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Rome – The Eternal City. Another train journey and a very nice one too. Italian High Speed Trains were very good indeed and very cheap. They allow a private company called Italo to run trains on the High Speed network and we took advantage of their very generous offer of around £35 each for a first class ticket on the 4 hour journey to Rome

We booked well ahead and on all the journeys we were able to secure a table for four. It was always sociable and good fun and we always took a picnic to eat on the train, much better than train food

The journey to Rome via Florence held our record for the fastest train ride, peaking at 299 kph. For some the excitement was all too much

We arrived in Rome, into the chaos that is Rome Termini station. As soon as we stepped off the train we realised the weather had been turned up a notch or two. It was seriously hot but the late evening sun was dazzlingly beautiful. This is the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore on the walk to our apartment

I did a bit of research on where to stay and the resounding answer was the Monti district. I’m so glad I heeded that advice. We had a stunning apartment, all old world Italian charm and huge. We had a wonderful balcony with views over the rooftops. Alas it was a bit small for all of us to sit there and was just too hot most of the time.

The views from the front were just as lovely

It also had air conditioning, not something I’d thought about when booking but essential in Rome in summer (nothing better than walking in a cool apartment after a hot day pounding the streets). This was the street our apartment was on

I loved the neighbourhood. It felt like I was living amongst the locals rather than a tourist city. Everything was narrow cobbled streets and that untidy pile up look of the buildings that was typically Rome and instantly charming. It had real lived in feel and I felt immediately at home. There were dozens of restaurants on the door step, they all looked welcoming and populated by locals. I loved buying stuff from the local shop and the friendly owner seemed to appreciate my pathetic attempts to speak Italian. It was liked I’d lived here for ages. I wished I had or could

There were plenty of sights on the doorstep. This is the local church, Santa Maria ai Monti. Simple on the outside, stunning inside

Just walking the local streets was a simple pleasure either in the daytime or in the evening when everything was buzzing with the noise of cheerful drinking and consumption of fine food. One of my favourite memories of the trip was walking back to the apartment at night with a tub of gelato from our favourite shop (Flor) and just enjoying the warm evening ambience. The gelato was the best of the trip and considering the huge portions, cheap. We went in pretty much every evening. The staff were wonderfully welcoming and friendly and started to recognise us when we went in. Life doesn’t get better than that!

On my first wander about after we checked in I was very excited when I turned a corner of our street and saw the Colloseum at the end of the road. All this, and one of the worlds iconic sites a short walk away.

On our first full day we took a walk into the Centro Storico, the city centre as it were. Just around the corner was this impressive tower, the Torre delle Milizie, a militia tower from the 13th Century

Our first stop was the Fontana de Trevi, the Trevi Fountain. When we arrived it was more the Trevi Pools as they hadn’t switched on the water. I think they were clearing out the coins

The water was soon switched on and even though it was absolutely rammed with tour groups it’s still utterly stunning. It’s not actually that old (it dates from 1732) and depicts Neptunes chariot led by Tritons with seahorses, one wild and one calm reflecting the moods of the sea

It underwent a full renovation recently so it looks especially gleaming – as does TBF

The water is supplied from the Aqua Virgo, a 2000 year old aqueduct built by General Agrippa drawing water from springs 19km away. I think the same spring feeds the numerous (and extremely welcome) drinking fountains found all over the city

It came to more recent fame in 1960 when Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita (The Good Life) featured the stunning Anita Ekberg cavorting in the water in her iconic black ballgown. Apparently she had waders on underneath

For my friends that play the campsite game of Kubb I reckon Neptune must have invented the game. Here he is holding one of the sticks 🙂

The tradition (since another famous film, Three Coins in a Fountain) is to throw one in to ensure your return to Rome. Around 3,000 Euros is chucked in every day and retrieved for charity.

The name incidentally comes from the three roads or tre vie that converge here

Despite the heaving crowds I loved it. As fountains go they don’t get much better than this (although there are more fun ones to come in a later post)

Onwards on our city wander. Past the remaining columns of Il Tempio di Adriano

And on to the Pantheon. An extraordinary building we will visit in a later post, the queues were far too long today

One of the seemingly limitless number of stunning churches in Rome, I think this one is the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi

And in to Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s most famous squares. I’d expected it to be busy but it was pretty much deserted. I assumed that a huge majority of visitors only have time to see the half a dozen big-ticket items so some of the second tier sites can be quiet

Their loss as its stunning. The square is surrounded by bars and restaurants, backed by the gleaming white church of Sant’Agnese in Agone and with three splendid fountains

The Fontana del Nettuno

The Fontana Dei Fiumi, and the Fontana del Moro (in the photos at the start of the post)

I really liked the square, its stunning white buildings and fountains. We had a fine lunch watching the people go by

We probably should have called it day here and wandered back to the apartment for a break. Instead we wandered on to the River Tiber for a classic view of St Peters Basilica, or Basilica di San Pietro to give its proper name

Again we should have turned around but we were curious about the massive building just over the river. Turns out it’s the Supreme Court, quite impressive in a grand and forbidding sort of way

From there we thought we may as well take a look at the Castel Sant’Angelo (more in a later post)

And seeing as we’d walked all this way we may as well take a closer look at St Peters Square

We’ll also see more of this in a later post but the scale of both the church and its square is truly astonishing

There were thousands of people here but these photos make it look almost deserted such was its size

We now decided that was enough and it was time to walk back. It was hot and we quickly realised it was going to be a long walk, a very long walk.

We made the mistake of following the main road, which was far from ideal and then cut down some back streets. Weary work in 36C heat. We eventually came across another of Rome’s striking buildings, Il Vittoriano. Very striking in the afternoon sun but again more on that in a later post

As we gasped for breath and a drink we passed the Imperial Forums of Rome. Still undergoing painstaking excavations to restore them to their full grandeur. Bits of columns and statues lie strewn everywhere. An archeologists dream.

After all that we needed a long rest, a meal and our nightly evening gelato constitutional. Tomorrow would see us in the heart of ancient Rome.

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On our last day we made a plan to head for one of the districts we hadn’t been to, the Dorsoduro on the SW side of the city.

The plan was to walk a different way to Piazza San Marco, take a boat along the Grand Canal to the Station and then wander into Dorsoduro from there and grab some lunch

We found some new streets, churches and canals

And some old favourites like the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo

We tried hard, really hard to come out on the waterfront down from Piazza San Marco. Despite best efforts (and some new and lovely vistas) we failed

We turned a corner crossed a bridge and there was the Bridge of Sighs and we entered the Piazza from the direction we always did

Our old friends the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore

And the Palazzo Ducale and Campanile Bell Tower

The boat ride along the Grand Canal (in the previous post) was great but too crowded so we hopped off at the Rialto and walked from there. The first few hundred yards were rammed with people as its on the main drag to the station. As always one turn away from that street and we were in uncrowded piazzas and pretty streets

The walking was as wonderful as ever

We came out on the Fondamenta Rezzonico and the Campo San Barnaba. It was wonderful. Quiet but with an air of a more “real” neighbourhood. When I was looking for an apartment I found one overlooking this canal. The area is a bit less handy for getting about and the apartment didn’t have a balcony but I could happily have stayed here

Time for another excellent pasta lunch (I think it was the Dallo Zio). I decided to try the local drink an Aperol Spritz (Prosecco, Campari and sparkling water – very nice)

The restaurant is on the Campo Santo Margherita, busy with students in term time but wonderfully quiet in summer

A view back towards the Campo San Barnaba and its church

The area narrows to a point between the Grand Canal and the southern waterfront the Fondamente Zaterre. It’s a fabulous stroll. A broad walkway facing across the water to the island of Guidecca, backed by villas, restaurants and churches. It was my favourite walk in Venice

