Looking for cheap, last-minute flights in early December we had the choice between two Italian destinations, Venice or Florence. We love Florence, this is where we got engaged back in 2014 on the Ponte Vecchio with Italian guitars serenading us (absolutely true - it was very romantic).
So, in our minds, there’s a risk to going back there - what if it’s not as we remember it? We have, after all, seen it already.
Instead, we chose Venice. Mark had visited as a teenager and I had never been. Although a bucket list destination, my expectations were low. It’s winter, for a start, and to my mind, it’s very touristy, for seconds.
Contrary to expectation, we loved Venice and would go back. Here’s why, in pictures.
As Venice would be a one-off destination (tick, been there and done) I booked a hotel on the Grand Canal. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it properly. We booked Hotel Antiche Figure using our Genius discount on booking.com and with almost 40% off the room plus free breakfast, it did not disappoint. This was taken from our window. Gondoliers start early, these guys were out setting up at 5am every day.
Venice is charming. Slightly run-down, old-world Italian charm, with canals leading in every direction. I half expected James Bond to appear in a speed boat at every corner.
The best way to see Venice is by getting lost. We used Google Maps a lot to navigate around and even then would find ourselves suddenly at the end of a narrow path with nowhere to go without getting our feet wet. How people don’t fall in after a few Aperol spritzes is anyone’s guess.
Just look at the decorative work above that doorway.
I must have taken ten to twenty photos of this exact scene and this was my favourite. We decided against riding a gondola. I had expected to want to, but when I discovered that gondoliers don’t sing after all (there are singers, and then there are lovers, is the old adage) the idea lost some of its appeal. Better to watch them from the bar.
Speaking of the bar, we took an Italian street food tour on our first evening in Venice. We discovered food tours a couple of years ago, and now try to book one in every city as early in the trip as we can. This one did not disappoint. Ana took us to seven different stops around Venice, trying several different local cicchetti (the Venetian version of tapas, but for goodness sake don’t call it that in anyone’s earshot) the local sparkling red wine and incredible little Apricot puffs called sfogliatine from Mauro El Forner de Canton. I am obsessed with these.
Venice looks every bit the way it does in the films, no need for filters.
This was the trip we re-discovered the Aperol Spritz and we did try a few, just to make sure. Saluti!
The Veneto (the region of Italy of which Venice is the capital) is apparently where tiramisu originated. I managed to track down what is reportedly the best tiramisu place in Venice, I Tre Mercanti, a tiny little shop tucked on the corner of a bridge down a side street. They sell tiramisu in a multitude of flavours and it was just as good as it looked.
Although we stayed away from the main tourist areas around Saint Mark’s Square as much as possible, we did walk through and stop in at that ubiquitous Venetian landmark, Harry’s Bar. We squeezed in at the busy bar and had a Bellini. Expensive and worth it.
I love this. Mark stood in line at All’Arco just so I could take a sneaky photo of these gentlemen enjoying their mid-morning aperitif outside. Our street food tour guide, Ana, told us that Venetians start drinking wine at 9am. I’d last five minutes.
Not a filter in sight, December in Venice is cold, murky and atmospheric. You can easily find yourself lost in silent side-streets away from the crowds, and a spritz or a glass of local red are never more than a few feet away.
Truly magical.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Love all the photos. I kind of wrote off Venice as a place I wouldn’t like to visit because, as you mentioned, it’s uber-touristy. But this post made me reconsider! Would you recommend going in winter?