10-4 Venezia

Hello everyone! We are back blogging again – let’s see how long this will last on this trip!  No promises.  But let us begin….

We had uneventful flights through Zurich to Venice. Arrived late on a Sunday – well – around 2pm.  Caught the ferry boat to our hotel stop without any glitches.  2nd stop on the route – Fondamente Nuove, overlooking the Lagoon and San Michele – the cemetery island for Venetians.

A quick walk, and climb up on the one canal staircase between us and the hotel, got us to the doors of Vecellio – a precious little 9 room hotel right at the vaporetto stop.  Matteo – the hotel proprietor and our host – was there to greet us – effluvious as always and full of good humor and personality.  He led us up the short winding staircase to our Lagoon view room.  Looking right out overto San Michele – a teeny little enclave in green (green drapes, bed spread, exposed wooden beamed ceiling) looking out onto residential Venice.

We settled in, then made our way through the winding Venetian alley and walk ways to San Marco.  It was a beautifully sunny day, warm, the streets filled with people walking and enjoying the weather. San Marco was a zoo – as always – and we quickly wandered away from the hub bub, finding our way back to our quiet little hideway via the Rialto bridge and adjoining tourist neighborhoods. 

Back at “home”, we freshened up then headed out to dinner at Mia Casa – where Matteo’s wife worked.  As it turned out, she was our waitress (but we didn’t find that out until the end of the meal!).  Food was fantastic – antipasti misti, fried vegetables (light and delicate and so very good), lemon scallopine and pan fried mixed seafood.  Excellent! 

We went back to Vecellio and listened to the sounds of the canal and the street life as we drifted off to sleep.