Lots of side canals leading back into the heart of Dorsoduro

Fine views across the lagoon to Guidecca and the Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore

As the headland narrows you can glimpse the Grand Canal on the other side

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute sits at the end. On our way through we passed a group of buskers. I say buskers but they were playing classical string music and they were note perfect, just superb. We sat for for a few minutes on the steps listening to them play. It was wonderful

There was a gallery with a display of David Hockney sculptures right on the tip of the promontory. This sculpture was outside but I’m not sure if its one of his. It was rather good if a little weird

We needed a rest and sat down on the banks of the canal and paddled our feet in the water. When I first visited Venice as a teenager one of the abiding memories was the smell and rather unhealthy look of the water (and the pigeons that were everywhere). There is no way I would have put my feet in the water. They must have made some strenuous efforts because even in the height of summer there was no smell and the water looked clean and healthy barring an inevitable few items of rubbish. It felt totally natural to have a paddle. We sat here for a few minutes enjoying the shade and the cool water while looking across the canal to the Piazza San Marco. The hour we spent walking along the water front, listening to music and sitting by the water were one of my favourite memories not only of Venice but of the whole holiday

It was a pretty damn fine day, finished off with another evening stroll around San Marco and out to the Pont dell’Accademia and Rialto Bridges for a last long lingering look at this amazing city

One last meal on the terrace and the next morning we had to pack and head of for our next city. We had a few hours to kill the next morning before our train. We chilled out in a shady square before heading to the station

A couple of photos from the Ponte degli Scalzi outside the station

The train station itself

And a last lingering look at the Chiesa di San Simeone Piccolo from the station steps before we bid our farewell

I changed my mind about which was my favourite city all throughout the trip and again now I’m writing up the blog posts. In revisiting Venice and especially this last post I’m starting to think again that there is just something extra special here. No doubt I’ll change my opinion again but for now at least its back at the top of the charts

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The main water artery through the city and we hadn’t seen it other than a brief view from the Rialto and Accademia bridges and outside the train station in the rain. After our beach day we headed back out for an evening meal via Piazza San Marco and a Vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal. The museum of the Punta della Dogana that marks the start of the Grand Canal.

Setting sun over the houses and palazzos

And the now familiar Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Seen here from under the Ponte dell’Accademia

An interesting sculpture called – actually I have no idea! There were lots of sculptures lining the canal

It was late in the evening and the light was a little dim for decent photography. Some nice sunset skies though

One of the many palazzos along the canal

And the classic view of the Rialto bridge

Day fades into night

We hopped off just beyond the Rialto as it was getting pretty dark. I liked these hands!

Last lingering sunset shots before we headed off for another fine Italian meal. They do pasta really well in Italy (unsurprisingly!) I learned that the pasta should be the star and not the sauce necessarily. Every pasta meal just had enough sauce to coat the pasta rather piled on. Every pasta was cooked to perfection and delicious. I think the meal tonight was at the Al Vecio Bragosso Osteria but I can’t be sure

After the meal we took in our nightly gluttony of gelato from Grom and ate it by the hands

Next morning I got a bit lost on my breakfast stroll and ended up surprisingly on the Rialto.

As I admired the peaceful early morning view a Vaporetto pulled up and I instinctively jumped on

The Grand Canal was even better in the morning. Crystal clear blue skies and an empty boat. Just perfect

The Grand Canal was prime water front property in the glory days of the city. The finest merchants and members of society would all have their houses fronting the canal. Only way to see it is by boat as there is no water front walkway

Every house seems uniquely designed and built, no two the same. It’s a visual treat and its hard to know where to look. My one regret is that I didn’t find time to take a trip along and back the full length from San Marco to the station with a map and audio guide.

