Venice is absolutely amazing, even better than I remembered when Clint and I were here over 20 years ago! I can't get over how large and lively it is. We've been averaging 6 miles a day just walking around marveling at this man-made wonder. The fact that these ornate 800-year old buildings are still standing (well sinking 1 mm per year) on over 10,000,000 trees driven into the mud is fascinating!! Did you know those trees came from Croatia (and Slovenia, too)? A large portion of Croatia is still treeless because of this.
The kids are really enjoying Venice and are in heaven with endless Italian food—we haven't had a bad meal yet! Austin has taken the lead with the map and is doing a great job navigating us through the maze.
I can't get enough of the patinaed shutters, colorful flower baskets, wrought-iron balconies, fairytale storefronts, the romantic tables for two in restaurant windows, etc. St. Marks Basilica was standing proud in its full glory, which almost brought tears to my eyes. It just might be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!!! It was hidden behind scaffolding on our last trip, so I had no idea what a treat I was in for. Sadly, we couldn't go into the church because of COVID. I was really bummed about that because I remember being blown away by its glimmering beauty and was excited to share it with the kids.
Venice is at 20 percent of its average capacity but is very crowded to us—the most crowds we have seen by far on our trip. The narrow streets are full of people and outdoor restaurant patios are spilling out into the walkways. We are masked up all day, wishing others were too. I'd say 20 percent are wearing masks.
Our Airbnb is no-frills, sterile and a little disappointing, but it isn't such a big deal for we are out exploring most of the day. Our money went a lot further with accommodations in Croatia. We were easily able to stay within our budget there. Here in Italy, we paid our max (which was very hard to find), but it didn't even have bathroom handsoap! Food costs seem to be about the same.
We are so glad we were able to visit Venice. It's really a magical place!!! It's supposed to rain in Northern Italy for the next week so we are heading south. We hadn't researched Italy at all because we didn't know if we'd be able to get in, so now we are trying to piece together an Italian itinerary on the fly. If you have any recommendations for smaller towns we shouldn't miss, please let us know. Ciao!
