A Trip to Italy: The Land Where They Invented Spaghetti

 

In 2019, when life was still normal (in the Pre-Covid days), I took my first trip out of the country. 

When Mandy and I first started planning our trip, Paris was on our list of stops. However, after some of the protests and such over there, we decided it was best to not go. After a little brainstorming, we landed on Venice and I couldn't have been more excited. I didn't know much about Venice before we went, to be honest. I had just seen pictures of it and it looked stunning, and somehow that was enough.

We flew from Stansted Airport in London to Venice Marco Polo Airport, then took a water taxi boat over to the island itself. It took us two hours to get to the island, then we walked a bit further to our hotel, lugging our suitcases around and up the stairs to check in. Thankfully, one of the employees took our bags to our room, so we didn't have to.

While London had the energy of a big city like New York or Los Angeles, Venice was a much slower pace. It's almost like a state of mind and has a peaceful way about it. The people do, too. Our schedule wasn't as packed like it was in London, but we did still do and see a lot.

Our Itinerary:

Murano/Burano/Torcello Half-Day Sightseeing Tour

This was the perfect way to see surrounding islands. The boat left earlier in the morning and went until mid-afternoon. We visited Murano, which is where they make the Murano sea glass that they're famous for. They took us into a building, and inside was the warehouse, where about 4-5 men were there sculpting art pieces that are then sold in the stores. We were able to see how the process works for the items they make and sell - they'd sculpt, then put in the oven and dip in the color, then sculpt more and back to the oven. It was incredible! Then, we were able to visit a few of the stores to buy some for ourselves and some to bring home to others (which I did a lot of).

The next stop was Burano, which was dressed like a colorful postcard. We turned it into a mini photo shoot and wandered through some of the stores. And had just enough time to grab a drink, because it was starting to warm up.

There wasn't much to see in Torcello, but it was still pretty. There was a bridge over the river, which felt very Anne of Green Gables, and was the perfect spot for more photos. As I was walking down, I almost fell flat on my butt because I was wearing new shoes and there was a slab of marble, or some other kind of shiny piece of something on the steps leading up to the bridge. So that was fun. Luckily, I caught myself, so I only hurt my wrists for a bit (insert laugh crying emoji here). We also had time to stop for a sweet treat at the cafe on the island. Mandy got a gelato and I had a cappuccino. It was enough to keep my energy up for the long boat ride back to Venice.

St. Mark's Square

St. Mark's Square is the best people watching spot on the planet. There are several outdoor cafes, at various price ranges, where you can sit, make yourself comfortable and stay as long as you'd like. Europeans have a very different way of life and savor the moment and every meal. Unless you tell your waiter you're ready for the check, they will let you stay and visit as long as you want. Two nights in a row, we went back to the same spot to have dessert and watch the crowd. I had a cappuccino both nights, along with a Tiramisu the first time. SO DELICIOUS.

We'd watch couples walking by, coming up with hypothetical situations for them - were they going to get engaged? Were they on their honeymoon? Others, we'd just pay attention to their interesting fashion choices...Or the bird who was eating another bird in the puddle from the high tide. It's moments like that that will stay with me forever, even if I never make it back to Venice. The idea that for that moment that's exactly where you're supposed to be, not worrying about anything else, is everything. Plus, I really just wanted to be able to use the Taylor Swift lyrics, "But on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again," because it was in fact a Wednesday and I had the perfect opportunity to go to a cafe.

St. Mark's Church

We walked past St. Mark's Church multiple times which was stunning on its own on the outside. We had some free time, so we paid a small fee and did a quick self-guided tour. It only lasted about ten minutes, if that. You can also take a longer tour to learn more about its architecture and history. But, if you’d like to just admire the beauty and walk in at your own pace, the self-guided is enough.

Gondola Ride Through Canals

When in Venice, right?... My friend had been to Venice before, but had never done a gondola ride, so we absolutely had to! Years ago in Las Vegas, Mandy and I did the gondola ride together at The Venetian. So how appropriate that we were able to bring the moment full circle. It was only a 30-minute ride, but it was plenty of time. Our "driver" took us through the canals, as we stared in awe at the gorgeous structures surrounding us. It was so interesting to watch the other gondola drivers as they turned corners - the way they had to stretch and the wide angles they had to use to get there. Gliding through the water felt like I was in some kind of a dream. You can take longer rides, and there are many to choose from online, but we decided to wait until we got there to choose - which you can pick based on the starting location, whether it's the Rio Alto Bridge or near one of the hotels.

Rio Alto Bridge

The Rio Alto Bridge is one of, if not the, most recognizable sights of Venice, and is used in the opening scene of the latest Spiderman installment. It's also one of the most crowded spots, and rightfully so, as it's kind of the center where the action is. Shopping, restaurants, and cafes are all around. It's one of the most picturesque spots. It was even more stunning at night, looking out over the cotton candy-colored sky as the sun went down. It was hard to believe it was real.

Food

Obviously, we ate our way through Italy (probably even more than London) - bread, gelato, pasta and pizza. I'm not a huge fan of pizza (I know, I know), but I do love some pasta. However, after eating so much of it, I learned it’s not something I could eat daily. I tried traditional spaghetti and meatballs, a carbonara dish, a caprese salad and a couple pepperoni pizzas, which is actually not called pepperoni there, it's salami. I feel like I had a good mix and ventured out a bit, so all in all successful.

Shopping

Everywhere you turn, from one alleyway to another, is plenty of shopping from Venice's own stores to souvenirs filled with Murano glass items and others, like H&M and higher end brands, such as Dior and Chanel. I can honestly say we went into just about each and every store and became very familiar with the best deals on the jewelry, bags and more. As we window shopped or stopped in a store, I kept wishing I hadn't packed as much or bought new clothes before the trip, because there were so many great deals and different items that you can't find in the states. Tip to self next time: Only pack basics next time and leave the other half of the suitcase empty to buy other treasures.

Flowers

If you spend any time on Venice, there's a good chance you will run into one of the many guys selling roses around the city. If they're able to get you to buy one, they will keep hounding you until you buy more. My friend had warned me about them. You have to be stern with them or they won't leave you alone. While I was standing for a picture, a guy with roses came up to my friend. Long story short, she ended up buying the whole bunch of flowers (and I had posted something I'd written about someone buying me flowers), so I would have a prop for my photos, which was really sweet of her. And it did dress up the photos ;).

Get Lost

The beautiful thing about Venice is that, eventually, no matter how many turns you take, you will end up exactly where you need to be. A family friend messaged me about my trip on Instagram and she added, "Have fun and get a little lost." That stuck with me. It's the kind of place that you don't need to have a set plan or know exactly where you're going, because you get there when you need to. And you find so much more along the way, because there are so many passageways, nooks and crannies to find something that you wouldn't normally see.

Photo Shoot

With stunning views and backdrops that the city has to offer, you have to take advantage of it. And dress the part. I didn't dress to the nines by any means, but I did dress up a little more than usual, for the sake of a good photo.

***

Venice is one of those magical places where time stands still. You're not in a hurry to get anywhere, you can just simply be without this nagging feeling that you're forgetting something. I don't know that it's necessarily somewhere I would have to see again, unless it were to be a honeymoon spot someday far off in the future. But, I will hold onto the memories for as long as I live.

That’s all for now,

Shelby