Last day in Italy (5/27/09)

Today is our last full day in Italy. At least the heat from the last week subsided and brought us cooler weather, though that included some strong Venetian winds, and ominous clouds that thankfully didn’t materialize into rain. We started a semi-roundabout tour of Venice this morning as we wandered the streets and stumbled upon the Frari Church, which happens to be one of the showcases of classical Venetian art. After stopping for an espresso, we walked the maze of streets and bridges towards the Rialto Bridge again, and onto St. Marks square.

The clouds were getting darker and we were afraid it was going to downpour so we used a Rick Steves piece of advice to skip the line for St. Mark’s by checking a bag, and heading on in. Inside we listened to his podcast detailing some of the interesting art. The ceiling is a combination of several brilliant mosaics, described on the audio tour as ‘tiling a football field with contact lenses.’

The next stop was the Doge’s Palace, where the leader’s of Venice lived for centuries. The Doge of Venice was an elected-for-life mayor/dictator over the city, and it’s territories. The inside was grand, with large rooms and ornate frescoes and ceilings. It also included a trip over the Bridge of Sighs to the Venetian prisons, which were used from the 15th century up to 1931 – conditions in there were less than ideal. No wonder they all sighed.

After leaving the Palace we grabbed a quick lunch and wandered the small side streets and canals. We made our way over to the north shore of Venice which had an incredible view of some outlying Islands (Murano, Burano, etc) and the Dolomites. We ended up having dinner at the same place as last night since it was so affordable, comfortable, and delicious.



A slow walk back to our room seems to have completed an incredible three week trip in Italy. We catch a flight at 11:30 tomorrow morning, but need to catch the boat from Venice at 8:15. It’s been an amazing trip, and I’m sure we’ll post some more of our favorite moments as we get home.

Ciao, Buona Sera, and Arrividerci!