Trip Report
Venezia: Vabulous Vor Vamilies!
Venice, Italy
(Three Generation trip report continued from Rome
and Tuscany)
DAY 1:
Our entry into Venezia was less than auspicious. Our GPS wasn’t programmed
right, so we weren’t sure we were heading the right way (signs were surprisingly
unhelpful!); it was pouring rain, and we were almost out of time to get the
rental cars turned in and our keys for the apartment in time. STRESS! Add
to that the fact that my dad’s international cell phone wasn’t working and
we nearly lost each other repeatedly (traveling in two cars), and we were
fried by the time we reached the city.
TIPSTER:
Some highway toll booths don’t take credit cards; have plenty of Euros. And
if you are driving into Venice (Note: you can only go so far), know you’ll
have to park on the street in front of the car rental area; do not go into
the parking garage, even though that seems logical! It really is best to arrive
in this city via water taxi, if at all possible—much more romantic and relaxed!
Keys in hand, we bought 72 hour vaparetto (water bus) passes (excellent deal,
also offered in 24 hour segments) and made it onto one together after much
to-do. Note: You need Euros to purchase vaparetto tickets, no credit cards
(for a family of seven buying 72 hour passes, that’s a lot of Euros!)
We had rented an apartment right on the Grand Canal (through viewonvenice.com),
which was not easy to find in the dark and rain. But when we did find it and
made it through the three sets of keys…HURRAH! It was amazing! The furniture
is a bit outdated and there is one fabulous bedroom on the canal side, and
one cave-like bedroom with two twin beds room on the other side. We put the
kids in the living room, on the sofa bed and couch. There was a teeny tiny
galley kitchen, and we were so happy to just be there, safe and sound, we
broke out the few groceries we’d brought north from Tuscany—two cans of tomatoes,
cheese, pasta—and made a make-do dinner just to get us fed! Then we moved
into the front of the main bedroom, where the views are best, opened all the
shutters to look out upon the canal, and hung out, drinking wine and watching
the water traffic.
DAY 2:
The
next day we went to the top of the campanile (elevator access) and through
the world-famous San Marco basilica (be sure to pay to go upstairs and through
the museum and out onto the roof; you can also see the bronze horses of Constantinople
that were captured as treasures of war). We shopped for jewelry (museum gift
shops are good for this—as is the Accademia district) and went by the famous
opera house, because my mom and I had both read In the City of Angels—an
intriguing read and great introduction to the real, behind-the-scenes Venice.
We were so exhausted after our Rome-Tuscany-Venice
trek, we didn’t do half the things I wanted to in this fantastic city. Jack,
our youngest, got sick with the stomach flu, so we had to lay low. This was
nice in another way, however, since we had some of our happiest family times
together and just enjoyed the apartment and the amazing, amazing view of the
Grand Canal.
We ate at a trattoria right around the corner from our apartment which was
excellent, and half the price because it was two blocks away from the Rialto.
We also purchased items from a convenience store (fresh market food) and brought
it back to eat at the apartment another night. This was a good solution with
the kids.
For more ideas on what to do in Venice, see our other Bergren report—I’d been
there six months before with my eldest daughter on a mother-daughter trip
and we got a lot more “sight-seeing” accomplished!
DAY 3:
We left the next morning via private water taxi (you can arrange it with a
driver—find them all about the Rialto; about 120 Euros in March 2007), who
took us right to the airport. It’s about a quarter mile walk from dock to
airport.
What I’d do next time:
• Spend a minimum of five days
• Be sure to either take the vaparetto to the outer islands—Murano, Burano,
and Torcello—or better yet, invest in a half-day water taxi ride all about
| Don't Miss: • San Marco (upstairs and outside too): come back and see the piazza at night too • The Campanile ride to the top and get a great view of all of Venezia • Doge’s Palace: be sure to see the whole thing—amazing public rooms you won’t forget • Go across the lagoon via vaparetto to see Venice from another shore; you’ll recognize the view in countless media images 
• Murano for a quick stop (pretty touristy, but fun for
the glass-making); then move on to Torcello, the birthplace
of Venice and often-overlooked stop. Fascinating 1000 year old church there!
• Vivaldi concert (they sell tickets on the street; nightly event) • Walk down to the end and peer into the old naval yard; Venice once sported THE naval power of the world and could fully build and outfit a galley in 8 hours! |