Thanks to all who have posted their questions, answers and recommendations on Fodors; as ever, I found them very useful whilst seeking inspiration for our latest trip. I didn’t need to ask many questions myself as so many of you have written such excellent reports in the past I only had to search, and lo and behold these pages revealed your wisdom! By small way of thanks, here’s my report for our latest trip to Italy (Florence and Venice to be precise) and I hope some of the info may be of use (although apologies in advance if it is too long!).

Firstly, some background. The trip was planned to coincide with my 30th birthday and it was the first time I had ever been to Italy. Neil (my husband) had been once before on a school trip when he was about 14 and has always told me how wonderful it is. Bearing in mind that back then he was a youth more interested in computer games than Renaissance art and architecture, I thought it must be good to have made such an impression on him! Still, having said that, on this trip we did decide not to visit some of the more famous attractions such as the Uffizi, the Accademia (in both cities) in favour of journeying “off piste” into some of the quieter districts. So, here goes…

Day 1

We had an early flight (6am) from London Heathrow to Milan and then a short connection to Florence. I won’t bore you with the painful details, but let’s just say that 1 person on a check in desk to process a queue of passengers for 3 flights is not the best way to start the day. Well done Alitalia!

On arriving in Florence, we took a short (15 min) cab ride from the airport to our hotel. I can’t remember the exact cost, but I believe it was just under 20 Euros. We stayed at the Hotel Caravaggio http://www.caravaggio.hotelinfirenze.com/ and it was great. We had a superior room with a Jacuzzi and view of the Duomo (we came to appreciate the Jacuzzi after so much walking!) and paid 278 Euros for the 2 nights. Everything was nicely furnished, there’s a sunny breakfast room and a pretty courtyard/garden where you can have a drink from the bar. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the location is good; it’s only a 5-10 minute walk to the Duomo and a 10 min walk to the train station which was ideal when we were leaving for Venice. Our room was ready when we arrived, so we could drop our bags and head out to explore.

As it was lunchtime, we were beginning to get a bit peckish, but only wanted a sandwich or similar rather than the traditional Italian four course lunch. We found a small place near the Piazza M D Aldobrandini and Capelle Medicee (sorry – I didn’t take a note of the name or exact address) which served freshly made Panini and salads (choose your own ingredients for the salads). We each had Panini with brasaola, fontina and salad, with water and it all cost 10 Euros for the lot. The first of our memorable Italian snacks – we found the sandwiches everywhere to be delicious. The place was very busy, mainly with students from the nearby university. I was also struck by the huge number of young Americans there and also throughout the city during our stay who I also assumed to be studying there (ie they didn’t look like us tourists with our cameras, guidebooks and other paraphernalia).

The cab, checking in to the hotel and ordering lunch were the first test of my Italian (ie – using the phrasebook!). I had spoken to people in faltering Italian and was always answered in English. This didn’t come as a huge surprise, as it always happens when I try to speak the local lingo – obviously, my accent and pale complexion are a dead giveaway as to where I am from! I did however persevere throughout the trip in trying to speak Italian; although I am sure I inadvertently used French or Spanish pronunciation to create some weird kind of Esperanto of my own!

After our quick pit stop, we headed straight to the Duomo and admired the marbled façade and cool interior (some respite from the unseasonably hot weather) and then set out on one of the first of the walks detailed in our guidebooks. We used the AA Spiral Guide (Florence: http://tinyurl.com/yrze79 and Venice: http://tinyurl.com/2cn8r4 )series for both cities and found them to be excellent – good detail about the main sights and excellent leisurely walks showing things off the beaten track you might normally miss.

The circular route took us east of the Duomo to the Spedale degli Innocenti, along to local markets in residential areas, down to Santa Croce and back to the Duomo via the Bargello. Once back in the centre of things, we wandered down to the Piazza della Signoria – where I loved the statues – then past the Uffizi to the Arno and along to the Ponte Vecchio (I love window shopping in jewellery shops so the Ponte Vecchio this heaven for me!). Neil is a very keen amateur photographer so of course our amblings were rather slow as we kept stopping for pictures, and this gave us a good chance to soak up some of the atmosphere of the city.

