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Thanks for a series of lovely reports from Venice -- we'll look forward to the full report when you return ;)

Thanks, Capo! Great writing. You bring back wonderful memories. Enjoy the rest of your trip & I'll look forward to more reports! Buon viaggio!

So what I'm getting is that the rain in Venice is really not a menace, 'cause you seem to be enjoying yourself just the same! Can't wait to hear how the remainder of the trip turns out & remember to have a gelato at Giolitti for me once you're in Roma! Ciao, BC

Have one for me , too!!!!!!!!!1 Love the report...venice in the rain sounds loely!

Capo: We will be visiting Venice for the first time in a couple of weeks and your beautifully described observations have made me even more eager than I already was to get there. We too love Rome and will be starting our trip there. Look forward to hearing about your adventures there. j

Capo It's sounding as though you are loving Venice as much as we did a couple weeks ago... Hope to hear lots more when you get back... Kavey

You're all very welcome, and thank you in return for your nice comments. It's now Sunday night and we're just finishing an absolutely wonderful three and a half days in Rome. Just when we think this trip can't get any better, it does. Our final day in Venice, last Wednesday, was perhaps our best of all there. We walked through the Dorsoduro, stopping at Cafe Nico for their delicious chocolate gelato specialty (I forget the name), and then weaving our way to Santa Maria della Salute, arriving there just as the sun broke through the clouds, bathing the buildings across the Grand Canal in a glorious light. Then we took our first traghetto ride. Traghettos are older gondolas which cross the Grand Canal at about six different locations and it is customary to stand up in them, which we did, and we had a ball! Not as peaceful as a regular gondola ride but much more fun. And no rip-offs either. Once on the San Marco side, we headed to Campo San Stefano where we checked out another locanda we'd considered staying at, the Locanda Fiorita. It's on a very picturesque small campo right off the Campo San Stefano but, after looking at one of their rooms -- charming, but small, and also no canal view -- we knew we made the right choice with our locanda. From there we headed north toward the Miracoli church hoping that, this time, it would be open. And, on the way, we had one of our most fun experiences. It was around 5:00 pm and we came across a small campo (unfortunately, I'm forgetting the name right now), one of the most picturesque we saw in Venice, and it was filled with families. Children were running around, kicking soccer balls, chasing pigeons, and riding small bicycles and I was taking photos of them in the late afternoon sun. Then we saw two boys with a soccer ball and two girls with brightly colored clothing and followed them into an adjoining campo. I spotted a faded yellow wall and really wanted a photo of the four of them against it. Just then, the mother of some of them walked into the campo and my girlfriend asked her if it would be allright if I took their photo. She graciously complied and asked the kids to line up against the wall. One little boy held up the the soccer ball (while I called out "Renaldo!", the name of a big Italian soccer star), and the two little girls broke into wonderful poses and smiles. It was my favorite photo of the trip at that point and we thanked the children, and the mother for her graciousness. Then off to the Miracoli church, led there by two nuns. Unfortunately, it was closed again (is it always, perhaps?) but we just sat on some steps leading down to the adjoining canal and took in all the beauty that was around us. The Miracoli is one of the prettiest and, with its rounded roof, one of the most unique little churches I've seen in Europe. The marble, especially the gorgeous creamy-colored marble, on all four sides is so beautiful and its setting on the canal, with gondolas gliding by under the nearby bridge, is equally beautiful. And, across from the front of the church is the Cafe di Miracoli which, apparently, is noted for playing opera music. Now, I'm not a big fan of opera music but in this setting, on this particular evening, the music that was coming from this cafe was very moving. And, to make the moment even more special, my girlfriend, who has a wonderful voice, began singing along with it, with tourists, locals, and gondoliers all pausing, momentarily, to listen to her. It was a great moment and a memory of this trip that will be forever etched into my mind. More on Rome later... Ciao!

Some people really know how to travel! Between Capo and Lucy what a vicarious trip we are having. :-)

Capo That's great re your photo of the kids. Funnily enough, when we were walking through a campo (I have also forgotten the name) we came across three little girls lying on the pavement, leaning on elbows, heads together, drawing in chalk all over the pavement. I wanted to just take a photo without asking but since three ladies, their mums, were standing just by them I decided to ask. Mums were delighted but unfortunately, before I could stop them, instructed the kids to stop what they were doing and stand up for the photo!! Ah well! You can't win them all!!! I am hoping some pictures of a beautiful Indian toddler in St Mark's square will come out. She must have been taught the importance of not leaving litter, she kept finding cigarette butts, picking them up carefully and presenting them proudly and seriously to either parent! She also had a habit of eating more seed than she threw to the pigeons!!! Kavey

What is a campo and a locanda? Thanks.

