Venice is a magical city. It just is. During our time in Venice, our foursome came to agree that there is no other city quite like it in the world! It enchanted us, and we had an absolute blast. I had always heard about Venice being “so amazing”, but honestly I wondered if it was a bit overrated. But for us, no such thing! Even with so many other destinations filling our recent memory, Adam and I didn’t feel travel fatigue when it came to this gem. Our themes were slow wandering, pizza, and Italian wine. The perfect recipe for a relaxing weekend in Italy!
Julie and I slept in a bit to recover from our late night arrival. We then spent the morning just excited to be in Italy. We roamed around soaking it all in and found a pedicure spot to relax before the boys arrived.
Kyle and Adam met up with us in Venice via train, and we started exploring the area. Our airbnb was situated in a perfect spot, seemingly tucked away but right in the action.
The whole gang was hungry, so we excitedly set off for our first Italian meal. I was suuuuuper excited about authentic Italian food. Eventually we found a spot just off a little square that had an amazing ambiance outside with a cello player and fabulous vibes. The menu looked good enough so we went for it. Our wine with lunch arrived (we had to try the Italian way!!) and it felt like we were off to a fantastic start. Soon after our food arrived, and it was… hmmm how can I describe this? Like Chef Boyardee spaghetti.
We all sort of came to the consensus that it was pretty meh, but finished our meal. Towards the end I ran to the bathroom inside and noticed the decor inside had an asian feel to it. It was like that moment in the Sixth Sense when you realize Bruce Willis is dead. THIS WAS AN ASIAN RESTAURANT PARADING AS AN ITALIAN ONE!
I came back outside and shared my revelation. Adam checked the regular menu posted on the wall and confirmed… we’d been duped! Cue laughter. Though we all instantly felt relieved that we had an explanation for the poor quality of the meal. Afterwards we roamed around to see more of Venice!
That evening, we made our way down to the waterfront for sunset where we grabbed a fantastic pizza dinner, the first of several… I’m not embarrassed to admit that we had a ridiculous amount of pizza squeezed into one long weekend.
The next day, our main event was to get out on the water and visit the nearby island of Burano. The dock for the boat was on the opposite side of the island from our airbnb, so we spent the morning leisurely making our way over to it.
We neared the dock and realized that a boat was leaving in 2 minutes. Adam and I sprinted toward the boat with Julie and Kyle lagging behind. I was thinking the slackers just wanted us to hold the boat for them, but they didn’t realize we were running to catch the boat. They thought we were just running… for fun… Thankfully the four of us jumped on the boat in the nick of time and had a fabulous journey with the sun and wind on our faces.
Once we got to Burano, we wandered around soaking in the brightly colored houses and adorable shops. Wandering was a big theme of our weekend, and it was a perfect way to experience this quaint little island town.
We found our way over to a pretty quiet strip on the nearby island of Mazzorbo that we could reach via bridge. This island had a much slower pace, a lot less people, as well as a beautiful tiny vineyard. Soon we found a restaurant with great tables along the water and settled in for a truly fantastic meal. The weather was perfection, and we sat there for quite a while leisurely enjoying the afternoon.
After our long lunch and aimless wandering, we decided to make our way back to Venice to try and beat some of the boat crowds. It was only about 4pm, so we figured it would be wise to get back earlier and beat the dinner rush. Well… a great thought, but a total fail on execution. The boat was JAM PACKED. Like I thought I might ralph from the heat and sheer mass of humans. Needless to say, we were all pretty relieved to be back on land.
Soon we were back and continued our wander theme to eventually find ourselves a happy hour at a table right along a canal. We stayed for an hour or so enjoying the ambiance and relaxing. With the incredible sunset upon us, I went into photographer mode and dragged the group along as we chased after the bridges along the waterways in search of the perfect photo.
We took the scenic route on our way to the recommended “best pizza on the island” and continued to enjoy the sun setting along the way.
Crazily, we didn’t take any photos of our “best pizza on the island”, but needless to say it was a fantastic meal. One that I often find myself wishing I could eat all over again! That evening we made our way home and played cards before hitting bed. If you only have one full day in Venice, what an incredible way to do it!
The next day we worked on ticking off a few more boxes. First up, a visit to the Piazza San Marco, which was pretty incredible to see. Instead of going inside the basilica (we didn’t really have time), we prioritized finding the second best pizza place on the island. However, when we arrived it was crazy busy with a line out the door. Instead we opted for a nearby pizza restaurant that fit the bill. Hey, at least no line!
Our final event in Venice was of course a ride in a gondola! The price is set across the city, and there are plenty of gondoliers, so we didn’t make a reservation and instead found one while we were out walking. It was a peaceful and unique experience and a perfect way to close out our time in Venice. Doesn’t get much more Venetian than a gondola ride!
Soon it was time to say goodbye, so we headed back to our AirBnB to grab our bags and make our way to the airport. The ride home was pretty calm and uneventful, a great way to finish up a relaxing weekend.
After a quick plane ride, we were back in Amsterdam. With such an eventful weekend behind us, we called it an early night with a little Netflix to lull us to sleep. The next morning, bright and early, Kyle was off to the airport again to head back to the US. Thanks for joining us in Europe, Kyle! We had a blast.
Next up, more time in the Netherlands!
-Kelly
Around the World in 180 Days 