We headed back to the Piazza della Signoria for a well earned drink as by then it was late afternoon/early evening (cocktail hour or beer o’clock depending on what your tipple is!) and had got a table at Rivoire http://www.rivoire.it looking out over the square. A fantastic location to watch the world go by. We paid an eye-watering 16 Euros for 2 beers (yikes! At least we got free olives and pistachios too!) but we did feel we deserved the treat after so much walking.

After a quick freshen up back at the hotel, we changed for dinner and set out to explore Florence by night. It was dusk as we set out, but as it grew darker, and the buildings lit up, I think the city took on a completely different atmosphere and was even more beautiful. We had dinner in the Piazza della Signoria again – because of that wonderful setting – and had pizza, salad and wine for about 35 Euros. No doubt the cheapest meal (barring snack lunches) of the trip, and unsurprisingly not the most mind blowing. I am sure lots of Fodorites would have some better recommendations for the area, so follow their suggestions instead! I didn’t take the name of this place, but it is on the left hand side of the square as you face the Uffizi. Still, at least we had a good view and free entertainment from the buskers in the square (although they only seemed to know Simon & Garfunkel tracks, and not very many of them, so dinner was to the tune of Bridge over Troubled Water – several times….)

Just as we had finished the meal, a man walking his small puppy passed the restaurant terrace where we were sitting and the puppy ran over and started frolicking around the tables. The terrace was almost empty so she wasn’t causing any problem to any of the diners, and we had a chance to chat to the man (whose name we never did catch) and have a little play with ‘Sheila’ the 3 month old American bull terrier. We have a lovely picture of her sitting on my knee, having got her ears tangled in the necklace I was wearing. Her owner was very friendly, and justifiably proud of his home city of Florence.

After dinner and out canine diversion, we had a stroll down to the Arno and Ponte Vecchio again and then back to our hotel. A great first day to our trip!

Next – day 2 in Florence. Long walks and sushi……

Thanks so much quiUK. I'm looking forward to more. Are you going to share your photos?

Hi Marcia,
The next installment will follow tomorrow and Neil is currently ploughing through the 800 or so photos taken (not bad for 5 days work!). I will post a link to the pics once they are down to a more manageable number!

Day 2

We slept well and woke to another warm day. In fact, throughout our trip we were incredibly lucky to have such wonderful weather. Our plans for the second day of our trip were reasonably unstructured and the only main thing we were aiming to do was a walk detailed in our guide book which would take us from the Ponte Vecchio up to San Miniato and Piazzale Michelangelo. As we wanted to do this in the afternoon, we had the morning to explore the city further.

We started off by having a look round the Mercato Centrale. I love markets and this was no disappointment. The building it is housed in is impressive, and we enjoyed wandering round looking at the stalls filled with meat, fish, cheeses, pasta, dried mushrooms, olive oils and vinegars. Cue Neil’s bad joke at the expense of one of Florence’s local delicacies which I shall share with you as it made me chuckle at the time:

Me: “Oh dear, seeing that tripe so soon after breakfast has turned my stomach”.
Neil: “It’s the cow’s stomach that’s really been turned….”

We went upstairs to look at the fruit and vegetable stalls and it was great to see local people going about their daily shopping. The produce all looked so fresh and delicious in comparison to the pre-packed food we see so often in UK supermarkets!

After leaving the market, we walked a little further south and then decided to head west to Santa Maria Novella, only to arrive and find the wonderful marble façade we had been hoping to see was shrouded in scaffolding! Oh well, we thought, we’ll have a look inside. Nope. It’s shut on Friday mornings! Let’s look in the museum instead then. Nope again. It’s closed all day on Fridays. That’ll teach us to read the guide book in more detail first we thought and had a laugh at our lack of foresight.

