Day 1
Once we got over the sadness that set in after boarding the train from Lugano to Venice, we started getting really excited! I found the coolest rental for us to stay at while we were in Venice, so we couldn’t wait to get there and enjoy the views from our rooftop balcony. Situated right on the grand canal and within walking distance of the train station, we had unbelievable views of the entire city. The representative who let us in was confused why the two of us rented an apartment meant to sleep 8 people, and we could tell he thought we were crazy for renting such a place “for the views”. Alas, I have no shame and I’d highly recommend Apartment Altana to anyone visiting Venice – especially if you have a group.
Once we got settled in, we went out to get some food. We could see several restaurants from our balcony so we chose one of them to get a late lunch/early dinner. I got some kind of seafood pasta dish and it was phenomenal! It was during this meal that we made a deal to get bruschetta at every meal. A bit extra? Maybe, but totally worth it.
We were still exhausted from traveling and being so busy that we just relaxed on our balcony the rest of the evening. We did some research on restaurants for our next destinations, and of course took a break to get a healthy dose of gelato.
Day 2
The next morning, we got right to exploring as soon as we woke up. Without any real destination in mind, we started aimlessly wandering the streets looking for somewhere to get a bite to eat. It was in the 90’s and extremely humid, but we were so happy to be in Venice that we weren’t even bothered. As hungry and thirsty as we were, we just couldn’t stop – the whole city is too beautiful! We probably passed twenty restaurants before we decided we needed to stop and get some lunch and rehydrate.
We had the BEST pizza in Venice. I’m talking about the kind of pizza you write home about. Do people actually do that? Seems like something I might do. To this day I can still taste it and I hope I never forget how perfect it was. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty sad to have hit the pizza peak during our first full day in Italy. Of course in the moment, I didn’t realize how special it was. I assumed all of the pizza we’d have on our trip would be just as good. Don’t get me wrong – the rest were fantastic, but a margarita pie from Ristorante Pizzeria Acqua Pazza will forever reign supreme in my book. Just look at the sheer joy on both of our faces.
We originally planned on doing a gondola ride, but they’re so expensive and only last about 20 minutes, so we opted for a 2-hour educational boat tour instead. The tour met up at Piazza San Marco so we made our way there.
The boat tour was fantastic, and I’m so bummed that I don’t have a receipt or anything to remind me of which company we used. The guide was well educated and taught us a lot about the history of the gorgeous city. I don’t remember much because I was too infatuated with the architecture to pay proper attention, but I remember being impressed by how knowledgeable she was.
The boat took us to San Giorgio Maggiore where we went to the top of the bell tower in the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. It offers stunning views of Venice and the lagoon and we were at the top when the bell rang! It was loud but definitely a cool experience.
After the boat tour we wandered around a bit and did some shopping before heading back to the apartment to freshen up before dinner. We ate at a small place right on the grand canal in the Venetian Ghetto. The back legs of my chair were INCHES from the water so I was pretty terrified I’d be swimming before dinner was over. Thankfully I didn’t fall in, and we got to enjoy some stunning sunset views over the water. It was the perfect ending to a perfect stay in Venice!