It’s a mesmerizing trip and well worth seeing at first light before the boats get too crowded. In fact when I return I plan to head up and down at various times of day to really get to grips with it

Ponte dell’Accademia

Sun coming up over the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

Ponte dell’Accademia

And more shots of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. It looked particularly gleaming in the morning sun

After breakfast we headed out for another city walk and decided to get there with another boat ride along the canal. The boat was much busier, so busy in fact we didn’t stay on as long as we wanted. The canal was much busier though with loads of taxi boats and delivery barges. Fascinating to watch the city at work on water

Gondolas earning their 80 Euros!

Views looking back left and right to San Marco and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

And back under the Ponte dell’Accademia

It was an especially clear and sunny morning and the Palazzos were sunning themselves to great effect

Turning the corner the Rialto comes into view

A little video that sets the scene a little better than photos

 

I should have taken more video. Most of my other small cameras have always taken pretty poor video so I don’t take much. My new camera takes excellent video so it was a bit of shame I didn’t use it more.

And a final shot just before the crowds forced us to return to foot transport

Just one more post from Venice before me move on to cities new

 

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Enough of this city wandering, we needed some quality beach time! Yes, among its other treasures Venice also has beaches and they are but a short boat ride and walk away

With bags packed with towels and beach rugs we were off on the Vaporetto to the Lido, the island that separates Venice from the Adriatic. As always the boat ride was a delight.

A 10 minute walk across the island and you’re on the beach

The water is shallow and warm, perfect for families and there were many of them but not even close to the ridiculous overcrowding you see on French Med beaches

We enjoyed a very splendid morning in the sea and sunbathing on the sand. Rather strangely most of the beach is for private use (at least in so much as you are compelled to pay a fee for sub-lounger and a parasol) but there are a couple of public beaches

It made a nice change from our city wanderings and even TJS who is not much a of beach person enjoyed the escape

Sitting on a beach for a couple of hours is hungry and more importantly thirsty work. We decided we needed a large beer and we certainly got one!

Our Vaporetto tickets also covered the buses on the Lido so we decided to take a ride.

We stopped off at Malamocco as my guide book said it was nice. It had a very pleasant waterfront facing the lagoon

And indeed it was a very nice place for a wander in a sleepy sort of way

However there wasn’t much shade and it was brutally hot so we decided to hit the beach again

We hopped on to another bus and headed down the Alberoni beach, the other of the public beaches

We spent another happy hour swimming and sunbathing

I won’t pretend that these were the finest beaches I’ve ever been to. Venice is surrounded by industry and commercial ports which you can see in the distance. However the beaches were clean and the sea was refreshing and cool

It made a real change and it was fun being able to get from the heart of a city to the beach in less than an hour. Not to mention you get there by boat

We were surprised to find that the whole day had gone so we caught a bus and the Vaporetto back to the main island.

TBF looking pensive

The boat ride in the late afternoon was as enjoyable as always

We headed out after a short break. Despite the fact we’d eaten out a lunchtime I was in a good mood and said we’d eat out again in the evening. We headed back down to Piazza San Marco to see the evening sun on the buildings (photos in an earlier post) but the walk down was just as enjoyable

While we were in the square it occurred that even having been here four days we hadn’t taken in the city’s main artery, the Grand Canal. Time to put that right…..

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Onwards from Burano and on to Murano

Venice is famous for its blown glass and there are shops everywhere. Some of it fabulous some of it terrible some of it plain weird. Murano is where the vast majority of the glass is made.

We managed to find a demonstration but after peering through the door for a couple of minutes we were told we had to pay. I thought that was a bit cheeky. Most similar places let you watch or tour for free and hope to make their money from sales. Considering the fee and the fact that obviously making glass needs a furnace we decided to stay outside in the natural furnace

Murano is very pleasant and quiet place to wander about. The main street/canal was catching the sun very fetchingly. The number of glass shops was astounding, 75% was my estimate. Very useful if you wanted to buy glass but we wanted a Gelato!

