Arriving over the weekend with the expectation of finding few, if any tourist in Venice, we were pleasantly surprised. Apparently, we have beaten the rush to see some remarkable tourist spots, without all the international hords.
Hotel NH Collection Venezia Palazzo Barocci
We chose this four star hotel for its location to the Grand Canal and a pier for the Vaporettos, or ferries, that connect all of the islands together. We were not disappointed, it definitely has all the access we were looking for along with other comforts, amenities and conveniences we wanted, plus it’s very quiet.
Piazza San Marco
Usually abuzz with activity, this square or piazza is usually crowded during this time of year, with countless tourists. We have been fortunate to be here at this time, while the rest of the world struggles with how to cope with their outbreaks.
Santa Maria della Salute
One of the four plague basilicas in Venice, the Santa Maria della Salute, contains a rare Black Madonna. The altar is especially grand.
The view from the end of the island, just down from Santa Maria, is amazing.
Caffè Florian
Established in 1720, Cafe Florian is arguably the oldest cafe in the world. It was amazing to sit and enjoy a drink in an establishment, that frankly is older than my own country.
Pastor Saverio Le Forcole
The old art of carving and developing individual forcole for Venetian gondola rowers goes way back and is passed down from master to apprentice after a lengthy teaching process. Pastor Saverio is one of four masters still performing his art on the island.
If you are ever in Venice you should look him up. He speaks English and is willing to talk to anyone who has questions about his art and how it is used. You can probably spend hours doing just that, but he does have to work, so keep that in mind.
Okay, enough for now, we are here for the entire week and will probably post more once we get a few moments of down time. Next stops are the other islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello.