Italy part 3: Venice

We arrived on Friday to Venice. From the train station we realized the apartment we were staying in was a 35 minute walk away. I decided that since Venice is so beautiful we should walk rather than take a ferry...with all of our luggage. Big. Mistake. About 26 cobblestone bridges (all stairs) and over an hour later we finally arrived. BUT it was a beautiful walk and a great sunny day.

We walked to the Rialto Bridge before dinner. 

Had dinner at a pizza restaurant, Antico Forno.

Then just wandered around the Venice streets getting lost- literally. It is so difficult to navigate around Venice and if you dont have a working smart phone I'm not sure how it is possible. But it is always a romantic stroll and so much to see!

Saturday we started our day off with a goldola ride. For everyone who says you cannot negotiate prices, you definitely can so just ask the next gondolier you see. This is definitely a bucket list item and I am so glad Matt and I were able to experience this romantic ride together. Apologies in advance, I went a little crazy with the gondola photos.

Check out our gondoliers form!

We had a wonderful lunch at Alfredos Fresh Pasta To Go. We found a great spot on the steps by the canal to enjoy lunch and watch the goldolas go by. 

Then we went to Saint Marks's Square-the place you always see when they show Venice on movies and TV. The pigeons are no joke there are TONS of them.

Toured the Beautiful Saint Mark's Cathedral

The outsidr of the Cathedral was under construction when we were there :(

Almost everywhere in Venice is the prefect opportunity for a photo op.

We had bought a bottle of wine at Verrazzano Winery in Florence which we enjoyed on a beautiful bridge off the beaten path before dinner.

We had dinner reservations at Impronta Cafe for dinner. It was on the other side of Venice so we had a long walk at sunset with the most beautiful views. The dinner was amazing- one of the best ones we had the whole trip.

Pictures just don't do it justice. 

Caprese salad with prosciutto 

Tiramisu

Sunday was our last day and we spent it having lunch and wandering around this beautiful and unique city.

Venice is famous for its beautiful masks .

Out trip to Italy was amazing and unforgettable. Experiences like this make me SO grateful for this opportunity to live abroad. We probably would never have done this or been able to spend so much time in this wonderful country. I LOVE everything about Italy.