Not to be put off by this minor set back, we went round the corner to the Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (free entry) and were very pleased we did. The interconnecting rooms are beautiful, and there’s a wonderful smell of herbs and flowers everywhere. Through the window of one of the rooms where you can buy the herbal soaps and preparations, we had a lovely view into the peaceful cloisters of the church.

We walked back eastwards to the Palazzo Davanzati (http://tinyurl.com/2asq64 ) on Via Porta Rossa. Due to refurbishment only the ground and 1st floor are open to the public (but we knew this in advance so it wasn’t another Santa Maria Novella moment!) and we enjoyed walking round the rooms to get a glimpse of what life must have been like. Entry to the Palazzo is free and it is definitely worth a visit.

Next we crossed the river to Oltrano; we used the Ponte Santa Trinita so we could look back and take pictures of the Ponte Vecchio. We walked through Piazza Santo Spirito and over to Santa Maria del Carmine to look at the frescoes. It’s an interesting residential area to walk through and very quiet compared to the bustle of the city centre.

Once we got to the church, it was 4 Euros each to go in on a timed ticket to see the frescoes and we only had to wait 5 minutes until the next entry. Our guidebook had said that sometimes visits are limited to 15 minutes, but once we were inside there didn’t appear to be a limit and we could spend as long as we liked. The frescoes were stunning, and what we could see of the rest of the church (most of it was roped off) was very impressive too. Apart from a large party of Italian school children it was very quiet and once they had left we really got a chance to admire everything in peace.

Afterwards, we walked back to Piazza Santo Spirito for a quick snack lunch inside at the bar of Caffe Ricchi (8.50 Euros for 2 panini and 2 diet cokes – a bargain!) before heading back to the Ponte Vecchio via the front of the Palazzo Pitti.

Our guidebook walk started here, and we set off up the steep Costa di San Giorgio and climbed steadily above the city. Not too far up, on the right hand side, we spied a small shop (sadly closed for lunch at the time) selling beautiful framed photographic prints of the city. They looked very reasonable too at 20 Euros for a good size picture. Had we remembered, we would have returned later in the day to get a souvenir of the trip, but as we didn’t I hope some of Neil’s pictures turn out half as good! Further up on the right hand side we passed house number 19 where Galileo once lived.

At the top of the hill, we reached the Porta San Giorgio and the entrance to the fort (currently under refurbishment) and we turned left to go down again following a steep stone wall on our left. Across the road, we could just about catch glimpses of beautifulTuscan countryside and San Miniato. Back at the bottom of the hill we turned right to climb again to San Miniato, and at the top were rewarded with fabulous views of the city and the wonderful façade of the church. Inside our eyes took a little time to adjust to the gloom but when we could see properly it was interesting to see it was built on 3 levels – the crypt with it’s original Roman pillars being very atmospheric! Entry was free.

After spending 30 minutes or so inside, we carried on down to Piazzale Michelangelo for more views (and some shameless purchasing of fridge magnets from the many souvenir stalls there – we collect magnets from wherever we go).

Once back down at river level, we walked back towards the Ponte Santa Trinita to cross again. The shops in between there and the Ponte Vecchio were really interesting – lots of antiques, vintage clothing, jewellery etc. Having crossed the Arno, we headed back to our hotel via the Via de Tornabuoni for some luxury window shopping at Gucci, Prada, Missoni etc. The past couple of days had just confirmed that Florence is a shoppers’ paradise – especially for those who like shoes and accessories. Aside from the high end luxury shops, the smaller independent ones too stock some beautiful handbags, shoes and jewellery. I didn’t indulge in any retail therapy however, after all it was Neil’s trip too and I don’t think he would have been too thrilled to be trailing round shops after me!

It was early evening by the time we got back to the hotel, so after freshening up, we headed out to experience Friday night in Florence. We chose an outside table for a pre dinner drink at the Piazza della Repubblica where street performers treated us to contrasting renditions of jazz and opera. Unfortunately, both were performing at the same time!

