The Professional Cinderella

After leaving Positano, we headed for Venice. We actually went back and forth about where to go for this next stop for quite some time. I wanted something that would be culturally unique, we knew we didn’t have enough time to properly do Rome, and Venice was just sort of where we landed.

Venice at a glance-

Where we stayed

Airbnb

Food recommendations

La Corte 1642

Gelateria Gallonetto

Gelateria Artigianale

Must-do actives

Visit Burano

Take this Italian cooking class

We caught the train to Venice from Naples. At first I was disappointed that this meant we would lose virtually an entire day to travel (its a six hours trip), but after all the running around we’d been doing, it was a welcome reprieve, and went by quite quickly. I had also changed our accommodation a few weeks before we left Australia to be closer to the train station. Although our Airbnb wasn’t fancy or special, this turned out to be a huge blessing. Venice was just as hot and every bit as busy as Positano had been, and I cannot imagine us dragging our suitcases through the streets.

We set out immediately to find some dinner. In Australia, going down an alley that is barely two people wide would spell danger or at the very least some kind of dodgy activity, but in Venice they are the gateways to hotels or in this case, fabulous restaurants. La Corte 1642 had exceptional food, and their menu was a little different from the classics we saw on boards out where all the foot traffic was. After dinner we went on the hunt for gelato. We thought it would be hard to top the incredible lemon sorbet in Positano, but we found Gelateria Gallonetto that very first night, and it was probably the best I’ve ever had. The fact that we walked 30 mins there and back (sometimes twice a day) for the remainder of the trip speaks for itself.

The following morning, we were up bright and early to take a trip to Burano. I had read all about the islands of Murano- famous for its colourful glass, and Burano- famous for lace-making and its colourful houses, and I just thought Burano may be a little less commercial. We caught the water bus, which was an experience in itself. In Venice, you not only have to buy a ticket (either a 75min from the time of validation, a two day or a two day pass), you have to validate it. We had purchased the tickets, but the stop we were at didn’t have anywhere to validate the ticket. We have since learnt that you can find all the information on where to validate tickets at the bottom of this page, but that first day was very stressful.

We got off the water bus at Burano a good hour before everything started to open. We love being able to explore without crowds of people around, and this was no different. Apparently the fishermen of Burano painted their houses the brightest colours possible, in order to find their way home in very low lying fog. It really is such a beautiful little place, with the lagoon on every side, a small street of shops and its very own leaning bell tower. By 10.30am, we were done and ready to head back to Venice. The hoards of people that got off the 10.00am water bus had us thanking our lucky stars that we made the effort to get up early.

Our second day was a bit of a filler day. We got up early to see the Rialto Bridge, we went for a bunch of walks and ate more fantastic gelato, but after our experience at Sintra in Portugal, we decided to steer clear of the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. The lines outside looked like they required more patience than either of us could summon.

We had one more full day in Venice, owing to our flight out not being until 8.00pm. Unfortunately, the weather forecast said unrelenting rain. What can you possibly do, in a city that has very little shelter and no cars to get around in when you have luggage, are without a hotel, and it’s pouring rain? I got on Tripadvisor and found an Italian cooking class with a Venetian local that went for about four hours, and thought that would be an excellent way to spend the day.

We used this luggage storage service so we didn’t have to lug it around with us, and then set of for Guidecca, which is apparently a much more authentic and less tourist-y part of Venice.

What was booked as a last minute activity to fill a day of bad weather ended up being an absolute highlight of our trip. Rosa and her daughter Angela took us through the process of making pasta and ravioli, simple (but DELICIOUS) sauces and tiramisu. We also made a dish of oven roasted vegetables and fruit which I was so dubious about, but was also incredible. My parents have always said to me that what makes any kind of tour is the personality of the guide, and we felt that to be true with Rosa and Angela. They were both so warm, so generous and so relaxed- laughing at Jarrad when he decided to make a ravioli the size of his hand, and happy to chat about life in Venice and abroad.

Then it was time to collect our luggage and head to the airport. Despite how busy and hot it was, I truly loved Venice and would like to go back at some point. It is such a unique place, where the pace is just a little slower and the gelato is world class.

Heidi xx