Visions of Venice…. by Julie Edwards

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We arrived early evening at the Piazalle Roma bus station to a dark and foggy reception, which added an air of mystery and romance. Leaving behind the world of the car, we entered an eternal maze of canals, bridges, and alleyways, where pedestrians and boats are kings.

After a few wrong turns we made it to our hotel in Cannaregio. The hotel was small but comfortable and was decorated in traditional Venetian style. It was situated in a great location on a lively street with bars, shops and restaurants, and we even had an ice cream parlour as our next door neighbour!

On our first morning in the city we opened the shutters to a bright sunny day, and Venice was awash with vibrant colours, chattering crowds of tourists, and laid back locals. We decided to explore the city on foot, and with map in hand we strolled over to Rialto Bridge and onto St Marks square, passing numerous window displays of ornate Venetian masks, and Gondoliers shouting “Gondola, Gondola” on nearly every bridge along the way.

On reaching the square we visited the beautiful St Mark’s Basilica then enjoyed a trip inside the architectural wonder that is Doge’s Palace, and crossed the Bridge of Sighs to walk in the steps of prisoners viewing the lagoon for the last time.

On our second morning, rain had descended on the city, so we thought it was time to give the Vaporetto a try. We caught the Number 1 down the Grand Canal and enjoyed a scenic route to San Marco passing the colourful buildings and numerous boats. We then lost ourselves for a few hours in the Peggy Guggenheim collection, which opened our eyes to the world of modern art, my favourite painting being L'Empire des Lumières, by Rene Magritte.

That evening as this was our last night we splashed out on a lavish meal at a restaurant in San Polo, and enjoyed a moonlight stroll along the Grand Canal. The next morning it was time to head home, and on the modern glass bridge leading back to the Piazzale Roma we took one last glimpse over this beautiful and unique city and vowed to return one day soon…

Written by Educational Tour Operator, Julie Edwards.