The Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge:
As I
had mentioned before, Venice is a very
small place and does not require as much time as some of the other cities I have
visited on this trip, but there was a welcoming sense of relaxation today as we
made the most of our last full day in the floating city. We spent the morning
heading to the last part of the city that we had not been to, the southwestern peninsula,
where the Gallerie dell’Accademia art museum is. First, we stopped at the same café
that we did the day before to grab a cappuccino and a Panini to eat while
walking through the city. We also got to see St. Mark’s Square flooded for the
first time. Venice was built below sea level, and is slowly sinking over time.
So when the tide comes in, water comes over the city edges and up through the
sewers, and tourists have to deal with their favorite destinations being
flooded!
The Flooded Entrance to St. Mark's Basilica:
The
Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice is very different from the one in Florence.
For one, this museum was far smaller. It houses works from many of the great
Italian painters and artists such as Veronese, Tintoretto, and Titian. The most
prized piece in the collection is the famous Vitruvian Man by Leonardo de Vinci
in the late fifteenth century. Unfortunately, the drawing is so delicate that
it is only on display for about twenty days a year, and today was not one of
those days. Max and I spent about two hours wandering the museum before heading
out for other activities. I would recommend that people visit the museum, but
it was under renovation and a bit lackluster compared to others we had been to
recently. Perhaps that is a bit too high of a bar to hold against it, however!
The Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, and the Campanile from the Venetian Lagoon:
For the
rest of the afternoon, we decided to take a ferry and wander around Murano.
Murano is a tiny island near Venice that is the true center of glassblowing. The
ferry ride on the way over gave us some cool views of Venice from the water—the
way the city was meant to be seen. Murano and Venetian glass is known all over
the world, and we got to check out some of the glassblowing studios! We watched
an artist work the kiln and make a few glass items before wandering around the
shops to buy some gifts for family (if I can keep them from breaking…). Murano
is basically a tiny version of Venice, but without all of the tourists and with
the addition of tons of glassblowing shops. We got dinner on Murano at a place
called Trattoria-Pizzeria Marlin. Here we had one of our biggest meals yet, as
I had a Caprese Salad, Spaghetti Carbonara, and a Bolognese Pizza! Only in
Italy.
Glass Art in Murano:
We took the
ferry back just before dark, and decided to do a bit of bar hopping. I should
mention the beers we tried that we liked: Birra Venezia Blonda, Sans Souci
Birra, and Ceres Strong Ale. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out in
our spot by the Grand Canal, taking in the sights one last time. I should also
mention that we skipped the Gondola ride, as the Gondoliers kind of act almost
as shady as Taxi drivers back home looking for fares. They can be a little
in-your-face trying to get you to go for a ride, and they are very expensive at
eighty to one hundred Euros each! Not to mention two dudes in a Gondola isn’t
ideal, Ha ha. Before bed we got to experience yet another round of incredible
thunderstorms. They are much like the ones back home, but the location made
them so much cooler. Tomorrow we are off to Lake Como!
Gondolas and a Palazzo on the Grand Canal at Night:
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