Jul 01, 2017
Our 4th full day in Venice was filled with captivating scenes
Thursday June 8th started with an a pre purchased voucher to go to the head of the line to ascend to the top of the Campanile di San Marco/St. Mark’s bell tower. The normal cost is 8 euros each and we paid 11 euros in order to go to the head of the line. We did not book until just before we left home as we wanted to be guaranteed of having clear skies so we picked 10:15 AM ( a good time to go up according to Colin re photography ) on the 8th. Frankly I don’t think spending the extra 3 euros each was necessary, the line wasn’t more that 15 minutes long but it could have been longer and we were short on time so we splurged. Click here for the unusual history of the bell tower, this is another interesting link.
The bell tower from the plaza. I am at the bottom of the red arrow.
On a clear day you really can see forever. The Grand Canal begins on the lower left water channel.
The requisite tourist photo.
Overlooking the Basilica.
From the bell tower we caught a water bus and then transferred to another one. We were off the island of Murano about 30 minutes away, which is all about glass making and the history of the place can be found here. We wandered around for several miles looking at window display after window display of a variety of styles of glass creations. We were surprised at how many tourists only traveled to Murano when colorful Burano was not too far away.
I bought this lovely bracelet here.
I purchased the bracelet at a shop on the other side of the canal. We really did a lot of walking here.
A quick shot in the Murano glass museum. We were not impressed with museum, to us it was rather boring.
Don’t forget to link back to my quickie post about our visit to the islands. There you will see the restaurant that we had lunch at in Murano.
I have had several requests for food photos which we usually don’t do. For lunch in Morano I had gnocchi with crab and a delicious sauce.
Colin had the ravioli with the same crab and sauce. Lunch with 1/2 liter of wine was 37 euros.
Colin bought this glass as a memento of the trip. Such an amazing lot of work goes into a piece like this with so much detail.
An addition to our glass collection.
Burano is an island a further 30 minutes away reached by yet another water ferry. As you can see it is totally different and extremely colorful. Burano is well known for its lace making. I bought a small black lace fan here.
Many of the homes had a cloth hanging in front of their door, but I don’t know why.
It is said that the homes were painted bright colors so that the fisherman could find their home in a thick fog.
We stopped here for an early dinner. After splitting a pizza and enjoying some excellent wine Colin went and took more photos. My feet were tired and swollen so I elevated them on the chair opposite me ( under the table ) sat and drank more wine and people watched.
The colors were constantly changing with the light.
Soon the tourists left and there were just a handful of us left. Colin and I discussed how these people must feel to have their tiny island invaded day after day. The homes are right on the edge of the smallish sidewalks and there is very little privacy. Many have their windows open so you can look inside. Tourism of course is necessary for the local economy.
Soon the square became quieter, calmer, slower and more delightful with the sounds of the pealing church bells. We began to notice the locals coming out one by one, greeting a friend or a neighbor, heading to or from the church and stopping for a drink. Several of the tables at our restaurant began to fill with friends coming out to chat and to enjoy the beauty and peace of their island. We noticed a few elderly people being pushed around likely by an adult child. One kept stopping to wipe the tears off his fathers face. So touching. Most everyone as they walked past stopped and greeted the elderly in the wheelchairs. They were still an important part of this community. Every single person in the photo above are locals who live on Burano.
The pizza we had earlier was so very very good that when Colin came back from his hour long stroll we ordered another and more wine. Why not? It was the best ever. As we ate we watched the tourists leave and the locals reappear. It was like a twilight zone type of movie. Two pizzas and two litres of wine came to 42.50 euros. Great value for our money and the pleasure of spending a few hours on the square.
The pizza alone is worth going back to Burano so we took a photo of the name. We will go back some day and hope to be able to stay on the Island.
No tourists in the photo. We enjoyed our stroll back to the boat.
It was a short wait and we were fortunate to catch the sunset as we got closer to Venice. Perfect timing.
We decided to take another vaporetto and cruise from one end of the Grand Canal to the other. The lighting was perfect. So glad we got a 7 day transportation pass, it was worth every penny of the 120 euros we paid for both of them.
We got off at the Piazza San Marco and strolled through the area. We stopped for a spritz at our favorite bar and meandered some more before stopping for a final gelato. Next time we are in Italy we will be sure to have one per day 😎 I put 17, 490 steps on my fitbit that day and even more the next day 😆
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Loved this post! The colours! The food! The sites! You looking so happy!
I bet the cloths are catch the dust when leaving the doors open to catch a breeze.
Beautiful photos of such a wonderful place and they bring back lovely memories of our time there.
Thank you for sharing so freely with all of us.
Love the food shots, especially since we will be in Italy next Spring. I may have to lose an extra 10 pounds just before that holiday. I love your souvenirs, I’m a huge fan of colored glass
Great food pics! Very colorful pictures too! The cloth in the doorway is common in parts of Mexico too. When there aren’t mosquitos and you want air but privacy the curtain works great. We have family and friends that have no interior doors, jus curtains.
So many beautiful photos of so many subjects and so many colors and so much water. I love it all so much!???