Undecided as to where to head for dinner, I saw a recommendation in our guidebook for somewhere that sounded too unique to miss; promising plenty of Italian dishes as well as sushi, inventive salads and snacks in a bright, modern and stylish bar/restaurant (www.roses.it ). It was nearby, and we found it easily and had a look at the menu outside. It seemed the evening menu was 100% geared towards Asian cuisine, but looked reasonable and good fun, so we headed in and got a table for dinner anyway.

The food was as far away from traditional Tuscan as you can imagine, but delicious nonetheless (Brits – it was like a slightly smarter Wagamama). We had fish and shiitake mushroom soups to start, and then yakitori chicken and prawn katsu curry with wine for 52 Euros. Apologies to anyone who thinks it is sacrilegious to eat Japanese food in Florence! It wasn’t what we planned to do, but the bar and restaurant was filled with Florentines, and you know what people say; eat where the locals do !!

On the table next to us was an Italian couple out for a date. They ordered plates of sushi, and it looked like this was the first time she had it before. Her boyfriend was helping her figure out how to use her chopsticks and pouring her out some soy sauce in the little dish. What he didn’t appear to do however, was show her what to do with the rather hefty portion of wasabi they had been given (either out of kindness as he thought she wouldn’t like it, or as some cruel joke to let her find out about it for herself….?). The poor girl proceeded to use one chopstick to spread a thick, butter like layer of wasabi over a prawn cracker and take a large bite followed by a brief pause, and then pandemonium and she called out for water, her nose started running etc. I hope she hasn’t been put off sushi for life!

After dinner, we strolled back to our hotel and stopped for gelato on the way – delicious! Sadly, it was our last night in Florence and we felt that whilst we had seen a lot, we had only scratched the surface of the city. Still on the upside, the next day we were going to Venice, so had plenty to look forward to!

Day 3 to follow – arrival in Venice!

What a charming report quiUK! I feel like I am travelling along with you two.

Speaking of sushi, our family is having a good chuckle. My son-in-law is from Rome and all of his family lives in Rome. His favorite cousin phoned him the day before Easter. Near her house a huge shopping mall had opened up. She and her husband had visited the week before and discovered there was a Japanese restaurant. Never having had Japanese food they decided to be adventerous and eat there. So they had sushi for the first time. They loved it so much they announced to their very large Italian family that they would not be having the traditional Easter dinner with them. They went back to the Japanese restaurant to enjoy some more sushi for the Easter dinner, lol. Sounds like some of the Italians are getting more bold with their eating preferances!

I look forward to reading about your adventures in Venice.

Thank you for the report, I am heading to florence and Venice (and Rome!) in May and enjoy reading of everybody's travels.

Does anybody know if St Mark's has scaffolding on it right now? A friend e-mailed me fotos of their March Venice trip and I saw a big dome covered in scaffholding!

Our family loved Florence. I was not overly excited about going there, as it makes frequent appearances on "places you hated" threads, but DH insisted. I'm so glad we did and really want to return.

Hi everyone,
Thanks for your comments.

Vivi - there is a little bit of scaffolding on the left hand side of St Marks at the moment (as you are facing it from the Piazza) and it's mainly seen as you approach the basilica from that side. The view from the front is not too bad though and sounds like they have taken some of it down since your friend was there last month. Unfortunately, there is however scaffolding on Santa Maria della Salute. There's so much else to see though, I'm sure it won't impact on your trip! Have a great time!

I'll be posting day 3 as soon as I can!

Enjoying your report very much--waiting for Venice!

Day 3

We checked out of our hotel and walked down to SMN train station. The walk took about 10 minutes and was easy with our luggage, however if you have more than a couple of wheeled suitcases between you it would probably be better to get a cab. We arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare before our 10.37 train. We had prebooked our tickets via the Trenitalia website back in February (thanks to those on this board who helped out with the technical issues we had during booking!) and the cost was 30 Euros each. This was a bargain to us Brits as train travel is so expensive in the UK.