Grazie, Grasshopper! Joanne, I am sure you will love Venice, and I'm excited for you, seeing it for the first time. We really discovered the two different Venices on this trip: the Rialto-Piazza San Marco Venice where tourists are everywhere, and the "other" Venice where they are not. While Piazza San Marco is very impressive, we greatly preferred the "other" Venice and I think that made all the difference in our tremendous enjoyment of our visit. just curious, I'm not sure about the rest of Italy, but in Venice, a campo is a plaza/square that has something, like a statue or a well, somewhere within it whereas a piazza does not. In Venice, Piazza San Marco is the only piazza; every other plaza/square is a campo. Many, if not most, of the campos have old wells in the center that are now covered with large iron/bronze wellheads. A locanda is an inn, an establishment that is (I believe) primarily a restaurant but which also rents out rooms above the restaurant. Our locanda in Venice for example did not have a typical reception area or foyer and we normally entered through a side door when meals were in progress. (We're currently in Siena and are staying in another locanda which we are in love with. What I don't know is how an albergo differs from a locanda.) Kavey, too bad about you missing that photo. I've missed some great shots on this trip too but have felt blessed to have gotten many others. I forgot to mention that, interestingly, the Indian woman we met on our first Friday night in Venice lives very near you in north London. I think my girlfriend got her email address, if you'd be interested in getting in touch with her.

Sure Capo, send it on... Or perhaps ask her if she wants to get in touch with me first?! I am sure all the other photos I did get more than make up for the few I regret not capturing, but the memory is still in my head so it's not like a total loss! I haven't got my pics developed yet, need to find a local processor I can trust or go back down to where I used to work and use my regular one... Thanks for the report Capo. Kavey

Capo: Thanks for the good wishes. Your picture of the children sounds great. The kind of thing I hope for when we travel. I have a good shot of a youngster in Patmos "shooting hoops" in a makeshift basket affair he had made and attached to the wall. Also caught a youngster on a scooter (the ones so popular in the US the last year or so--the name escapes me)in Paris that I like a lot. We are staying very near Piazza San Marco, but do intend to walk about as far as our feet will take us. Also want to see Burano rather than Murano if time doesn't allow both. Again, Capo, very much enjoying your periodic posts. You and your fiance seem to find the same kinds of pleasures we do when traveling, which makes your posts twice as interesting to me. j

You're welcome, Kavey & Joanne. Joanne, definitely visit Burano; the colorful houses are a delight. I'm going to skip Rome for the time being except to say that we had a fantastic four days there and that we had one of our most enjoyable evenings of the trip on Saturday night. We'd met two Parisians, a man & woman, at breakfast at our hotel, the Hotel Primavera, that morning and asked them if they wanted to meet for dinner. They said yes, so we all met at Alla Rampa near the Spanish Steps, sat outside in lovely weather, ate good food, drank red wine, and laughed the entire evening. We thought they were a couple but they were actually just two good friends who have traveled a lot together and they were visiting Rome for the first time for a long weekend. They both spoke very good English and also had a wonderful sense of humor. In fact, the guy was one of the funniest people I've met in quite some time. After an unfortunate experience with a drunk man in a wine bar in Rome on Sunday evening, and another drunk man on the train from Chisui to Siena, we arrive in Siena on Monday afternoon and picked up our car. Then we found a great place to stay, another locanda, only one block from Siena,s Campo, and are loving Siena; it is fabulous! We stayed in town today and tomorrow we drive south to see Montalcino, Pienza, and other places. Ciao!

Capo, love your report! Am about ready to head to the airport (I wish). If you're near Pienza at meal time tomorrow, go to Latte di Luna for lunch or dinner. Stop by early in the day for a reservation. You won't be sorry!

Capo, So fantastic that you and Chica are having such a great time! Tell her Hi! Your trip report is great! I too hope we'll get to see some pictures upon your return. While in Rome I hope you have some real Italian Ice. I loved that! We always got the flavor called superfruit!! Ciao!! Wendy in Seattle

Capo, thanks for the great posts. I was starting to get a little depressed for some reason and after reading your posts I am excited again. I arrive in Venice May 9th, the day of another planned strike. Please tell me what I can expect. Will I be able to get a water taxi to my hotel? Airport conditions? Thanks so much.

Capo--just discovered this was your post, and it's great! I've cut and pasted it into my "Italy" file (you and JOdy are going to be MY "rough guides" when we go back!) Could you please post the locanda's you used in Rome and other cities (you gave us Venice)? Thanks--keep it up!

Sorry, Capo, just reread and saw that you DID include the hotel in Rome.