Milan, Day 1: How to Travel From Venice to Milan

We rode the train, Frecciarossa, from Venice to Milan Central Station. It is a high-speed train owned by the Italian national train operator, Trenitalia. However, Frecciarossa is not as fast and comfortable as Frecciargento. Oh well.

Venice, Day 3: Cafe Florian

JJ insisted he had to ride the gondola and drink coffee at Cafe Florian. Since it was drizzling and there were boat loads of tourists waiting for gondolas, it really didn’t seem like a romantic idea. It was expected that these gondolas were going to hit the traffic jam in the canals. Skipping the gondola ride was the right decision because it’s a gray day and the pictures wouldn’t look nice anyway. For the price you pay for the gondola ride, you better make sure it’s a beautiful day and Venice looks golden with the kiss of sunlight.

Venice, Day 3: Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the main waterway in Venice. It forms a reversed S shape through the central districts of Venice and divides Venice into two parts. The transportation is provided by traditional gondolas, water buses (vaporetti), water taxi, and private boats.

Venice, Day 3: Venetian Arsenal

The above is the view of the entrance to the Arsenal.

To understand the glorious past of Venice, you must be familiar with Venetian Arsenal. The Arsenal is a former shipyard where Venetian ships were built. Being the center of Venetian Naval industry from the 13th century, it was the largest industrial complex in Europe before the Industrial Revolution. The Arsenal producing many vessels generated great wealth and power for Venice until 1797 when Napoleon took over the area.

Before 1200, Venetian ships were built in small shops scattered throughout the city. Shortly after 1200, these small businesses were organized and grouped into one single large shipyard - the Arsenal.

Venice, Day 2: Around Ponte dell’Accademia

Around Ponte dell’Accademia on Dorsoduro side, there are local bars, cafes, and restaurants. You can also find vendors selling fruits and vegetables on the their boats. It is an interesting sight.

Venice, Day 2: View from Ponte dell’Accademia

This is the view from Ponte dell’Accademia (Accademia Bridge) when you travel toward the south end of the Grand Canal. The bridge connects Dorsoduro and San Marco district. It takes you to the Accademia Gallery in Dorsoduro.

Venice, Day 2: St. Mark's Campanile

After we visited St. Mark Basilica, we decided to climb St. Mark’s Campanile.

The Campanile, located in St. Mark’s Square, was built in the 12th century. It attained its final form in 1514. In 1902, the bell tower collapsed. No one was killed. In 1912, it was reconstructed.

At the entrance of St. Mark’s Campanile, you are greeted with these statues. The Campanile is just across from St. Mark Basilica.

Venice, Day 2: St. Mark Basilica

St. Mark’s remains were brought to Venice in 829. Venetian crusaders brought back tons of Byzantine art treasures from Constantinople, the former name of Istanbul. It made Venice extremely wealthy. St. Mark Basilica has been adorned with the treasures and the high artisanship they brought back. St. Mark’s relics have been kept inside the basilica.

St. Mark Basilica was under renovation during my visit. However, the past glory is still evident.

Venice, Day 2: Doge's Palace Part 2

Doge’s Palace displays the glorious history of Venice.

The Armory Rooms showcase suits of armor and weapons. It's hard to believe they used to wear those heavy armors to fight.

Venice, Day 2: Doge's Palace Part 1

Doge’s Palace served many functions back in the day. It was a court where authorities worked, a palace where a Doge lived and a prison holding prisoners. The architecture style is Venetian Gothic.

Inside the courtyard, there are two wells dating from the 16th century.

Venice, Day 2: Correr Museum

Correr Museum is a lot less crowded than Doge’s Palace but it is definitely worth the visit. The museum showcases the history of Venice from 13th century to 16th century. The collections include paintings, prints, coins, weapons, and military.

Venice, Day 2: Streets of Venice

On our way to Correr Museum in the morning, we saw a lot of interesting shops. This one is a print shop. Venice used to have a very vibrant printing industry.

Venice, Day 1: St. Mark’s Square

Yes! Here we were in Venice. The first thing we did was to take the vaporetti (waterbus) to the stop near our hotel and drop off our luggages. Then we went out to buy jackets. It’s not because shopping was our priority. The reason was the weather was surprising cold and windy when we arrived. It was early October but it felt like early winter. All the clothes we brought along the trip were thin, which were perfectly fine for Rome and Florence but not suitable for Venice. It was actually hot in Rome during sunny days, you would just want to wear short sleeves. 

Without proper gear, we couldn’t function and enjoy the trip. We had to shop. It took us a while to find clothing stores because Venice is like a maze. After we found the shops and got our outerwear, we went to St. Mark’s Square. It was already late afternoon, too late to enter any site. Therefore, we wandered around St. Mark’s Square and nearby for the rest of the day.

That’s the Campanile and St. Mark’s Basilica. The tower is so tall, it can hardly fit in the frame. The exterior of St. Mark’s Basilica was under renovation and they worked slow, really slow. Yeah, I didn’t see a single soul working on the building there. In Italian tourist sites, there is always something under renovation. It almost feels like these sites are taking turns to undergo restoration.