Venice City Guide
Venice had been on my list for a very long time. I’d heard tales of its winding canals, its meandering streets, the boats and gondolas neatly parked in rows everywhere. I had learned about some of its architecture, and was familiar with some of its monuments and history (looking at you, Fourth Crusade). I was not, however, prepared for how picturesque a city it actually is. I had the constant feeling that I was walking through a theater set, with the peeling walls and the flower pots adorning every façade just so. The light flowing between the buildings in the narrow streets, the up and down of every bridge, and the mirror image of it all on the water. Venice looks like a painting everywhere you go, perfectly set for maximum beauty, the shabbiness of it all adding a touch of character that makes it unforgettable.
To see
Venice is, shortly put, stunning, so that the best thing to see is simply the city itself. There are, however, plenty of monuments to guide your walks, so that you have a set goal even as you meander through its winding streets (and take forever to get anywhere).
To do
Venice is packed with museums and galleries to visit, monuments to admire, and beauty to ogle at every turn. I certainly did not cross everything off my list, so the Serenissima will definitely be getting another visit from me sometime in the future.
Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Venezia
To eat and drink
It pains me so much to say this about anywhere in Italy, but I found that the food in Venice wasn’t… that great…? Certainly as a vegetarian, I felt like I didn’t have many options, especially as seafood comprises so much of the menus we found everywhere. To be fair, none of the places I went to were terrible, I just felt like I was very limited to having pizza in most places. If you’ve been to Venice and this hasn’t been your experience, please feel free to share! It’s completely possible I simply goofed when researching this bit ahead of time.
Rizzo Pane Pasticceria Street Food
To shop
While bookshops are always lovely, and Venice certainly has one of the most special I’ve ever visited, I believe the greatest souvenir you can get while there is a Venetian mask. The history of masks being worn in Venice is apparently very old (and the history of masks being sold in Venice apparently very new), and so there are a million shops strewn all across the city, offering products at various price ranges and in differing degrees of embellishment. I did not take pictures of the shop from which I eventually purchased my mask (Ca ‘Macana Atelier), but I do recommend you go there if you can. The couple that runs the shop work themselves in the atelier, creating beauties to behold ❤
Gold Colored Fox 