After breakfast, we used one of the traghetto crossings, so that we could ride in a gondola. At 50 cents each, it's much more affordable than a real gondola ride!
On our way to catch the vaporetto to Murano, we passed by this lovely church (Campo di S. S. Giovanni e Paolo):
We also went by one of the local hospitals, and saw ambulances parked outside:
Here we are at Fondamenta Nove, right before the vaporetto stop:
Murano was a lot of fun. I've always loved glass, and the entire family enjoyed going through the stores, looking at trinkets. Even Matt! John got a wine bottle stopper, I got three pairs of cheap earrings, Matt got a little fish in a fish bowl, and Beth got a pair of earrings and a gift for a friend. For lunch, we stopped at a little bar and had sandwiches:
It was VERY hot and rather humid today. We left the hotel (like we do every day), with my little Sigg bottle and a large 1.5 liter water bottle filled to the top, but we still had to refill both several times during the day. Fortunately, Murano has nice public drinking fountains:
We also visited the Glass Museum on the island (also included with the San Marco Plus Museum Pass). They had exhibits of glass through the centuries, starting with a room filled with 1st-4th century AD glass. We were all very impressed with how well preserved the glassware is. I also had a long conversation with Beth about BC and AD, and why the twenty-first century has dates starting with a twenty.
After the museum, we walked down more streets, and saw more glass:
We had paid for a twelve-hour vaporetto pass in the morning, but no one checked our pass all day. Since we had the passes, though, we decided to ride around as much as possible. On the way back from Murano, we took the long route through Murano and around the north side of Venice to the train station.
At the train station, we let Matt walk back to the hotel by himself, since he didn't want to wait for the next vaporetto with us, and was confident he could follow the "Per Rialto" signs back to the hotel. Here he is making the first correct directional change (you can see a little figure in a navy blue shirt about a third of the way down on the right half of the bridge):
Matt took one wrong turn, and was convinced for a while that he was lost, but eventually he found his way back to our hotel. Meanwhile, we took a leisurely trip down the canal to our stop:
We are staying at the Pensione Guerrato, as recommended in Rick Steves' guide. It's a fabulous hotel, and we have a room on the top floor with private bath.
After returning to the hotel, we did a little more shopping, as Beth wanted a Venetian Carnevale mask. She finally found the perfect one, and we headed out to dinner at Birraria. This time, we had pizza instead of pasta.
Beth's tomato & basil "Frescada":
My roast pork & grilled eggplant "Barbarigo":
Matt's ham, mushroom, artichoke, spicy salami, wild boar salami (yum!), pepper, & wild marjoram "Scoazzera":
John's ham, mushroom, & wild marjoram "Scalzi" calzone:
The family dining outside:
Last but not least, we cruised the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco at dusk, saw a fireboat, had some more gelato, then returned to the hotel:
Ain't no pizza like pizza in Italy.
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