June 14-19, 2019

If I had looked at a map more closely, I would went to Milan at this point, but we’ll get there.

Flixbus from Siena to Venice, 12:15pm-7pm, with two hours in Bologna, for $24.98. And, then, Gio’s Place/House cost me €28.44/night, so for being Italy’s most expensive city, it started off right for me. Though, I would say accommodations were a lot like staying at your grandma’s messy house with 40 strangers, half of them being mosquitoes.

Walking around Venice (aka Venezia) is surreal, with no cars, tiny streets, 117 islands, 150-odd canals, and 400+ bridges (78 of them being private). With more than 20 million visitors a year, on average throughout the year there are 73 tourists to 1 resident in Venice each day. 

It’s impossible not to get turned around and/or lost in Venice, but it’s also very walkable, even though the water buses (boats) are really fun, which you can use to get near or far. 

Maybe it was a combination of many people, hot days, and cobblestone streets, but I saw some people break their faces, bloody noses and blood splatters on their shirts, from falling. When people fall, they can’t seem to get their hands out in front of them and they land right on their faces. This reminds me of when I split open my knee in Barcelona and I’m again grateful it wasn’t worse.

Anyway, some things I enjoyed:

• Spend some time taking in the atmosphere of St Mark’s Square, watching the people and the pigeons. Get lost wandering the winding cobblestone streets. 
• For €7.50/75 minutes or $20/24 hours you can get a ticket with Alilaguna to just get around nearby or also explore some of the outer islands of Burano, Murano, or Lido to see a different side of Venice. The brightly colored homes of Burano and swimming in the ocean in Lido was my favorite day. People also like buying lace in Burano and you should eat at Trattoria Al Gatto Nero da Ruggero if you can.
• Murano is a cluster of 8 small islands linked by bridges crossing the canals separating them. In 1291, Venice required all glassmakers to relocate to Murano because of the risk of fire to the city. The island thus became famous around the world as a center for masterful glassmaking of fine glass beads, mirrors, chandeliers, and other luxury creations, if you’re into that.
• Mercato di Rialto is a great place to buy fruit, with my favorite fruit stand being at 220. See the nearby seafood market as well.
• The European Cultural Centre (Palazzo Michiel) has free modern art to view and I was really into it.
• Libreria Acqua Alta is a bookstore (mostly of Italian books) which stacks books in gondolas and bath tubs, with cats running amuck. 
• The Penny Guggenheim Museum exhibits some of the most impressive early modern artworks in Europe. You can also take the Vapretto Line to see some of the best sights of Venice from the water.
• People are always queuing for this gelato, but I liked SuSo a lot.
• Pizzeria Napule restored my belief in pizza again.
• Caffe Ai Crociferi is the best place to work on your laptop in Venice. It feels like an outdoor co-working space but you can easily sit inside as well.
• Osteria All’Alba and Ruga Rialto are fun dive bars to go to late night. Ask for ombra, a small glass of house wine, red or white. Ombra means shadow, as wine used to be sold in the shadows.
• Surprising to me, private gondolas cost up to 100€ for an hour! 
• The free walking tour, Venice through the centuries (South) with Ricardo.
• I also went on a Venice Food Tour: Rialto Market, Cannaregio, Gondola, Food & Wine for $85.83, which was alright but I think you’d be just as well-off finding any Prosecco joint with cicchetti (finger food like tapas) and then al nero di seppia (squid ink pasta) at any restaurant. Afterward, you can have spritz, a popular cocktail with white sparkling wine, sparkling water, and Aperol (sweet) or Campari (bitter and a bit strong) or half & half (mezzo e mezzo).