Emma Kay’s Must See’s in Venice:
Venice is an enchanting and mysterious place, and if you ever find yourself in Italy, you absolutely have to see it for yourself. Everything that you’ve heard about Venice is true. The tiny canals that wind through the city, the delectable wine and pasta, the cobblestone streets that hold centuries of secrets, and the gondolas that take excited tourists through the beautiful architecture cut by canals. I truly felt like I was walking through a movie set as I wandered through this fascinating city. So, if Venice is not yet on your bucket list, read this post and hopefully by the end, it will be! Venice is a little over a 2 hour train ride from Milan, so my roommate and I were determined to see it in one day. We woke up at the crack of dawn to catch our train, and we started to make our way to the “floating city”. By the time we got there it was about 9 am and we were starving! The the goal was to find a restaurant not far from the train station that serves American-ish food for breakfast. (We were really craving pancakes and bacon!) We found a restaurant named "Al 133" online, and it had decent reviews so we thought we would give it a shot. You can definitely wander the streets and find a restaurant by exploring, however, we were eager to see the city so we resorted to the internet and the many reviews! The food was delicious, and we were ready to set out and explore the city. Our first call to action was to make it to Piazza San Marco, which is the main public square of Venice. We went during Carnival, so we knew there would be events taking place! It was quite the walk through the winding streets, but it was a wonderful way to see the city, also cabs aren’t a thing in Venice, so wear your walking shoes! We walked through the tiny streets, and gawked at all the amazing canals as we headed towards the square. Once we made it to the square we definitely knew we were in the right place. Hundreds of people were dressed up in their Carnival costumes and masks, and there was a huge stage in the center with magicians and entertainers performing. We stopped to take some photos, and then headed towards the water. We walked along the Grand Canal for quite some time just taking it all in. The view, the restaurants, the boats, the people! There was constantly something to see, learn, and appreciate. I recommend visiting Venice during Carnival because it truly is an event you don't comprehend until you experience it for yourself. Carnival takes place February 16th to March 5th in Venice. According to tradition, Venice’s Carnival got its start in 1162, and by the 16th century, Carnival was a large annual event that many looked forward to. Now, people come from all over the world to dress up in masquerade ballgowns, Venetian masks, and attend extravagant balls along with other events. Masquerade balls in Venice during Carnival require tickets that are usually very expensive, however, there are many other events tourists can take part in that cost close to nothing! If you are interested in visiting Venice during Carnival be sure to check out this website before you set out on your adventures! www.walksofitaly.com/blog/venice/all-about-carnival-in-venice-venetian-masks-and-more After all that walking we had worked up an appetite, so we set out to find a restaurant. We ended up stumbling onto a darling restaurant with outdoor seating, so it was an easy decision to stop and get a bite to eat! We ordered pizza and an Aperol Spritz to fill our belly’s and quench our thirst! I don't remember the name of this specific restaurant, but I urge you to roam the canals and little streets to find a restaurant on your own! There are a lot to choose from, and it can be quite overwhelming, so you can always whip out your phone and look up reviews! Once we were done eating, we decided we wanted to do some shopping! But are we surprised? Venice is known for having little hole in the wall stores that sell genuine leather bags, and we had been seeing them all day. We came across another leather store, and decided to let ourselves indulge. We each found beautiful bags at a great price. (I’m already regretting not buying two)! Being in Italy and all, we started to crave some gelato. We passed probably half a dozen gelato shops before agreeing on one that sat right on the main canal. The sun was setting, and the wind was calm, so we decided to buy our gelato and sit right on the side of the canal, and dangle our legs over the water. It was honestly my favorite part of the whole entire day. We weren’t in a hurry, and we had nowhere to be. We were still, and just taking in our surroundings. Soaking in every aspect of our environment, and being able to think about how thankful I am for all of these opportunities is something I’ll never forget. (Sorry to get sappy on you guys)! Nevertheless, while you're traveling it's important to let yourself be still every once in a while. Running from one attraction to the next, it's easy to forget why you're traveling in the first place. We sat by the canal for about an hour before deciding we were going to walk around a little more, grab a snack for the train, and then go to the station! Stefani and I walked across the Ponte degli Scalzi bridge to make our way towards our final destination. We then came across an interesting street named "Rio Terà Lista di Spagna" that had several bakeries, restaurants, and stores. We meandered around before stepping into a beautiful chocolate store called "Cioccolateria Dal Mas". The employees were super friendly and gave us close to a dozen free samples! So if you love chocolate, don't leave Venice before visiting this store! After we made our purchases, we grabbed some (more) pizza and made our way to the station for our trek back to Milan!
By the end of the day we were exhausted and our feet were throbbing. Nonetheless, Venice exceeded all of our expectations and I'm already excited to go back during warmer months. You can't go wrong with this city and all it has to offer.
2 Comments
Brenda k. Smith
3/19/2019 06:55:17 am
Hope you are taking notes for years to come. Lucky girl and thanks for sharing. Love, nana
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8/6/2019 06:03:45 pm
I have always wanted to go in Venice. The ambiance of this place gives me different chills and I really like its vibe. Others prefer going there with their special someone, but for me, I would like to experience going in there alone. It was very hard for me to file a leave since my job needed me right now. I hope that this year, I can visit that place and experience the vibe of Venetian people. I heard that Grand Canal really has something best to offer.
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I'm Emma Kay
A girl from Kentucky with high hopes and big dreams. I love all things fashion, travel, and long sessions of retail therapy. |