Casa dei Pittori Venice Apartments

... Ages through the Renaissance, and connects the works on canvas to the sculptural works that preceded them. We were glad that we visited here last , because it tied together everything that had come before. (The Rick Steeves audio guides helped tremendously!)

Tomorrow, we set out for our road trip through Tuscany and, hopefully, a couple of days at a less hectic pace, visiting the hill towns on our way back to Rome.

Can't believe we only have two days left!

... man in order to attempt to salvage his dead father’s soul. Regardless of the intent, it is an amazing site for both artistic and religious reasons.
The rest of the day was spent driving the Autostrada from Padua to Florence. Up and down mountain with gigantic trucks weaving across the lane lines, everyone at maximum speed and tailgaiting like nothing you would ever see in the U. S. And, yet,

Blog Day 5 (Venice 2), Wednesday, December 9
We rose well-rested and after enjoying the hotel’s breakfast buffet, set off for St. Mark’s Square, where we spent most of our day. With the national holiday crowds dispersed, it finally paid off to be here in the off season! There were no lines for the Basillica or any of the “extra” (“for a small fee”) attractions on the square. It is no longer allowed to feed the pigeons, with the positive result ...

... What a magical place this is: unique beyond description. Our first stop was the Accademia Museum, home to a nearly overwhelming array of Venetian Renaissance Art. Next, we headed to the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This church, built over two centuries, is typically Gothic in architecture style, but inside the aisles and every nook and cranny hold a succession of art treasures, each more surprising than the last. It is one of the ...

... of fruit, and waited until we could check in.

When the owner got there, he informed us that the hostel had been shut down for winter, so he was housing us in hotel rooms. He gave a 3 person room to the girls, and Steve had to stay in a room with another guy, but he was only staying for one night so he didn’t really care. We were all very pleased with our rooms, but so tired from the ...

Just a short entry today as it was a long travel day to Venice by train.

We have learned our lesson and instead of making the trek back to the train station over the cobblestones I arranged for a taxi and we had a nice civilized ride to the train station, well worth the 6 euros. Our hotel even served us breakfast early as we were leaving before breakfast normally starts.

We ...

... on their way to stock business and hotels throughout the city. There isnt really car access to 95% of the island. We found our way to our accomodation which is 20 minutes out of Venice by bus. Its a campground for backpackers which along with powered campsites has little huts called Doges. The site also had a pool, bar, pub, restaurant and pizzeria. The weather was still hot, so we decided it would be a shame to go straight back into the city ...

... our hostel was small but good, we had towels and a shower which a midget child would have complained about, but we could use the kitchen and we had a huge bed with fluffy pillows which we would wake up during the night and try to punch down because it was like floating and almost suffocating...but fun....we found an awesome pizza place and a supermarket too...it was miractulous because the first day was rainy so we went to bed and went for a walk that night, but the ...

... a maze of canals. St. Marks square is huge and the Basilica di San Marco was incredible with the Byzantine mosaics (however it smelled bad inside - probably too many years of dampness, incense, candles etc.). Henry and I took an evening water bus through the Grand Canal to enjoy the sites at night. Beautiful and relaxing. We stopped at the square to enjoy several little orchestras entertaining the crowds. Nice evening together.

... high end place. I still have a strand of lovely glass beads (which I frequently wear) from the Murano glass place.

I have a vague memory of running around Venice with my younger brother (including going over the bridge and getting lost in some sketchy alley somewhere). I loved St. Mark's square. I loved being able to see art and sculpture everywhere I turned and I know I loved the food.