The journey was pleasant and uneventful (apart from the chaos when we all tried to board, stow luggage and find seats all at once!) and we arrived in Venice on time. We immediately went to purchase our Vaporetto tickets and got the 72 hour pass for 30 Euros each. These tickets served us well, and we definitely got our money’s worth during our stay.

Whilst waiting for our number 42 ‘bus’ I had a look round and couldn’t believe that I was really there - It really is quite overwhelming! Embarrassingly, I also now need to admit to my own naiveté. All the pictures that I had ever seen of Venice obviously showed the canals and water traffic, but I merely assumed that I was seeing the main tourist sights and that surely outside of those areas, there are roads, cars, buses, mopeds etc. All of a sudden, I realised that there weren’t - what a nice surprise (although I really should have known that in the first place!). Our boat arrived and it took about 20 minutes to get to Fondamenta Nuova where our hotel was (literally just in front of the vaporetto stop – very handy!).

We were staying at Hotel Vecellio http://www.hotelvecellio.com/ which we had chosen due to good reviews on Tripadvisor (and a good price- 425 Euros for 3 nights) and we weren’t disappointed. The hotel is very small (just 8 rooms) but perfectly formed. It has been beautifully decorated and our room looked out over the northern side of the lagoon towards Murano and the cemetery island of San Michele. Despite the Vaporetto stop being just outside, we were not bothered by any noise there. Matteo, the hotel owner, was very helpful throughout our stay, recommending a restaurant and the best place to ‘pick up’ a gondola.

As soon as we had dumped the luggage, we had a quick sandwich at the caffe nearby and set off to explore. One of the greatest things I began to realise about where we were based, was the fact that to reach many of the main sites, we got to walk through (and get very lost in) Cannaregio and some wonderful, quiet residential areas. I was completely in awe of the fact that even away from the crowds; you turn a corner into another small square or road and see old palazzo, picture perfect canals or a gondola turning a corner. It truly is spectacular!

The walk from the hotel to San Marco normally takes about 15 minutes max, but that didn’t allow for us getting lost on the first day, and of course the frequent photo stops! When we did get there, the Piazza was thronged with people. Having seen the queues to enter the basilica we decided that for what remained of out first afternoon, we would just set off from San Marco and try to get our bearings of the city and see where we ended up. The result was that I have no idea what route we took, but we had a fabulous time regardless! We did mainly stay within the crowded San Marco area and it was a fun way to try and get a feel for the city. Every once in a while though we did try to consult the map and work out where we were, only to lose ourselves again shortly after. Venice truly is a wonderful city to get lost in – there’s so much to see and every new alleyway brought cries of “ooh – look at that canal/bridge/gondola/building/church!”. Great fun.

We had actually walked a very long way, so went back to the hotel to freshen up and change for dinner and we then walked back to Camp Santa Maria Nova, a small square with a caffe we had passed by earlier in the day which we thought would be nice to return to for an aperitif before dinner. It was perfect. As the weather had been so clear, the setting sun was reflecting off the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, children were playing in the square and people in general were out for a Saturday night stroll, drink or chat. As we sat at an outside table by the canal, every once in a while a gondola would appear silently and just complete the picture. It’s no surprise then that due to the name of the church and this perfect and peaceful setting, we started to call the campo the ‘miracle square’ and stopped there for early evening drinks again during our stay. That first evening, I had ordered wine to drink but noticed everyone drinking what I now know to be the ever popular spritz. I vowed to try one the next night!

We wandered off again in search of some dinner and stumbled along Osteria Kalia http://www.osteriakalia.com/ where we each had pizza (both excellent), wine and coffee. The bill came to 42 Euros.

We got hopelessly and happily lost again on our way back to the hotel, but by then it was dark and Venice had taken on a completely different perspective. It was so quiet and truly atmospheric walking along the lit canals with only occasionally another person in sight. I also have to say, that we both felt incredibly safe there and despite walking through tiny Venetian alleyways (the likes of which we would steer well clear of in London) we never felt threatened or that we had entered a ‘dubious’ part of town.

