, of course, a nice change for the eyes. We walked around for about a half hour or slightly more, then hopped on the next bus that ran farther down the island.


Arrival at Lido - boat/bus station S. M. Elisabetta


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco


Malamocco lakeside promenade

The next interesting village that came into sight was Alberoni. We decided to get off here, too. It was much busier here, the reason probably the hospital San Camillo with its medical school. We relaxed a bit in the sun by the boat station first. The nearby cafe "The Box" caught our attention, where more and more locals (mostly students) spent their lunch break. Finally we gave in and joined them. My mom got a glass of white wine, I got the usual Campari Spritz, and the super friendly waitress brought crackers, too. She spoke only Italian, no English, but we managed to order "due focaccie" as well. I don't remember exactly, but I think mine was with roastbeef and artichoke hearts, mom's with prosciutto di parma and aurugula. Yummy, filling and only 6 € each. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch break watching the young students chatting away and devour their pasta or focaccia. Afterward we walked to the beach on the eastern side of the village, a walk that was longer than expected - about 20 minutes. The beach looked quite nice, uncommercial, we only spotted one bar where some guys worked, probably preparing it for the start of the season. We relaxed for an hour on the beach, yours truly getting a light sunburn. Yuck.


Alberoni with cafe "The Box"


Alberoni pier


Alberoni, cafe "The Box"


Focaccia and Spritz


cafe "The Box"


Beach bar


walkway to the beach


Alberoni Beach


Alberoni beach

Another bus #A took us back to Lido proper, stop Gallo Bragadin. We strolled through the residential area, marvelling at the Stile Liberty architecture from about 1900 and ended up in the same gelateria as on our first visit here, Gelateria Snack Bar Dolcezze on the main street. The owner recognised us (!) and asked "Two strawberry sundaes again?" Of course, yes, please! Once more we enjoyed watching the people on their "passegiata", sipping our coffee that we had ordered as well. When the sun disappeared behind the buildings on the opposite side of the street we called for the check (29 €), paid and left. We quickly stopped by the massive Votive Temple of Peace that you can see from far distance already. Unfortunately it was closed. A vaporetto took us back to San Marco, treating us again to fascinating views in magic light. By chance we were on line #1 which continued along Canal Grande, so we stayed on the boat. An idea popped up: We had not yet done a gondola ride. At least we could take a traghetto, crossing the Canal Grande for a short gondola experience. So we hopped off the vaporetto at San Tomà and walked to the traghetto station. We got on the second gondola, paid our 2 € each and off we went. Of course the ride was too short, but still fun. Arrival was at Calle Garzoni. Back in the maze of narrow alleys we quickly found our way to vaporetto stop San Angelo, hopped on the next boat and arrived two stops later at Rialto, close to our apartment. We rested briefly, then packed our stuff which took us until 9 pm. We were not very hungry, so a restaurant visit was out of the question. An online search came up with a Crai supermarket close to Piazza San Marco that was still open and that's where we went. We grabbed some tomatoes, cheese, salami and prosciutto and, since we were nearby, paid a farewell visit to the Piazza. Almost deserted, beautifully lit up it was a quite unique atmosphere. Like in a fairy tale. With a heavy heart we left and headed back to the apartment, had a very late supper and called it a day.


Lido proper


Lido


villa in Lido


Lido


Lido main street


the temple


going back to Venice center


getting closer to San Marco


San Giorgio Maggiore


Canal Grande


Canal Grande


Canal Grande toward Rialto bridge


signpost for traghetto


traghetto stop San Tomà


traghetto ride


Traghetto ride


Canal Grande at San Angelo


Piazza San Marco after 9 pm (sorry for the quality, smartphone)

One more chapter to go ... a short one, departure day.

Ingo, such a fascinating report. So interesting to see this side of Venice.

Many thanks, Ingo. I've really enjoyed your report.

You appear to have had marvellous weather, and not horrific crowds. March must be the sweet spot.

Your report and pictures of the Frari reminded me of my first trip to Venice, over 40 years ago. I was wandering around, lost as usual (I'm Australian and constantly lost in the northern hemisphere). I came to church, and wandered in to get out of the sun, and there it was, Titian's Assumption, just being there. No crowds, no fees, no nothin" Absolutely blown away!

An interesting curio in the Frari. Onthe right hand side of the church, towards the rear of the church, there is a small bomb mounted on the wall. It fell on the Frari in 1917, and failed to detonate.
Anyway, that’s the story. Or it might be a bit af a Paolo Sarpi, Venetian philosopher kind of thing, reported as saying “ I never ever lie, but the truth, not to everyone”. Sarpi observed the contraction of the iris - a userull fact if one is playing Trivial Persuit.

Oooo Ingo, those last two days ... WOW. Just stunning.

