I thought I would share a few snippets from our recent travels and start with our short stay in Venice during February.
Although the temperature was crisp we also had beautiful sunny days and did not encounter any aqua alta problems at this time of the year! In fact we feel it was a wonderful time to experience Venice. The crowds, on the most part were manageable, particularly away from the beautiful but crowded St Marks square, and because the city was gearing up for the famous Carnivale Festival there were artists and creators crafting masks and stunning costumes in many of the small artisan shops.
On one of our days in Venice we walked along Riva degli Schiavoni through Castello and out to the area in which the Biennale is held and strolled through the gardens. It was a very peaceful area with some of the pavillions in view and there were seats at the edge to sit and enjoy the expansive vista looking back to the Doges Palace and across to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. We began our time in this area with a fabulous lunch at a traditional Venetian osteria - Ai Nevodi in Via Garibaldi. The atmosphere and food were wonderful and I would definitely recommend a visit for a delicious lunch.
We then walked through the park - I Giardini della Biennale - from the entrance off Via Garibaldi and, part way down the promenade, we discovered the historic greenhouse where you can also have coffee outside amongst the plants and on the other side we found a co-operative of ceramic artists selling their wares on a table in the garden. 'I Bochaleri' is the name for this ceramic association and they organise workshops and regularly set up and sell their work outside the studio in their garden. The artist, Giuliana Rolli, was keen to talk to us about her ceramic pieces and it was so lovely to meet her and purchase a little porcelain pot to bring home.
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On another day we walked to the famous Rialto Market to marvel at the wonderful fresh produce - vegetables, fruit, spices and of course fish. We also dropped into a tiny corner coffee spot to stand by the bar and enjoy a hot coffee with many of the locals. Everyone knows that it is easy to get lost in Venice but that really is part of the magic. Winding your way along tiny canals and unexpectedly entering an open campo with a beautiful church or, as we did, stumbling across a gorgeous and quirky book store opening right onto the canal and crammed high with books - Aqua Alta Libreria!
Venetians have a fantastic tradition of having cicchetti late afternoon/early evening after work and on their way home, so there are many bars that offer a wide range of these small tasty offerings to enjoy with an aperol spritz or glass of wine. We enjoyed trying these morsels at different spots and mingling with the locals where it is often standing room only in the smaller bars. We also found a great coffee spot in S. Polo (Adagio Caffe & Wine Bar) that was preparing wonderful looking cicchetti on the day we were there. It is near the San Rocco church that houses fabulous paintings by Tintoretto and is run by two young women.
I plan to share a second post on our time in Venice as a follow up to this one and with just a few more of the treats that Venice offered us during our stay including some of the wonderful artworks we viewed and the music we heard. Needless to say we loved every minute of this magical watery city and would return in a flash!
Please feel free to leave a comment about your own experiences in Venice - I would love to hear them.
