La Palazzina Veneziana Venice

... 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 ...

... afterwards. It was worth seeing because it is so old and massive for its day, but it didn’t have a special feeling.
Our ticket to the coliseum included entrance to the forum so we decided we could go check it out. Neither of us knew about the forum before hand but I don’t know why. This place was amazing. We walked through the gates and had no idea which way to turn. The Forum was the epic mass of ruins that we could see from outside the tube station ...

... and we enjoyed relaxing and getting to spend time together. Friday, November 28th Friday was the day that we decided to buy a day pass for the ferry. You pay 12 euro and you get to take as many ferries as you need. We took the ferry to the Island of Burano. Burano is the lace making Island and I chose it because I remembered enjoying it when I came with my family and Sara and I had gone to the other famous island Murano ...

... it to be bridges and buildings right on the water. It just got better once I got on the public transport which yes was a boat! I did not have the luxury of taking a private Gondola as each ride is about 45 minutes and the equivalent to about $150 CDN. The $4 water bus was just fine! The main destination for today was St. Marco's Square which has a bunch of museums and shops and of course St. Marc's Basilica. I waited in ...

... and i told her game plan was to walk back to the Casanova guys place to see if his bed and breakfast was available and if not there was another place near by and last resort the hostels. so we head off, first trying to get Ts pack sitting on her right as it is tilting to the side and sitting right behind her head that she has to bend her head down as she walks...it was driving me nuts that it wasn't fitting her right and even though mine has turned into a 50 pound brick ...

... the bay again to the main island, and passed right through the old naval dockyards, now in ruins. There is a lot of potential here for a maritime museum, and when I win the lottery, I wouldn't mind putting a few million into developing this area. We pop out of the canal into the bay again, and there ahead is the campanili di San Marco. We alight at the Piazza. We need some hot chocolate or coffee, as we are frozen. We enter the Hotel dei Piazza which has a sidewalk ...