In searching for a Gelato seller (first time and only time it took longer than a couple minutes to find one in Italy) we cam e across this very vivid glass sculpture the Cometa di Vetro

Eventually we procured our Gelato and sat by the canal to scoff it

Whilst Murano is very nice, it doesn’t have the grandeur of the main island or the colourful charm of Burano so we decided another boat trip was in order.

We’d done a fair bit of walking over the first week of the trip so a bit more leisure was well earned

We decided to taker a longer ride around the outside of the main island to get a different feel for the city

Boat travel was really enjoyable as most are small so you feel in touch with the water as it were. The boats stop very regularly and its a slow ride so plenty of time to take in the views

A short video here to give a feel for things

 

As there is a causeway linking Venice to the mainland, the outside circular service have to head inside for a short while. This is one of the larger canals with what looks like a fine walkway that we never found time to wander along

Non motorised transport

And along the far reaches of the Grand Canal past the railway station

The Chiesa di San Simeone Piccolo, a prominant site with its copper green roof and the first building that catches the eye on the way into Venice from the railway station or the car parks

The Ponte della Costituzione, one of only four bridges over the Grand Canal. Known locally as the Calatrava bridge (after the architect who designed it) it was the first new bridge in Venice for over 120 years. It links the city to the car parks and cruise ship terminals

We got a close up look at a couple of the cruise ships and an enormous private yacht

The boat carried on around the southern side of the city between the Dorsoduro district and the island of Guidecca

The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and San Marco Bell Tower

Close ups of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

And the San Marco Bell Tower

The only problem with the Vaporetto is they are built for transporting people rather than sightseeing. Most of the seating is inside so if you want to enjoy the view you have to stand on deck. No problem with that but as the boats move slowly and stop often, after a while the feet get tired and you need a break. We decided to stop off for a wander and a drink. We took a stroll from San Marco along the Riva Degli Schiavone

The waterfront walks in Venice are some of its finest. This one running east from the Piazza is rather busy at first but as with all things Venice once you wander more than a few minutes from popular sites its quiet. We found a splendid spot for a sit down

The views across the water in the afternoon sun were mighty fine

Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. I seem to have taken a lot of photos of this church. It is pretty striking and dominates the view from San Marco and the Grand Canal

As we wandered along the waterfront one of the huge cruise ships sailed past. You can see from this photo just how huge these monsters are. I think they are the reason why the cities on their route (in our case Venice and Rome) were so crowded. I’m not sure how many people they hold but it must be thousands. They disgorge their masses that hit the city like a tidal wave in the morning, swamping the city through to till late afternoon with tour groups. Its the tour groups that were the biggest frustration fir us. If you get caught up in one it’s like you’ve been swallowed by the crowd. I half expected to get caught up in a tidal movement of people and suddenly find myself on a ship heading for Dubrovnik or Split! The locals are not too keen on them as they swamp the city but only stay a few hours spending a good chunk of their subsistence money on board the ship rather than in the city in restaurants and in hotels and the like. Not my sort of thing but they are big business now and do give an opportunity to see places like Venice to those who perhaps wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I had no idea how many of these ships were cruising the Med. There were a couple in the city every day we were there

There is a lovely park at the far end of the water front in the Castello district

As we sat enjoying the sunshine another cruise ship sailed past. Pretty impressive to see them so close up

We were actually a along way from the apartment. Nice thing about Venice is you are never too far away from a Vaporetto stop and there will be a boat going somewhere near where you want to go.

This one took us back to the waterfront a few yards from the apartment. Sorted

A fine day on the water and the islands. What better way to finish than with a cracking meal on the waterfront at the Ristorante Pizzeria Da Alvise

We hadn’t quite sussed out the subleties of Italian menus at this stage. We thought that “Primi” were small courses and “Secondi” large courses. Turns out both are big, the former is pasta, the latter meat or fish based.

