boat to burano

We began our second day of Venice with a 'secret itineraries' tour of the Palazzo Ducale, which granted us entry to Casanova's cell, although we weren't quite prepared for how cold it would be!

We warmed up by treating ourselves to tea at Caffe Florian, which came on a silver tray with a vast array of crested chinaware, served by a waiter dressed in a bow tie and white jacket...

After a bit more wandering around the maze of streets and alleys, we decided to make the most of the sunshine and take a boat to the colourful island of Burano.

We then came back for a fabulous dinner overlooking the Grand Canal at night, and walked back through a wonderfully romantic St. Mark's Square, wishing we could stay forever...

view from a vaporetto

This weekend my boyfriend and I went to Venice, and it was absolutely glorious.

We stayed in a friend's apartment down a little lane opposite the San Giovanni Evangelista church, with lovely balcony views:

We began our first day with a lazy vaparetto ride in the sunshine, taking in the sights:


We got off at Piazza San Marco and had a breakfast of wonderfully thick cioccolata calda, Venetian pastries and zabaglione espresso with gold flakes at Caffe Quadri...accompanied by plenty of pigeons!



We then ascended the Campanile and enjoyed spectacular views across the Veneto:

We spent the afternoon getting lost in the labyrinth of streets and bridges, stopping for an ice cream (or two!) in the sunshine, before having a delicious seafood supper in a traditional trattoria.

just one canaletto

So the snow has now melted, and I must admit my enthusiasm for winter has also thawed out somewhat. Today I went to the 'Venice: Canaletto and his Rivals' exhibition at the National Gallery, and it prompted me to rediscover my own fond memories of my brief visit there last spring. The pangs of nostalgia are depressing me. I want the sun to come back out and to eat 'just one cornetto' whilst being serenaded by a gondolier.

St Mark's Square then and now. Note the substantial increase in the pigeon population over the years.

St. Mark's Basin and Doge's Palace (I think).

Ciao i miei amici, a presto!