Epic Honeymoon - Day 08 - Venice

The view from Ponte Rialto.

The next morning, Friday 22^nd September, we walked back to Mestre station to head over to Venice. You can use the ticket machines here to get a one way Trenitalia ticket to Venice Santa Lucia station for only €1.25 per person. Again, tickets must be validated before use and this is done at the green machines that occupy almost every pole in the station.

Don't forget to validate your ticket!

We crossed over the Grand Canal and plunged head first into the labyrinth that is Venice. The thing to remember about Venice is that, although you might feel lost, you will never be far from a sign pointing you in one of three directions: Piazza San Marco; Ponte Rialto; or Alla Ferrovia. The last is the main ferry terminal outside Santa Lucia station, while the other two are the main attractions of Venice. If you’re heading in a direction other than these, well you might need some help from Google Maps!

Mi amore!

We pre-purchased the Venice Museum Pass online here, and this enabled us to skip any lines for the big name attractions, as well as save money over buying the tickets individually. Our first stop was Ca’ Rezzonico, a museum celebrating 18^th-century Venetian life. To get there, we meandered through Venice, passing by Scuola San Rocco and the area around Accademia. As I mentioned, the signs around the city will point you in the directions of the main areas, but to get here, I did have to refer to Google a couple of times! The museum is quite beautiful, starting with a walk through various rooms used for living and entertaining Venice’s elite of old. Continuing on to an extensive gallery of artworks from the period, it was a very cultural way to introduce us to Venice. It will cost you €10 to enter separately, so this represents a good chunk of the Museum Pass if you choose to take that route.

Admiring some art in Ca'Rezzonico.

Exiting out to the Canal, we continued our way through laneways and over bridges in the general direction of Piazza San Marco, the epicentre of Venice. The Piazza needs no introduction – if you’ve been planning a trip to Venice, you will already know about it. Home to the exquisitely ornate Basillica San Marco and Clock Tower, you will also find the Campinile, Museo Correr, Palazzo Ducale and a handful of other museums. Furthermore, you can dine right there on the square to get a true taste of Italian lifestyle, sipping a wine under the sun and watching your skin turn a “healthy” brown. But that will cost you, so if you’re on a budget, venture away from the square a bit!

We shared a pizza to quell our mild hunger before venturing into Museo Correr. Without the Museum Pass, this ticket will cost you €20, but is combined with the Doge’s Palace, Museum of Archaeology, and the Biblioteca. The Museo Correr is absolutely huge, containing 70-odd rooms, lavishly decorated for the historical Royal Family of Venice, and housing extensive collections of sculptures, artworks and various other artefacts. If you’re into reading museum captions, you probably want to set aside a whole day here. Some displays are particularly fascinating, and it is certainly worth a look.

Prosciutto pizza and coffee for lunch.

Museo Correr.

Museo Correr.

"What are YOU looking at...?!"

From the Museo, we strolled across the square towards Palazzo Ducale, but we were informed it was closed that day due to the President paying a visit. So, we continued down to the water, where the Grand Canal opens up into the “lagoon” which is essentially the sea, punctuated by islands, and took a left along the waterfront to visit the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte Dei Sospiri). The story here, so I’m told, is that under this bridge (which is actually just an archway between the Palazzo and the building on the other side of the water – you can’t walk across it) is where prisoners being returned to the jail would be brought in by boat; their realisation that they were caught and their life was essentially over would cause them to let out a sigh of depression / acceptance.

St. Mark's Square.

The Bridge of Sighs.

Gondolas all lined up and waiting.

Continuing along the waterfront, we ducked into an alley and just continued exploring with no real destination; it was too late in the day now to make it to any other museums. As we explored, we happened across a couple of restaurants offering a set menu for quite a decent price. Initially walking on, but then doubling back, we sat down for a delicious dinner at Osteria 21, right along the Bridge of Sighs canal. We were both very happy with the food served up; two courses each and a bottle of water for only about €42. And with that, we made tracks back to Alla Ferrovia – this was where the signs came in handy. Avy thought I was just really good with directions, but I was simply just following signs and going in roughly the right direction!

Some delicious pasta for the Primi course.

And a little meat for Secondi.

The infamous Ponte Rialto.

The view from Ponte Rialto.

Set sail for a colourful island on Day 9!