The weather was nice again today, maybe just a little warm but the sun was out all day. Today we visited a pair of outlyiing islands, Murano (same as the car I drive) and Burano. It took three different very crowded Vaporatto (water buses) to get us to Murano.

Murano is famous for its glassmaking. Dolora and I visited many of the shops, picked up some souvenirs and enjoyed more gelato. The gelato is really tasty and you can always get a scoop for about 1.5€. I have even been trying  flavors other than chocolate!

From Murano, the ride to Burano was shorter than the wait in line for the Vaporatto. Burano is known for its lacemaking. We browsed a lot but did not come home with any lace. We figured out how to get back to Venice with only two Vaporatto rides.

Back in Venice, it was time for an early, by Italian standards, seven o’clock dinner. After dinner, we went to a gondola station recommended by the hotel. There was a long line of women, all dressed up with masks, waiting in another long line. We walked up the canal a bit and found another gondolier, Antonio. He turned out to be just wonderful. Our ride coinsided with sunset. It was much quieter than during the day and he was knowledgeable in local history. His family  has been in Venice since before 1650.  No singing though, a singer and accordion player cost more than the gondola!

On the way back from the gondola, we passed through San Marco Square. There were three dueling orchestras playing. There are samples of two of the orchestras in the photo (video) album. From there, we just had to have one more gelato before calling it a night.

Tomorrow morning, we leave Venice. It is an incredible city worth visiting. Will I be back? Probably not. The shear number of tourists in such a small space is sort of overwhelming. I wonder what its like in March?

Venice Album

Food In Italy Album