The Practical Traveller: Venice Part 2
Date Posted: 21/01/2020
Last week we heard about the first two days of Laura’s unforgettable Venice adventure. Now it’s time to hear about the rest of her experience, practical travelling tips, and checklist favourites…
Day 3
“For our last full day in Venice we wanted to make the most our time by packing two other pre-booked attractions in. We booked to see the Da Vinci Museum and enjoy an Italian wine tasting experience on the Rialto side of Venice."
"As there are so many canals and alleyways in Venice there are no visible street names because you would probably end up feeling more lost if there was. Therefore, to navigate around the city locals and tourists use the street signs pointing the way to either ‘San Marco’ or ‘Per Rialto’. So even though you can feel lost in Venice, you’re always able to find your way back where you need to be."
"We decided to follow the signs for ‘Per Rialto’ as we weren’t as familiar with this area compared to St Mark’s Square. On the way we passed a gelato bar that was on my checklist called Suso Gelato and even though it was only 10am we thought “Why not?!” We indulged in what I can only describe as the most amazing gelato I have ever had in my life! The gelato was €11 each, which is quite expensive for gelato but it was truly unforgettable. We carried on to Rialto and finished our gelato on the bridge, looking in souvenir shops while taking in the views."
"For €6pp I had booked through Do Something Different again for a visit to the Da Vince Museum over the Rialto Bridge. We took in the Italian culture and listened to interesting stories and facts about Da Vinci. Afterwards we took it upon ourselves to tick off the last few things I had on my food checklist."
"I really wanted to find Acqua e Mantis; a highly recommended seafood takeaway bar. With everything within walking distance we found the bar really easily and straight away I noticed there was a lot of choice. For €7 we both ordered a mixed seafood cone which had salted and fried prawns, squid, and octopus. After wandering around with our seafood cones we spotted a cluster of chichetti bars and something I’d really wanted to do was experience this like the locals do. We chose a bar and sat with a spritz and chichetti board, which included five chichettis for €10."
"‘Chichetti’ is Venice’s version of Spanish tapas where you build a small plate of different snacks. With a spritz in-hand it creates a feeling that you are really mixing with the locals and enjoying their traditions."
"Our wine tasting was booked for 3pm so we made our way to find Dia do Cancari to be greeted by our host Marco. For this we paid £30 through an attraction company called Travel Pack; they have some really unusual attractions, so it’s definitely worth checking them out. We discovered that there was a table set up with cheese, meat, and crackers and two glasses and Marco went on to ask us questions about our wine knowledge so he could tailor-make a selection for us. For the price I expected a conveyer-belt type experience with other people but we were left alone in an intimate setting. Across the two hours we were we enjoyed five glasses of delicious wine and an in-depth explanation of from Marco about each."
"Before we left, Marco recommended the local ‘house’ wine to take away. We noticed customers filling plastic bottles with this house wine, so we ended up buying a litre bottle for €2... Yes,you read correctly. €2 for a litre bottle of red Italian house wine!"
"On the journey back we knew we were just minutes away from the famous Harry’s Bar - a bar on my checklist famous for creating the first Peach Bellini’s in the world. The bar was very old fashioned with waiters in white suites and gloves and we ordered two Bellini’s and received a complementary dish of olives. This experience was lovely and it was nice to try a drink the city is so famous for, however our bill came to €42 which we thought was really expensive for two small drinks."
"Our last evening meal didn’t disappoint because we had made a reservation at a quaint little spaghetteria restaurant called 6342 A Le Tole. This venue provided a lovely low-light, intimate setting and we started with a carafe of house red wine and ordered a lobster pasta dish and pizza diavola. The atmosphere in the restaurant was exactly how I pictured it and the food was incredible once again.”
Day 4
“This was our last morning in the hotel and once we had breakfast we made our way to the other side of the island to soak in the last sights of Venice before making our way to the Alilaguna water bus. The views of Venice slowly disappearing as we travelled back to the airport are something I’ll never forget.
I really have made some special memories in Venice and I would recommend everyone experiences this unforgettable place.”
Be sure to keep a look out for more of Laura’s practical travel tips next time… when she jets off to Disneyland Paris!
#SmileHaysTravel