TJS made the mistake of ordering both. At least they knew what a messy eater he was and dressed him accordingly 🙂

It was a superb meal. Excellent day with loads packed in

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Considering Venice is famous for its canals and waterways we’d been here a couple of days and only been on one boat ride. Time to correct that with a trip to some of the outlying islands. First a few photos from my now regular morning walk to pick up breakfast

It was surprising how quickly these cities became to feel like home. Most of our holidays are spent either on campsites or villas in the countryside so there is no local neighbourhood as such. I did most of the shopping and was also the only one of us who got up early enough for a walk before breakfast like this morning.

As I wandered about, streets (and canals and bridges) became familiar. You start to know that the bakery is just around this corner or the supermarket is the other side of that square. It started to feel like home. I loved that.

This wander was pretty aimless as I remember. I was just enjoying being out while the streets were quiet. listening to the sound of church bells and motor boats on the canals

I eventually turned a corner and found myself in the Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo. On one side was the Scuola Grande di San Marco.

On the other the massive Basilica Santi Giovanni e Paolo. When looking at these massive buildings the thought occurred as to their foundations. Considering that Venice is effectively a sand bar its amazing these buildings don’t just sink. They are marvel of engineering if you ask me.

I popped my head inside and found it to be as dazzling on the inside as it was massive on the outside

Back to the main arc of this post story. I mentioned Venice’s water buses or Vaporetto in a previous post. I was about to say they were expensive at £15 a day per person for unlimited use, but actually that’s not bad. They must be expensive to maintain and they run very frequently to all corners of the city and outlying islands and you can use the pass on the buses on the Lido island. Not bad value looking at it that way and we used them extensively for the rest of the trip

We were headed to the northern island of Burano. Passing by the Cemetery island of San Michele. Igor Stravinsky is buried on there among others.

The boat called at Murano (coming in a later post) before heading out across the lagoon

Views back to San Marco on the main island

Boat is a marvellous way to get around, relaxing and with largely expansive views. Apart from the Grand canal most of the boats always had plenty of space and seats although I always stood up to take in the views

Burano is famous for its brightly coloured houses. I read somewhere that its a deliberate ploy to attract visitors and that even the washing hung up is planned to be multicoloured to keep up the impression.

It was temporarily overcast and a bit dull when we arrived but by the time we needed feeding the blue skies had returned and the colours were brought back to life

It has a a maze of streets and canals to explore and while popular is relatively quiet and un-crowded

We found a pleasant shady wall next to a canal to sit and eat our lunch from a local sandwich shop.

Refreshed we took a further wander to sample the colours in the sunshine

The church does lean rather alarmingly by the way – not a lack level horizon that normally plagues my photos

Its a bit twee but still rather lovely and the quiet streets and the boat ride to reach it made for a very enjoyable outing

Even dark purple seems to work in Burano

We had a few minutes to spare before the next boat so we took a wander over the bridge to the neighbouring island of Mazzorbo. Primarily just because we could and to bag another island. It was even quieter than Burano, almost sleepy

We thought 5 minutes was enough to do it full justice and went back to catch the boat

Leaving Burano behind we headed of to bag another island

 

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As you saw from previous posts Piazza San Marco has lots to offer and two of it sights deserved their own post.

The Palazzo Ducale. It was the seat of Venice’s government for seven centuries but was gutted by fire in 1577 and restored with white Istrian stone and Veronese pink marble.

It served not only as a form of parliament but also as a prison, executioners block and grand palace of the Doge, the elected head of state.

It was also the home of the feared Council of Ten who preserved Venice’s democracy through their network of informers and spies

In some respects it can seem rather plain from the outside especially compared to the Basilica next door. In many other ways its stunning and understated while retaining an air of grandeur and awe that I imagine kept the mortal folk in awe.

It’s on a tour of the interior that both its dark and shady secrets and its palatial opulence are revealed.