I want to tag along on your next trip, but wouldn't be able to keep up!

So glad you got to share it with your mom.

s

Adelaidean: Thanks for following along.
margo_oz: Thanks for reading. Yes, we were very lucky weather wise and in regards to crowds. And you were so very lucky to experience Venice without the crowds and non-touristy. Seeing Titian's Assumption in the Frari church was one of our highlights.
Peter_S_Aus: Yep I saw this bomb mounted on the wall. Thanks for the interesting background story.
swandav2000: Thank you! LOL, I am getting slower also. Would be fun if you tagged along!

25 March Departure Day (all the pictures taken with smartphone, sorry for the lousy quality)

I went to 'our' bakery again, bought bread and some culinary souvenirs (Cannoli, Cantuccini, apple tart). I made a quick side trip to see the Malibran theatre - and regretted it did not work out to attend an opera or concert in one of the theatres (Fenice, Malibran.) Next time maybe? A quick dash to 'our' Despar grocery followed, getting cold cuts, fruit and yoghurt. Breakfast at the apartment, prepared provisions for the train journey, a little cleaning and putting the garbage away - that was interesting, we just handed the garbage bag over to a trash collector we ran into. We debated whether to take the boat to the train station or to walk. Our vaporetto pass was not valid anymore (the 7 days ended in the previous evening) which meant we would have to buy two tickets, each 9.50 €. Less than a taxi elsewhere. On the other hand - we had plenty of time to kill. Our train departure was 11.35 am which gave us about one and a half hour to walk. That's what we did. I know, about 99 % of the forum members will say we're completely nuts. LOL Anyway, we left the apartment with a heavy heart and after successfully schlepping the bags across Rialto bridge we made our first stop a Casa di Parmigiano, Rialto Market. The shopkeeper recognised me instantly and only shrugged. He was very sorry, but the Mozarella die Bufala by Battipaglia was still on the boat.


early morning


early morning, so peaceful


San Giovanni Crisostomo


Malibran theatre


window of "our" bakery, Panificio Crosera


apple tart as souvenir, super yummy


Campo San Bartolomeo, still quiet on my way back to the apartment

Disappointed we trotted away. Quickly we were at Campo San Polo where we rested for a couple of minutes and enjoyed watching a bunch of school kids. A waiter convinced us to have a coffee, and after another couple of minutes we continued our walk, passing a tennis court (!) and taking another short rest at Campo San Giacomo dall'Orio. Very nice and totally new to us. The wisteria was in bloom! I wanted to visit the church but it was closed for a funeral ceremony. We left the square via Ponte del Savio - another flight of steps schlepping the bags up, another set of steps down. The next alley was super narrow, barely wide enough for our bags. LOL Anyway, a couple of corners and alleys and one more bridge later we found ourselves at Fondamente San Simon Piccolo, across Canal Grande we saw the train station. YAY! We made it, with only 15 minutes to spare. Ponte degli Scalzi was the last obstacle to conquer, and we made it. A couple of minutes later we sat in our Austrian Railjet train.


Campo San Polo


view to Ponte San Boldo


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio, Wisteria already in bloom


Campo San Giacomo dall’Orio


church and campanile San Giacomo dall’Orio


church San Giacomo dall’Orio


Ponte degli Scalzi and church of the same name or Santa Maria di Nazareth


Canal Grande with church San Simeone Piccolo and train station, seen from Ponte degli Scalzi


the train station - at last!

The train ride was totally uneventful. Everything worked perfectly. Sunshine up to the Brenner pass at the main crest of the Alps (and Italian-Austrian border) and after that overcast. Once more we loathed the Munich main railway station, arriving at a track very far outside and having to walk about 10 minutes to the main building, then standing around for 30 minutes ... yuck. Our ICE train was a few minutes late but the conductor made sure our next train in Erfurt waited. The change was at the same platform, so no problem at all. We arrived right in time in Dresden. On our train ride we ate lunch in the Austrian Railjet dining car - Schnitzel for me, meat balls for mom, very good. Their beer was also yummy.


crossing the Adige/Etsch river in Verona


Trento/Trient train station - and mountains!


Trento/Trient train station, a glimpse of the old town


lunch in the Austrian dining car - meatballs with mashed peas


my lunch - Schnitzel


lunch washed down with Austrian organic beer


Brixen/Bressanone


close to Brenner pass, clouds rolling in

Thank you Fodorites for tagging along. And once more thanks for the excellent tips prior to the trip.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this all up. The detail, the photos - outstanding!

It's over all too soon! Such a lovely trip and I hope your mom enjoyed every moment. Your photos are the icing on the cake with a cherry on top! So lovely. You really managed to see many places that the average visitor doesn't find. Thank you for sharing with us!

I am so amazed with all you did. This report is a Fodors classic. Thank you for taking so much time to write it.