Early Start to the Day
We were up very early, before our hotel breakfast started, so we took a walk and found a caffè that was open early. The best part about getting up early is the empty streets. So peaceful! By the time we got back, it was almost time for the hotel breakfast, so we went back to the room for a bit before enjoying second breakfast.
Libreria Acqua Alta
After second breakfast, we walked to Libreria Acqua Alta, which is a fun and unique bookstore with books stored in gondolas, bathtubs, and canoes to protect them from flooding during high water. I had visited when I was in Venice four years ago for Carnevale, and I knew Teresa would love it. We bought a few books, postcards, matchbooks, and a poster. Dominique the cat was hanging out at the checkout!
On our way back to the hotel to drop of our books and take a much needed nap (two bottles of wine the night before took their toll), we saw a cat hanging out in a courtyard. He got a few pets from us before we all went our separate ways.
Piazza San Marco
St. Mark’s Square was starting to get busy. Luckily we had a timed entry for the Basilica and Doge’s Palace. I recently saw an article that says researchers now believe the winged lion on top of a column in Piazza San Marco is actually from China, and was likely brought to Venice by Marco Polo’s father and uncle.
Basilica San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica)
When I was here in 2019, the Basilica was closed for restoration, so I was very excited that it was open this time around. As always, we booked in advance and had a timed entry. The line for day-of tickets was very long, so it’s always best to book ahead! The Basilica did not disappoint. Pictures don’t do it justice – the inside is truly breathtaking. The amount of gold on the ceilings and worked into the artwork is incredible. They used over 80 different types of stone for the mosaic flooring, which was also stunning.
Doge’s Palace
The Doge was the oldest and highest political position in the Venetian Republic, and this was the palace that housed all 120 of them throughout history. My favorite parts were the Bridge of Sighs and the prison cells with ancient graffiti carved into the stone. When a person was convicted of a crime, they would be walked across the covered bridge from the palace to the prison, and the views from the windows would be the last views of the outside world until their sentence was finished.
When I was here in 2019, I also toured the Palace, so decided not to replicate the photos I took. So, the photos below are from my trip in 2019. I assure you it all looked the same in 2023.
Tourist Alert!: Caffè Florian and Harry’s Bar
While we try to avoid obvious tourist spots for food and drink (museums and historical sights excluded), we do make exceptions. The first of which was Caffè Florian, which is in St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco), so it was the perfect spot after touring the Basilica and Palace. Caffè Florian, established in 1720, is the oldest coffee house in Italy, and one of the oldest coffee houses in the world. Being such a tourist draw, it’s a bit spendy, and can take a bit to get a seat, but it was a welcome respite.
The next stop, also a popular tourist destination, was Harry’s Bar, which is just around the corner from Piazza San Marco, along the water. The Italian Ministry for Cultural Affairs declared it a national landmark in 2001. Although many famous people used to frequent the bar, including Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, and Joe DiMaggio, it’s best known as one of Hemingway’s favorite haunts during his many extended stays in Venice during the 1940’s and 50’s. He wrote the novel Across the River and Into the Trees while in Venice.
Harry’s Bar has a very old-school vibe, and expensive cocktails (and food)! They’re known for their (very) dry martini, but I had a Manhattan, and it was superb. Is Harry’s a must-see? Probably not, but if it’s good enough for George Clooney (who is a regular when in town), it’s good enough for me.
“You get a pretty good plate of food—and the Bellinis are just fine. They just cost a fuck of a lot. But they do treat you courteously and it is Venice out the window—and everything’s expensive anyway.”
Anthony Bourdain, talking about Harry’s Bar in Venice
The Requisite Gondola Ride
Speaking of tourist things, you can’t go to Venice and not take a gondola ride. There are many to choose from, so pick one in an area that interests you. We wanted to do it near Piazza San Marco, and found a gondolier willing to go out into the Grand Canal so that we could pass in front of Palazzo Contarini Fasan, also known as the House of Desdemona from Shakespeare’s Othello. The exterior of the house has been used in numerous drawings and paintings of Othello. The gondola ride itself was very relaxing. We passed by what was once Casa Ceseletti, a private house by the Ponte dei Barcaroli, where Mozart stayed for a month as a teenager.
On our walk back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, we took a short detour to a piazza that once housed Aldus Manutius’ Aldine Academy. Aldus was a famous printer, and commissioned the very first italic font. The first version of the desktop publishing software PageMaker was made by the Aldus Corporation, whose name was a nod to Aldus Manutius, before being acquired by Adobe.
Miscellaneous Photos from Our First Full Day in Venice
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