So far, so good; Venice was exceeding my expectations and we had had a wonderful day there. Went to bed happy and full of excitement for the next day – my birthday!

Day 4 coming up – Il Ghetto, Murano, the Grand Canal, a gondola ride and a parade in my honour!

Wonderful reading! My mother and I stayed at the Caravaggio in March 2006 and also appreciated the jacuzzi after all that walking. We also loved Venice after dark - so mysterious and quiet. And as you say, it's amazing how perfectly safe one feels.

We will be in Venice this July for my hubby's birthday so am looking forward to hearing how you spent your special day! (He claims not to want a gondola ride, but our daughters and I may not give him a choice!)

Wonderful trip report. I am enjoying your trip to two of my favorite cities. I can't wait for the rest. Thank you.

Day 4

Woke to another sunny morning and started off the day by opening some birthday cards and presents which we had brought from home. Breakfast at the Vecellio was simple but nice and filling to set us up for another day of walking.

We set off for San Marco to see the Piazza early before it got too busy and when we arrived it wasn’t too crowded. We too some photos and decided to take the lift to the top of the Campanile to get a bird’s eye view of the city. It opened at 9am and we joined the short queue shortly after and only had to wait about 5 minutes. The cost was 6 Euros each and we enjoyed being able to see the rabbit warren of little streets we had walked through from on high!

The Piazza had been reasonably quiet when we got there, but as soon as we got down from the Campanile it was heaving, although a lot of people there didn’t really seem to be tourists and it quickly became clear that there was some kind of event about to start, although what it was we couldn’t fathom out! There were soldiers getting ready to hoist 3 enormous flags up the flagpoles outside the basilica, crowds of school children all wearing the same type of red bib, adults in jogging gear, a small brass band, and groups of people in traditional dress. The band began to play the national anthem and the whole square burst into song as the Italian, Venetian and EU flags were raised – it was really quite a spectacle! After that, the groups of people in different styles of dress moved to the back of the square where a small stage had been erected and a ‘compere’ was introducing some local children to the crown who then let off balloons into the air. Well, by then we were completely flummoxed as to what it was all about, but it was great to see anyway! I got a pamphlet from a marshal’s stand and tried to figure out what it was all about and it appeared to be the 29th annual “Su e Zo per I Ponti” and a large fun run/parade throughout the city! How wonderful for them to organise such a celebration for my birthday !

The pamphlet I had got showed the rout the participants would be taking and the timetable of the day (it appears the Piazza was so quiet when we arrived was because everyone was at Mass in San Marco) and as there were thousands taking part, we decided to head over towards Il Ghetto so as not to be walking against the flow of ‘traffic’!
The walk took about 45 minutes (including a leisurely coffee stop on the way) and when we reached the ghetto and Museo Ebraico with about 30 minutes before the next guided tour. Tickets for both the tour and museum entrance cost 8.50 Euros, and we had time to look at the interesting exhibits before meeting the guide.

The 40 min tour was excellent and very informative. There are 5 synagogues in the ghetto and we visited 3 of them, the guide explaining about the history of the area, the people and pointing out many things we would otherwise have missed. I would highly recommend it. Afterwards we wandered around the square a little where the memorials to holocaust victims were particularly moving.

We decided to go to Murano next and walked through the quiet areas of Cannaregio past Madonna del Orto (closed to the public at the time we were there on a Sunday) and the nearby vaporetto stop to take us over the lagoon. When we arrived there were graded a quick sandwich and cold drink for lunch just by the Ponte Longo and strolled around looking in the glass shop windows. We paid the 5.50 Euros each to visit the Museo dei Vetro which exhibited some beautiful pieces of glassware (and some not so beautiful – they just weren’t to our taste, but you can certainly appreciate the craftsmanship in making them nonetheless!). There is a peaceful garden at the back of the museum too and a temporary exhibition showing some really modern and eccentric pieces which was great!

We resisted the urge to buy any stylish glassware on Murano (although 2 sleek, monochrome cat statuettes at 105 Euros each took our fancy) and to my embarrassment we bought fridge magnet number 3 of the trip instead – made of glass of course!

