out and about vaporetto style

my travel sidekick

Playing catch up here with the blogging after some busy travel times.

On our second day in Venice with vaporetto tickets, or in other words day ten of our spring break vacation (please try to pay attention), we vaporettoed the heck out of our travel privileges!

First stop - the Lido. Where we experienced cars on roads and the faded excellence of a seaside resort out of season. Closed down arcades and fenced off lookout towers. A chilly beach and grey skies.

Guidecca seaside stroll

Followed by a a counter-rotatory trip around Venice and on to Guidecca, another island but no cars ... just artist studios and a lot of dog poop along the seafront ...

dragster from 18th century Venice, i presume

Day Eleven
... which of course is day four in Venice and thus day -1 of unlimited 48-hour vaporetto travel (you are paying attention?) was palazzo or bust. We ticked off the textile and costume museum at Palazzo Mocenigo and then navigated thru Dorsoduro to Ca' Rezzonica. The displays are incredible but what's even more impressive are the surroundings they are in - these are impressive palaces along the Grand Canal.

Even if you don't like the subject matter, the ornate staircases, mouldings, strangely lopsided door hanging and remnants of an opulent days-gone-by lifestyle are worth the visit. Again, the museums pass from Venezia Unica is worth the price. We didn't stay longer than about two hours in each museum so far on this trip; we stayed longer in the Doges Palace on our last, but paying full price imposes an arbitrary time-to-cost benefit ratio that discount passes don't guilt you with.

yes, of course i managed another aperol spritzer :)

Homing instinct kicked in for late afternoon. On hostess Giulia's recommendation, we stepped inside Fondaco dei Tadeschei, the Venetian answer to the luxury shopping mall. It's right beside the Rialto Bridge, on our route home, and is yet another palace I think. Formerly a German merchants building and then a post office with a side association with Mussolini, the building lay empty for a number of years before its recent (and sensitive) transformation. It is four floors of opulent shopping, each floor with amazing views of the Grand Canal and rooftop Venice. The top floor contains an exhibition area and the roof terrace is free to visit. However .... the tickets are timed so we didn't get out for the views. Hint: visit the ticket booth on the top floor first, then go for a coffee.

lots of floors of really expensive shopping
and a good cafe

Packing took the rest of the evening, punctuated by taking the recycling out and then worrying about the Italian air handlers strike for the next day ... spoilers!