Venice

We had expected to do a couple of day trips from Bologna, but had decided we didn't have any interest in Venice due to reports of it being heavily over-touristed. However, Todd and Patrick both agreed it was sufficiently special and unique that we needed to do it. To seal the deal, they offered to guide us around the city, largely avoiding the tourist throngs! So, we found ourselves catching an early(ish) morning train for the hour and half ride.

Venice is built on over 100 small islands and is criss-crossed by numerous canals. There are lots of streets but no cars. And, of course, there are countless bridges spanning the canals. The Grand Canal serves as a major thoroughfare, with lots of traffic, including boats, ferries, water taxis, gondolas, and boat busses (aka Vaporetti). But the network of narrow canals serve as "local streets". In many cases, house doorways are located on these smaller canals, with boats parked out front.

We spent the day mostly walking around the labyrinth of narrow streets (some only 6 ft wide!), though we hopped on the crowded Vaporetti for a bit on the Grand Canal. Visited a few select churches, a fish market, numerous plazas, and a huge waterfront park. We had an excellent, large lunch on Via Garibaldi, and a late-afternoon gelato (of course). We still felt a bit overwhelmed by all we were seeing, but it was quite the visual delight! A very full, but unrushed, day.