One of the true gems of the world…. Venezia (Venice).  The name alone evokes powerful feelings for many people.  Romantic gondola rides, historical architectural treasures, beautiful creations blown from Murano glass, unique hand-crafted masks and always… always a city constructed with streets of water.  Amazingly, the entire city is listed as a World Heritage Site in order to preserve it’s unique beauty.  According to my Wiki research, Luigi Barzini described it in the New York Times as “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man”.  I’d have to agree with Luigi!

Panoramic view from the roof of our hotel

Venice from the water

The Grand Canal

More of the Grand Canal

Happy to be here

Our good friends Nathan and Danielle joined us recently for a whirlwind visit filled with food, wine and lots of fun (read about it HERE).  We punctuated their trip with a stopover in this romantic city.  I was intrigued by the history of such a unique place and just did a little research.  Venice consists of 117 islands, formed by 177 canals and connected by 409 bridges.  I kept waiting for that “ah-ha” moment when I discovered the name of the genius city planner that decided to create a magical city on the water.  But unlike Bugsy Siegel’s Las Vegas or Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid’s reinvention of Dubai – there was no one person that can be credited with the conceptualization of Venice.  The truth is that refugees fleeing from invasion of the Lombards sought shelter in the marshland that is now Venice.  And how do any cities really get built?  A collection of people working together to establish trade and industry, creating habitation and then services to support the population.  And so the city grew around the marsh and homes and churches and municipal buildings were constructed.  This begs another question.  How can you build a city on water?

The city built on water

Piers and bridges everywhere

Loved this view

There is a tree that grows in Slovenia and Croatia called an alder tree that is noted for it’s water resistance.  Thousands of these trees were imported (and subsequently credited as a contributing factor for the barren land of the Kras region).  The tree trunks were fashioned into piles that were submerged in the water, penetrating the sand and mud until settling in the much denser layer of compressed clay.  Foundations were laid on the piles and buildings of stone and brick were constructed on these footers.

Peekaboo!

Cheese!

So now that you know the history, you can join us on our journey.  We arrived early in the day via train (the easiest way into the city) and checked into our hotel.  Our hotel, Molino Stucky is on the island of Giudecca, set in a beautifully renovated flower mill.  After a quick lunch on the roof, we hoped on our hotel’s private ferry to the main island.  We toured through the streets and canals, passed over bridges and stopped in shops.  The girls bought scarves, glass and other souvenirs while Nathan and I took in all the scenery.  We visited the infamous Piazza San Marco and fought for space among the crowds of tourists.  We stopped for an afternoon cocktail on the water and eventually made our way back to the hotel to change for dinner.

Our hotel from the water

Hotel from the opposite side

Nathan and Danielle on one the pedestrian bridges

Looking good

Having fun touring

Piazza San Marco

The lion is symbolic of the Veneto region

Incredible architecture – the Libreria (library)

The Campanile – Bell Tower

My three favorite people in the crowd

Procuratie Nuove built by Vincenzo Scamozzi c.1580

Those aren’t aprons – we just lifted our clothes

The girls enjoying their prosecco

Looks like a romantic moment – really it’s just Nathan and I clinking our beers

After freshening up, we met in the lobby and discovered that we were in for a real treat.  Nathan and Danielle had reserved a private boat to tour us through Venice – a wonderful journey elevated by the setting sun .  We stopped for some wine and cheese and sat back to enjoy the ride.

Now look a this couple!

Some similar boats to the one we had

Traveling in style

View of Piazza San Marco from the boat

Along the tour

Stopping for a photo on the boat

Nate and D

Magical at night

The gondoliers were still out as the sun was setting

Danielle on the water

From the rear of the boat

All of us on board

Similar to our boat

Eventually our driver dropped us at one of his local favorites for seafood.  We settled into a table directly on the canal and enjoyed ordering a variety of food to taste and share.  At one point, I felt something wet kissing my feet and realized the water in the grand canal had risen high enough to splash the patrons (me) sitting on the edge.

Our restaurant

What a wonderful setting

Starter – mixed seafood

Mussels and clams

Nathan and I shared grigliata mista di pesce (mixed grilled seafood)

Jen got pasta with a variety of seafood

Pasta Aglio e Olio

The water started rising above the pier

Our grappa and limoncello after dinner

When dinner was over, we wound our way through the city at night to discover an entirely different Venice than the one we had seen all day.  Long after the sun sets, the landscape of the city changes significantly.  Without droves of tourists jockeying for the position to snap a photo (myself included) you are able to re-discover an entirely new place.  Piazza San Marco becomes a magical amphitheater where dueling bands play wonderful music and the crowd shifts back and forth to capture the best view possible.  We outsmarted the crowd and took up seats directly in front after ordering a nightcap.  It was a great way to end the day before hopping on a boat back to our hotel.

In front of the Basilica

One of the “dueling bands”