DAY 02: Venezia & Murano.

Starting our day in St. Mark's Square.
We rose to a beautiful day and threw open our rooms' shutters to discover a view of Rialto Market and the Grand Canal below. After a breakfast consisting of the usual croissant, yogurt, and cereal, we decided to go straight into St. Mark's Square to ascend the bell tower. By time we arrived, there were already hoards of tourists swarming the Doge's Palace and the Basilica. Our line for the campanile was relatively short, however, so we were at the top of Venice in no time. Red roof tiles, many more churches, and the lagoon stretched as far as our eyes could see. We took in the view and decided to head out to Murano island afterwards. We walked through Venice's Castello neighborhood to reach the vaporetto stop, window shopping for highly detailed masks and other treasures along the way.


View from the bell tower (campanile).


Sweet kitty on a church doorstep in Venice's Castello neighborhood.


Getting to the vaporetto stop was challenging as we took a photo every ten feet. Venice is just that beautiful!

Murano.
Less than a 10-minute vaporetto ride from Venice is Murano, a separate island in the lagoon known for its longstanding glass making history. We stopped for pizza at a cafe adjacent to the vaporetto stop where we were able to sit in the sun with a fantastic view of the lagoon. After lunch, we wandered along Fondamenta dei Vetri to browse glass shop after shop. We particularly enjoyed a shop at #54 where we purchased several affordable pendants made by a local artisan. In general, Murano felt like a mini-Venice with less crowds. Overall, we found Murano to be slightly less charming than Burano...


Mosaic in Murano.


My mother's pendant, purchased for approximately $15 in Murano.

Cichetti for dinner.
After resting for a bit back at our hotel, we went out for cichetti, Venetian-style tapas that we typically make a meal out of. We started at Cantina Do Mori followed by our regular haunt, the Ruga Rialto. At Do Mori, we ate our nibbles in the street just outside the back door. Standing in such history-filled surroundings while having a glass of wine was a surreal thing. At the Ruga Rialto, we huddled around a tiny table next to the cichetti spread. The same bartender we’ve seen here during our past three visits to Venice was behind the counter and he fed us well! We tried calamari, stuffed eggplant, meat fritters, crostini, and so much more. We attempted to visit a favorite from our last visit, Alla Botte, but were told that they weren’t serving cichetti any longer. We couldn’t figure out if it was a permanent change, or if we were just a bit late that evening. We wandered back across the Rialto Bridge to try Bancogiro, but were told we couldn’t be served food outdoors because it had been sprinkling earlier in the evening. That was truly disappointing news as this busy spot was on my must-do list.

Acqua Alta.
Once we were sufficiently filled up, we went to St. Mark's Square. I like it best in the evening, after the hoards day trippers have left. Three bands were playing and it was magical as ever. We later noticed high water in the square for the first time. Even though we have heard about this problem for years, it was a bit shocking to finally see in person. There was a large pool forming just outside the entry to the Basilica. Another pool was forming in the middle of the square. Finally, closer to the water, we noticed water lapping right up onto the pavement alongside the water's edge. After absorbing this for awhile, we decided to grab a gelato (our second of the day!) and call it a night.


High water heading into St. Mark's Square.


S and Liz lovin' that first gelato of our trip.