We took a guided “Secret Passages” tour which I’d read was excellent and so it was. The tour not only gave an insight into the dark and mysterious world of the council of ten (their offices, secret doorways, torture rooms and the like) but also a very useful background history of Venice itself. I was fascinated by the details of Venice’s democracy and for the times, it was quite advanced, almost civilised (even it did still favour those with money or power). It would be a history essay in itself to give that background but safe to say its well worth some research and background reading. One of the famous stories is that Casanova was imprisoned here and was reputedly the only man ever to escape the prisons. The tour was fascinating although taking pictures in these dark places was nigh on impossible. Safe to say if you are in Venice I strongly recommend paying the extra to take the tour of this fascinating building

Once we were done with the secret passages tour we were free to rejoin the masses and explore the rest of the palace. The artwork is simply staggering and there are works of art by many a famous artist such as Tintoretto and Titian adorning the walls and especially the ceilings.

It’s very hard to capture this in a photo but hopefully mine give a sense of the grandeur

This room was the court room where the council of ten sat and pronounced judgement and punishment. The last wooden panel on the right is actually a secret door back into the Council of Ten rooms we’d been through earlier

More lavish artwork

As we climbed to the second floor there were windows with views out over the city and the water front

And over the water to the islands of San Giorgio Maggiore and the Lido

The most stunning room was the Sala del Maggior Consiglio or Grand Council Hall

It was absolutely enormous and decorated from floor to and on the ceilings with stunning art work

Many of these works of art are considered propaganda paintings depicting prominent Venetians in historical or biblical settings. The painting at the far end in the photo below is Paradise by Tintoretto’s son Domenico depicting 500 Venetian politicians in heaven! Talk about blowing your own celestial trumpet 🙂

As Venice grew so did its criminal population. The palaces cells could no longer cope and new prison was built next door. To reach the prison you cross the famous Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs). When I was young I always thought it was the Bridge of Size, an enormous construction spanning the city. Like most people I was surprised at its true meaning and size (and spelling), so-called, to mark prisoners feelings as they walk to their cells having been convicted. This is photo looking inwards towards the city from one side

And the cramped passageways around the prisons

The prison courtyard

And the view seawards from the bridge. You can see the crowds gathering to take photographs.

It’s a very small, not especially dramatic bridge so I’m not quite sure why it gets so much attention. Still, I’m glad I saw it and walked across it – twice!

It was a full half day in the palace. If you were a real fine art buff it would take a lot longer. We were well pleased with our visit but you can have too many prison cells and paintings especially when its lunchtime so we took our leave of the palace and the Basilica next door (with another secret passage so the Doge could worship in peace) and went home for lunch

Later in the day we went up the Campanile Bell Tower for an aerial view of the city. This was well worth booking in advance as the queue was long and slow-moving. We just went round to a back door, waited a couple of minutes and went up in the lift

The view was grand and everything you’d expect. Expansive squares, red-tiled roofs, water and churches

The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Isle of San Giorgio Maggiore. You can visit the island and climb the church tower but to my regret we never found time. The views of the Piazza San Marco are supposed to be the best in the city

A Panorama shot looking over the island to the lagoon and Lido beyond (larger version if you click on it)

Along the waterfront to the Castello district

West over the Basilica di San Marco to the Canareggio district.

The Basilica and Palazzo Ducale

North west over San Marco to Canareggio. Our apartment is in there somewhere. We walked through those buildings to reach the Piazza. One thing that strikes you up here is just how densely packed the buildings are. It’s almost impossible to make out streets or canals. No surprise how easy it is to get lost

North towards the Sa Polo area and entrance to the city. You can just make out the causeway to the mainland

Family pose

The mechanical clock tower and the Piazza directly below

And one final shot of the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

As we reluctantly headed down the sun was lighting up the tower to great effect

A fine finish to a storming first full day in Venice. We packed a lot in and it still seems amazing that it was all about 15 mins walk from our little home