Venice
Between the London cabbie who ripped us off and our flight from London to Venice being overbooked, it wasn’t easy getting to Venice. But once we finally got there and got to our B&B, we had a great time. The first afternoon we wandered around and checked out Piazza San Marco and marveled at the sheer number of tourists that were there. After some more general wandering, we walked over the Rialto Bridge and ate dinner in Campo San Polo at a very nice pizzeria. Afterwards it was back to the Rialto Bridge for some late night views of the city and then home. The next day we did the Doge’s Palace and then at lunch at the best little hole-in-the-wall restaurant near our B&B. Delicious! After lunch we took the water bus to Murano and Burano. Murano is a glass colony so we checked out the glass museum and picked up a few nice souvenirs. Burano was a cute little island with picturesque, colored houses and much less of a tourist vibe then Venice or Burano. Overall we really liked Venice despite the high prices and throngs of tourists.
By the way, if you’re looking for a great, reasonably-priced place to stay in Venice, we highly recommend the Ai Tagliapietra B&B. It’s tucked away off the main touristy streets but it’s still just a few minutes walk to Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. Lorenzo, who runs the B&B and the local internet point, is super nice and full of useful restaurant tips.
