Buongiorno Sweet Friends!

My last two days in Venice were spent wandering the streets, eating, exploring new areas and meeting new people. I took the Vapretto to San Giorgio church (St. Georges) to explore the church, grounds and the small island. From atop the belfry, I was able to see the city of Venice from a distance and admire the hundreds of churches and cathedrals. I think there are 160+ churches on the tiny island!!! That’s a ton of churches! I was told that every time the plague lifted, the Venetians built a church. Not sure how many people actually went to the churches after the plague since it killed so many of the citizens but that did not seem to matter.

I walked to the far end of the island towards the Arsanale and found several parks and green spaces. This is something hard to find in Venice. In fact, our tour guide told us that the Venetians painted the shutters and doors green to make up for the lack of trees and greenery. Finding a quite large park at the end of the island was a treat. I wandered around the park and neighboring streets. I also found a fab vegan deli/restaurant where I was able to score vegan gnocchi, pasta with mushrooms, and a variety of veggies and salads. OMG! So good. I ate there and took some with me for later it was that good.  Check out le Spighe Cucina if you are ever in Venice.

My last day in Venice was a very wet one! Every day had been cloudy and rain threatened, but it never really rained; well my last day it poured. I put on my rain boots, hat, grabbed my umbrella and headed to Burano. You may think that’s a typo and I mean Murano where the beautiful Murano glass is blown; but no, Burano is another neighbor island that is famous for its hand-made lace and brightly colored houses. It’s a small fishing village, and rumor has it that the fishermen were worried that their wives might cheat on them during their long voyages, so they painted their houses very bright and distinctive colors to clearly mark their territory.  I was also told that they gave the job of painting the house to their wives to keep them busy during their absence. Not sure if any of that is true, but it’s a great story. Although it was raining and most of the shops were closed for low season, it was a nice visit and I enjoyed seeing all the brightly colored houses. It kinda reminded me of Jamaica!

I returned to Venice and toured the Museum of Modern Art or Ca’ Pesora. There are a couple of galleries for modern art including the Peggy Guggenheim gallery, but I wanted to see the inside of Ca’Pesora so I opted for this one. The museum is within the former Palace home of the Pesaro family at San Stae, and faces onto the Grand Canal. Leonardo Pesaro commissioned architect Baldassare Longhena to design the family home. You can still see some of the original frescoes and ceiling paintings in the grand palace gallery rooms. While it is not a huge museum it does offer a nice variety of Picasso, Miro, Rodin, Klimt, Chagall, Kandinsky and several Venetian artists.

Afterwards, I went back to my local hood near Rialto bridge. I had already checked out of my hotel and my bags were stored. I went into the little bar/cafe where I had gone every night and met so many nice people. I met several wonderful Venetians who made me feel welcome and chatted with me for a couple of hours. As soon as I tell anyone I came from Hawaii, they wanna talk about it. Everyone loves Hawaii or the idea of Hawaii anyway. It’s a great icebreaker, that and Elvis! I always carry Elvis matchbooks with me to give away to European fans and people I meet on my journey. They never fail to impress!

I made my way back to the hotel, now an easy journey with no map required, grabbed my bags and headed to the airport water shuttle that would take me straight to Marco Polo airport and my flight back to Germany. Venice is a remarkable and unique city and has tons to offer every visitor, just remember to pack light, forget your GPS and resign yourself to getting lost. It’s a great way to see the city actually so enjoy it!

Get lost in whatever you’re doing today and enjoy the luxury of friends, family and good food! Ciao Baby!