Epic Honeymoon - Day 09 - Venice

A pretty rainbow of houses.

The next morning, we repeated our journey across to Venice, this time skipping the Ferrovia bridge and weaving our way east to the edge of the island, arriving to the F.te Nova water bus stops. We took the water bus for €7.50 each (one way) out to Burano. It’s worth nothing that this would also be covered by the ACTV pass. We had originally planned to buy the two day pass for €30 each, but decided to do a whole lot more walking instead. If you plan to hop on and off the water busses down the Grand Canal, you definitely want to consider this pass, as you will bankrupt yourself on the tickets.

Some amazing street art in Venice.

Venice water bus tickets to Burano.

On the water bus to Burano.

After about 45 minutes, we docked at Burano and disembarked. Known for its colourful houses and history of lace production, Burano has a nice sleepy, relaxed feeling to it. You can quite happily wander the streets and take in the sights, or sit down for a meal or drink along the small canal that divides the island into a few smaller pieces. We paid a visit to the Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto), mostly because it was included on the Museum Pass. It was a nice look into the history and fine craft that is lace-making, but I wouldn’t suggest paying to enter separately – unless you are mad about lace!

So colourful!

Walking through the main street.

Museo del Merletto; the lace museum.

Some intricate lacework.

Quite incredible designs on display.

And of course, some fashion!

Continuing our wander around the island, we made our way back to the pier and boarded the ferry back to Piazza San Marco (the No. 14 instead of the No. 12, which we took to get to Burano). This one took considerably longer – about 1.25 hours – to get back to Venice. But it did drop us off near the next attractions we wanted to see, instead of having to walk there, so... pros and cons!

Colour as far as the eye can see.

We paid our visit to the Palazzo, which was back open today, strolling right past the massive line and straight in. The former residence of the Doge of Venice, the Palazzo Ducale is room after room of gold trimming and fabulous artworks, depicting Christian scenes, Roman and Greek mythology, and Virtues of Man. Several rooms were dedicated to the government meetings, and so are set out for large gatherings of important figures of the time. Identifying the various artworks over the walls and ceilings can be a bit tricky, as the maps on the signboards are not well orientated, so it might take some imagination to work out each painting’s description. You’ll have to be careful not to get a crick in your neck, too, with all the looking up you will be doing! The whole tour culminates with a viewing of the massive Il Paradiso, which measures some 22m x 7m and depicts Jesus and Mary in heaven, surrounded by the angels and followers.

The main square of Palazzo Ducale.

Palazzo Ducale.

The Golden Stairway.

The ceilings of the Palazzo are a little bit mind-blowing!

'Il Paradiso', the largest single canvas painting in the world.

After finishing at the Palazzo, we found some food, again opting for a nice mix of dishes with a set menu at a place called Al Chianti, just off the Piazza. The food was okay, but the service was a bit average. Overall, the previous night’s menu was better, but what can you do! We took another wander through the streets of Venice, again taking in the scene of the Ponte Rialto by evening, before heading back to our accommodation for the night.

Mixing with some locals.

She was just out for a stroll in the square...!

A fairly basic dinner served up at Al Chianti... not a glowing recommendation from us!

The next morning, we were up bright and early for our next adventure. Our time in Venice had come to a close, and so we made tracks for Mestre Station to get our first domestic train across Italy.

Join us in the heart of the Renaissance on Day 10!