Our next plan was to travel back towards the hub of things and take the number 1 ‘bus’ down the length of the Grand Canal, as it there were lots of sights and Palazzi facades we hadn’t seen yet and this would be an ideal way to do so. We got the number 1 at Piazzale Roma to ensure a good viewing spot at the beginning of the route and were able to follow the sights we were seeing in the map – and that first glimpse of the Rialto bridge was quite spectacular!

We disembarked at San Zaccaria and walked leisurely back to the hotel to freshen up and change. Whilst we were there, we asked Matteo about Su e Zo per i Ponti and also if he could recommend the best place to pick up a gondola and where would be a good place for dinner. He suggested that near the Rialto (rather than San Marco) is usually good, because then the gondola spends less time on the Grand Canal before setting off through the back streets, and he gave us the name of a nearby neighbourhood restaurant called Trattoria Storico.

So, spruced up for my birthday evening out, we headed off to Rialto and found our gondolier. We never did ask his name, but I will call him Sebastiano, because I think I heard another gondolier address him as such. Well, what can I say? It really was a once in a lifetime experience and Sebastiano made it not only romantic (he sang!!!!) but informative too. He pointed out the palazzo where a Doge who had ambitions to be king once lived (before he was publicly beheaded), a rumoured hideaway of Casanova’s and the marble cladding on our ‘Miracle Church’ is actually pieced together from small off cuts from another! He also answered the question I had been pondering for a couple of days “Do Venetians bother learning to drive anything other than boats?” Turns out he does have a licence as he lives on Lido, but in 7 years of owning his car, he’s only put 15,000km on the clock! We loved our gondola ride, it was expensive (100 Euros), but a real treat for us both and one we’ll never forget.

We walked back towards our ‘Miracle Square’ and stopped for an aperitif where I tried my first (ok, and my second….) spritz – delicious! Yet, again, the atmosphere was perfect. We then made our way to the Trattoria Storico (Cannaregio 4858, Ponte dei Gesuiti). Their speciality is seafood (as one would expect in Venice!) and we chose a mixed seafood plate for me and prosciutto for Neil as antipasti, followed by tagliolini with scallops, tomato and rocket (arugula for all you non-Brits!) as primi piatti. This dish was the highlight of the trip. Such a light sauce, with so much flavour – we loved it. Our secondi piatti was fritto misto – delicious again, and very light. We certainly couldn’t manage a pudding, so rounded off with coffee. The meal including water and wine was c. 80 Euros and whilst the food was wonderful, it’s a bit of a shame to say that the service wasn’t the best. They weren’t unpleasant or impolite, just slightly shambolic (think Fawlty Towers) and we had to remind them 3 times that we had ordered wine, and they brought out our second course before the first. I put it down to the relief staff being on duty as it was a Sunday night! We strolled back the short distance to the hotel via Gesuiti which looked incredible all lit up at night and slept well again after so much walking.

Next: Day 5 – lots of churches and the furthest reaches of Castello and Dorsoduro.

Terrific report, I'm enjoying your writing style. Your trip planning certainly paid off, what wonderful hotels and what a great birthday trip. Happy Birthday, belated Deborah

I'm so happy that I found your trip report. Please finish it when you can. It's too good to stop now!

I just had to go back to look at your pictures once again and thought I'd better get a start on your report while I was at it! Looking forward to Day 5

Thanks for a nice report. You are bringing back many fond memories of our trips to La Serenissima.

What a wonderful trip report, and your photos are breathtaking!
I'm going to Venice and Florence in October, so your report has been extremely helpful
Glad you had a great time.

Thanks for a very interesting report. My daughter and I will be in Florence and Venice next week. Just won't be either place along enough,but that gives one an excuse to go back. Have been to Rome a week,but not the others mentioned. I collect refrigerator magnets also so I must have a cat glass one as I am a cat lover.

Posting so that I can read this later. Looks like a really good report.