Venice

A man works on a gondola in a quiet back part of Venice

Saturday, October 25

One of the most amazing drives lies ahead of us as we head for Italy through the stunning Brenner Pass. This is several hours of 'oohs and aahs' as we descend to the Italian plain. 

We arrive at our hotel in style. When we get to Venice, we park at a garage and walk a short distance to the taxi dock, where we get a private taxi into the city center and to a dock near our hotel. This is a fabulous way to enter Venice, and we take the same way out when we leave. 

Arrival in the middle of the afternoon in Venice, two nights at our favorite hotel, the Flora, which has just celebrated 50 years in the Romanelli family. 

What we love about this hotel is that it is centrally located less than five mins walk from the Piazza San Marco and the heart of Venice, yet in a very quiet, tucked away place. It is an oasis of calm in an otherwise hectic, packed city which can sort of get on your nerves after a day or so.

Sunday, October 26  

Venice 

James shows you the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge, cruise on the Grand Canal on a water bus (fun!) and later have dinner in Jim’s favorite little hole in the wall on the other side of the Grand Canal from our hotel.  We also get 'lost' in some of the little-explored but very atmospheric back canals and squares of Venice. This is the way to truly experience this amazing city. Bring good walking shoes because we will be doing a lot of it.

Venice is crowded at all times.

The oasis of the Hotel Flora garden

Quiet, back street Venice. Jim takes you there.

Three modes of transportation, a simple water taxi at far left, a water bus and a private water taxi at right.

The Bridge of Sighs