Venezia!

Ciao a tutti!

This past weekend, a few of my roommates and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. The trip was more about seeing than eating (unfortunately? fortunately?), so I don't have too many pictures of food. Plenty of friends though!!

Considering we took the train leaving at 4 in the morning, we were pretty tired when we first arrived on site. My mind was as foggy as the streets, but I was able to take a snapshot of my first steps:

Wait what? I mean I always knew Venice was  the city of canals, but it truly didn't hit me until I saw it with my own two eyes. There are ACTUALLY STREETS OF WATER! not a car or scooter in sight- only boats, canoes, and gondolas. We walked around, got a little caffeine (of course), and charged on for the day! During the last weeks in February, Venice partakes in a festival called Carnaval- filled with costumes, masked, and TONS of delicious fried goodies. Naturally, I had to try one of the most popular ones, a sort of donut-like pastry called Fritelle. The gang just got to know Venice, roamed the streets, and ended the day with a beautiful Gondola ride- a must to fulfill our touristy day :) At night, we decided to try out a highly-recommended restaurant, where I tried a Venician specialty- pasta with ink sauce. YUM!

The next day, the group went island hopping to visit the various little islands surrounding Venice. First stop was Murano, the Island of blown glass. I was nervous to even walk in fear that I would break something! Everything was so beautiful and delicate, and we even saw some of the art in the making! One of the factories had a little showing, and the maestro displayed his skills to make a tiny little glass horse in about 2 minutes.

the maestro hard at work

Some glass works

Next, we visited Burano, island of lace. When I first heard the island was known for lace-making, I imagined a very serene, dainty place. But Italy never ceases to amaze! This was my favorite island, because no two building were the same color. All around me was so vibrant and colorful, toned down only by the sweet and intricate lace masterpieces.

The last island was called Torcello, a perfect calm ending to a very hectic day. We almost whispered as we walked though it, because the atmosphere was so serene and quite. We headed back home for a well deserved power nap, and then spent the night at a fantastic Jazz club to listen to an A.C Jobim tribute. Simply wonderful!

Venice proved a truly lovely visit. I can't wait to explore more of what Italy can offer!

A piu tardi!