10 Days In Italy: Getting Lost In Venice

Here’s a recap of previous posts and a list of what’s upcoming for our recent trip to Italy.

• United Airlines To Rome
• St. Regis Rome
• Vatican
• Osteria 44
• Photo Essay of Angels & Demons
• A Quiet Meal At Cul de Sac
• Trevi Fountain (Semi) Closed For Business
• A Fast Train To Venice
• Tips For Sightseeing In Rome
• St. Regis San Clemente Island, Part 1
• St. Regis San Clemente Island, Part 2
• Hotel Danieli
• Antico Pignolo
• A Quick Trip To Murano
• A Day At The Beach
• How To Ride The Vaporetto (Water Bus) In Venice
• Getting Lost In Venice
• Getting To Venice Airport
• British Airways 787 Flight Home

If you’ve never gotten lost in Venice, I highly recommend it.  We’ve taken to wandering around the city when we’ve gone and frequently find things off the beaten path that are much more enjoyable than dealing with the scrum near the Rialto. 

Since this was our first trip with the kids we had planned a “get lost” day for them.  After breakfast on the roof of the hotel and a brief stop in San Marco Square to feed the pigeons we hopped on the vaporetto and rode through the Grand Canal to Santa Lucia (the main train station where most tourists arrive ).  A quick walk from there over the Ponte delta Constitution, or the Constitution Bridge, and we were in Piazzale Roma. 

 

This was our first time in this part of Venice.  Piazzale Roma is essentially the equivalent of New York’s Port Authority building. It’s a big depot of buses and cars, an oddity since cars aren’t something you’ll really see in Venice. 

We grabbed a quick mediocre lunch near the Piazzale and set off to get lost. We gave Catherine some guidance (try to keep the sun to the right of us, which would head us towards our hotel). We would have to cross the canal at some point to get back, so we headed off in the general direction of the Rialto.  From there, the entire navigation was up to her (and Charlie, who she doesn’t like to listen to).  She picked the twist and turns, which bridges to cross which alleys to head down, all without any real help from us.

There are very few straight lines in Venice and this section is no exception. There were times when we had to head in an opposite direction to our goal and a few dead ends here and there. The kids found plenty of places to play along the way. The area we were walking through is referred to as Dorsoduro.  We’d never been, and found it to be very residential, without much in the way of retail though there were certainly interesting things to look at.  Through most of the walk we didn’t see very many people at all, going 5-10 minutes without seeing anyone at times. 

Our goal was to end up at the Accademia bridge, which would ultimately put us back in the San Marco sestieri. 

About 45 minutes into our journey as we felt like we were getting close to the Grand Canal we happened upon a gelateria (gelato store). It seemed like a great time for a break and a bit of gelato really hit the spot. 

Shortly after we set off again the number of people walking increased. Without having looked at the map we felt like we were headed in the right direction. A couple more turns and we popped out literally at the Accademia Bridge!  

Catherine was absolutely thrilled she had been able to navigate the streets of Venice.  On the South side of the bridge there’s a public restroom underneath the stairs. We took a quick stop there (you’ll need some money, and exact change is easier) and then crossed the bridge for some more shopping and exploration before finally heading back to the hotel for a break before dinner. 

 

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The post 10 Days In Italy: Getting Lost In Venice was published first on Pizza In Motion.

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