Venice: A Photo Diary - THOUGHTFUL TRAVELING

I’ve been to Venice three times now. The first time I visited the city, I thought it was beautiful but only alright…I was overwhelmed by the tourists. The second time I visited, I liked Venice a bit more because I didn’t feel pressure to rub shoulders with the crowds at all the major tourist attractions. By my third visit, I was absolutely in love with the city. I guess what they say is true…third time’s a charm? Check out my Venice Photo Diary below and hopefully you’ll find some good inspiration to explore this unique city.

Venice is the type of city that travelers visit to ‘check off’ their travel bucket list…but takes time and effort to peel back the layers and really appreciate it’s character. Yes, the gondoliers singing to passengers cruising down the Grand Canal is a fun activity to experience. And yes, the Piazza San Marco and Doge’s Palace are all worth seeing. But I really just love Venice for it’s mysterious winding streets, the feeling of nostalgia heavily seeping through the local building arches and cracks, and the dark unfussy bars where locals gather over fresh cicchetti.

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Favorite Attractions

While I don’t really do the ‘touristy’ things in Venice when I visit now, you can’t really explore the city without passing through the famous Piazza San Marco a.k.a. St. Mark’s Square, and stop to take in the general splendor of Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, and the Torre dell’Orologio clock tower. This piazza was called ‘the world’s most beautiful drawing room’ by Napoleon Bonaparte, and also happens to be the lowest point in Venice i.e., the first place that gets flooded during rainy season in Venice.

I love sitting in the square to observe the crowds, and always watch in horror as tourists feed and take photos with hundreds of pigeons. In the evenings, it’s fun to listen to dueling musicians playing for tables in front of the various competing neighboring cafes. FYI – skip the food in the square – it’s overpriced and not good.

Similarly, the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is always a must-stop in Venice. This grand overpass was once considered to be one of the important financial centers in all of Venice. Passing over the bridge will take you to the Rialto Market, where you can shop for local produce from 9am-12pm daily.

Visit the Rialto Bridge at different times of the day and you’ll get a totally different experience each time. Even though it’s usually packed with people, I love seeing the bridge at sunset because the pink sky at this time of the day gives the bridge and water such a romantic, luminescent glow.

Finally, it’s always worth passing by the brilliant Bridge of Sighs, which connects Doge’s Palace to the prison, and was named for the ‘sighs’ the prisoners would make when passing over it. Despite its morbid nickname, this is now considered to be one of Venice’s most romantic spots – it’s tradition to kiss your loved one while taking a gondola ride under the bridge now!

Dining in Venice

Apertivo time is a true ritual in Venice, and the Dorsoduro neighborhood in particular is known for having some of the best traditional bacari – bars that serve cicchetti with drinks (I always have mine with a glass of Aperol Spritz). Venetian cicchetti are casual finger foods featuring local fish, meats, and cheeses. We always opt for a variety…and like to be adventurous eaters! My go-to places are Osteria al Squero, Cantina Do Spade, or Cantina del Vino Gia Schiavi.

I can’t write a post about Venice without highlighting that the best gelato I’ve ever had was in this city…specifically at Suso Gelatoteca. This local gelateria offers unique and seasonal gelato flavors, crafted using only natural and local ingredients, and you can really taste the quality. There’s almost always a line, but it moves quickly. I’m drooling just thinking about my favorite flavor at Suso – the ‘Manet’ which is pistachio gelato with hazelnut cream.

Although Suso is my favorite gelateria in Venice, I do have to give Gelateria il Doge a shout-out too. It’s located in the Dorsoduro neighborhood so a convenient stopping point if you’re wanting something sweet after dining on cicchetti. They also serve a mean Sicilian style granita!

Finally, you can’t go to Venice without dining on some tiramisu. The origins of this classic Italian dessert are hotly debated but the people of Veneto claim that tiramisu was invented in the early 1970s at a restaurant called Le Beccherie, and was inspired by a tonic which was given to pregnant and nursing mothers for strength. The last time we were in Venice, we were craving this creamy dessert late at night, so ended up roaming the city for a tiramisu that we could take ‘to-go’. We were lucky enough to hunt down a cafe that sold them for takeaway, but didn’t realize until we got to our hotel room that the tiramisu was completely frozen. We had to give our tiramisu a warm bath in our bathroom sink for a few hours before we could satisfy our craving! The lengths we go to for our dessert….

Other Must-Do’s

There are so many places with good views of Venice, but the best one happens to overlook the Canal Grande and also be ‘free’. Go to the T Fondaco Dei Tedeschi shopping mall and head up to the rooftop for a magnificent view of the city. Note, during high season, visits are limited to 15 minutes per group.

Another great place for views of the Grand Canal in Venice is from the Ponte dell’Academia (Accademia Bridge). This wooden bridge connects the San Marco district with the Accademia Gallery in Dorsoduro.

A quirky spot in Venice to visit is the Libreria Acqua Alta. This unique bookstore is stacked wall-to-wall with books, magazines, maps…and due to Venice’s constant flooding, keeps many of its books in bathtubs…and even a gondola! The bookstore has also become home to multiple stray cats who like to escape the rising tides of Venice by hanging out on top of the bookshelves.

A fun day trip option near Venice is Burano Island. This colorful Venetian island is super photogenic, and well worth the 40-minute vaporetto ride. You can learn more about Burano Island by checking out this post.

Related Post: Colors of Burano: A Photo Diary

Of course, the best thing to do in Venice is to roam the twists and turns of the streets, and get lost in the canal passageways. After all, the Floating City has hundreds of canals, with over 400 bridges connecting 118 different islands to explore!