Weekend in the Lagoon City

|Location: Venice Italy|

We recently headed to Venice, the Lagoon City for a weekend date getaway. Venice is the perfect place to wander and take in the beautiful scenery, eat delicious multi-course meals, and savor la dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing with the one you love. : )

We had fabulous outdoor meals, sipped cappuccinos in the sun, and wandered the city hand in hand. It was perfect! We had great spring weather with a high of 60F all weekend and it felt warm with the sun shining bright all day long. It was nice to not have to wear a coat for once!

Venice’s canals are what make the city world famous, and the reflection of the colorful Italian buildings on the waterways makes the city feel so romantic! There aren’t cars here but boat taxis called vaporettos that take you around the island. Hop on one and cruise down the grand canal or to Burano Island for a little adventure!

20180407_102540 — Riding a vaporetto down the grand canal

We also found some gorgeous, grand architecture one evening on our walk to dinner. There are so many surprising nooks and crannies in Venice!

We’ve been to Venice together a few years ago and did a gondola ride so this time we opted out. If you do want to ride a Gondola, know that you can split the cost with others nearby if you’re willing. It makes the price cheaper for you, and bonus you can get a picture of you and your honey that you wouldn’t be able to snap with just yourselves! We also bought a bottle of prosecco to-go from a nearby restaurant so we could enjoy it in the gondola!

IMG_20140814_143109277 — A few years back on a gondola ride! Sharing the gondola = lower cost and free photographer 🙂

This year we walked all over the city and enjoyed the sunny blue skies. I have heard such mixed reviews of Venice from friends – you either love it or hate it. I obviously love Venice, but know it can become too overwhelming and touristy if you follow the ‘tourist-track’. Our little secret to enjoy the real Venice is to go the opposite direction the sign posts point you. If you do this, you will enjoy the quiet, quaint streets and find some great spots.

The picture below is on the main tourist track, on the north side of the Scalzi bridge. Lots of people around.

The picture below is after we took a few random off the beaten path turns, empty streets all to ourselves!

Places to go and things to see in Venice

We rented an apartment for the weekend and loved the location and place itself. It was in a non-touristy area and a quick walk over a canal to a beautiful piazza, San Giacomo, with great restaurants, a bakery, wine bar, and even a Coop grocery store. It had everything you’d want, I’d say we hit the jackpot!