It is so crowded! I was here in 2010, I don�t remember it being so crowded. I also remember the food being good but we are not having any luck. The quality of the food is poor.
We decided to leave Venice and go to Florence tomorrow. I still love Venice. 💜

This is what I mean.

Need more umami

Pretty good

The branzino was good the rest dry.







It was crazy.

What beautiful photos! You were so lucky with all that blue sky, too!

Lavandula

lavandula You are so right, I should be thankful instead of ranting about the crowd and food. We have been blessed with the beautiful weather and so much more. 💜💐😊🙏

I had a fried seafood dish like in your photo many years ago, in Rome I think. I was surprised then that the prawns etc were not shelled. Are you supposed to eat the shells too? Does the deep frying make them soft? It seems they would be very unpalatable.

It does look crowded. Do you read Donna Leon's novels set in Venice? Her main character, Brunetti, is always gently bemoaning the crowds of tourists. Great books, by the way.

It's a long weekend. It doesn't look crowded in those photos.

Beautiful photos, thank you. Yes, it's crowded but you can still find peaceful areas in Venice. Prior to the pandemic we stayed on the Lida a couple of times. Totally different experience.

It is not only crowded but also quite dirty unfortunately...
Florence is magical as well! I'd recommend La Giostra restaurant if you are willing to try classic Tuscan cuisine. It is near Piazza Santa Croce
Good luck!

I'm sorry you found it so crowded. The first time I went with my DH was about 40 years ago in July and the difference is amazing. Even 15 years ago when we went at Easter with our kids it wasn't as bad as it is now. But even so it's possible to find quieter places though when you are moving around the crowds are hard to escape. As for the food there are places that I go with my friends where it is generally pretty good but it's inevitable that with so many tourists around standards will fall and prices go up. I hope you have better luck in Florence!