Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 17 & 18

Friday, September 12th, 2025

This morning we had tickets to visit St. Mark’s Campanile (Bell Tower of St. Mark’s Basilica).

The first campanile was built in the 9th century. The campanile was where Galileo Galilei showcased his improved telescope in August, 1609. He demonstrated it to Venetian lawmakers from the top.

It suddenly collapsed in 1902 because of weakened cracks and water seepage. Its reconstruction was completed in 1912. It was 323 feet high and the tallest structure in Venice.

An elevator took us up or one could climb the 323 steps. Lucky for us the steps were not an option! We had unobstructed views of Venice.

After our visit up St. Mark’s Campanile we went on a gondola ride. Our gondolier was Alvese. He had only been driving for a few months.

The gondolas and gondoliers had been around since the 11th century. Two hundred years ago there were 10,000 gondolas in Venice and now that number had dwindled to a little over 400. Single oars were used both to propel and to steer the boats. A gondola was built with a curved bit on one side so that the oar thrusting from that side allowed the gondola in a straight line.

The gondola was 35 feet long and about 5 feet wide. They were always painted black and each was unique in its inside trim.

It was a great experience and a different perspective of Venice from the canals. Below was a slideshow of some of our highlights from our ride.

This afternoon we took the ferry to the island of Lido. Lido sat between the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian lagoon and it was a 7 mile island.

It was a beautiful day to walk around the island. We had to be careful when we walked around the town because it had cars and buses. We walked along the main street called Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta.

We passed the Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria hotel. It was built in 1905 and was a 5-star luxury hotel.

The Grand Hotel des Bains was built in 1900 to attract wealthy tourists. It was a luxury hotel that many movie stars would stay at during the Venice Film Festival. It closed in 2010 for a planned conversion into luxury condominium apartment complex. As we walked by we could see that it was still awaiting renovation.

The Venice Film Festival ended two days before we arrived in Venice. This prestigious film festival was held in Lido. The Venice Film Festival was started in 1932 and it was the oldest film festival!

We walked to the Des Bains 1900 Beach Club which was a luxurious huge beach. It had two entrances and five different sections. You can rent a lounge chair or a cabana that was a private thatched roof with loungers, a table, and chairs. We also offered two restaurants and a bar/cafe.

We also stopped by the Bluemoon The Beach of Venice. It was another popular beach.

The Lighthouse of San Nicolò was a red lighthouse at the edge of the Venetian Lagoon. It was built in the late 19th century.

We stopped for a late lunch at Al Cavaliere Restaurant in Lido before heading back to Venice. We sat out on the patio and had a delicious meal.

Cheers to a great Italy vacation!

Saturday, September 13th, 2005

This morning we checked out of our Venice hotel and took a water taxi to the airport.

Taking off from the Marco Polo airport and flying over the island of Venice and its surrounding islands.

Our flight from Venice to Atlanta, Georgia was on time. We went through Customs in Atlanta and a few hours later we had a flight to Columbus.

We arrived home around 10:30 PM. It was a long day but a fantastic vacation!

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 14

Tuesday, September 9th, 2025

This morning we had a tour of the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s with a guide. We walked from our hotel to St. Mark’s Square where we met our guide. Our group entered Doge’s Palace when it opened. It really helped to be ahead of the crowds.

The Doge’s Palace was known for its Gothic architecture.

It also was the center of power for the Venetian Republic for over 1,000 years, the residence of the Doge, and the seat of the government with offices and prisons.

The Giant’s Staircase was once a ceremonial entrance to the palace. It was guarded by the Roman gods Mars and Neptune and it was built between 1483 and 1491. The staircase connected the courtyard to the inner lodge.

The Scala d’Oro or the Golden Staircase got its name from the magnificence of the decoration with white and gold stucco. The ceiling was covered with vibrant paintings. Its decorations illustrated the power of Venice over the seas and the virtues necessary for good government. The staircase provided a grand entrance for nobles.

The Atrium Square Salon was the living room right off the golden staircase. The Square Atrium allowed access through the door with a large porthole in its center to the Anticollege room.

The Anticollege room served as a waiting room for important guests of the Doge. The “net” served to protect the very valuable paintings on the ceiling from water damage and humidity.

The Guariento Room once linked the Armory by a staircase and it now housed a fresco painted for the Hall of the Great Council by the Paduan artist Guariento around 1365. A fire almost completely destroyed it in a fire in 1577. The remains were rediscovered under the large canvas of II Paradiso which the artist Tintoretto was commissioned to paint for the same wall. Guariento’s fresco also depicted Paradise.

The Chamber of the Great Council was a huge room, 174 feet by 82 feet wide. It contained works by various artists. It was the largest and most majestic chamber in the Doge’s Palace. Meetings of the Great Council were held in this room. This council was the most important political body. It was made up of only Venetian males that were 25 years and older.

The Senate Chamber was also known as the Sala dei Pregadi because the Doge asked members of the Senate to take part in the meetings held here.

The Chamber of the Navy Captains (or Sala della Milizia da Mar) was made up of 20 members from the Senate and the Great Council. It was set up in the 16th century. These members were responsible for recruiting crews for Venice’s war galleys.

The State Censors were set up in 1517. Their main job was the repression of electoral fraud and the protection of the state’s public institutions.

The Council of Ten was established in 1310 and consisted of ten people. Their authority covered all of daily life. This council was said to be ruthless and their sentences were handed down quickly after secret meetings!

Hall of the Compass (or Sala della Bussola) was named for a large wooden compass rose. This compass rose once stood on the floor. It served as a reception area for those who were summoned by the magistrates.

We walked across the Bridge of Sighs that connected the Doge’s Palace to the New Prisons. It was built in 1614. The view that was a prisoner’s last look on their way to a cell.

View from the inside of the Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs from the outside.

Cells in the prison that connected to the Doge’s Palace.

The Armoury had over 2000 pieces that included those that belonged to the Council of Ten and also King Henri IV of France’s armour.

After we finished up at the Doge’s Palace we visited St. Mark’s Basilica right next door.

The Basilica was built in the 9th century and rebuilt between 1063-1094. It was made to house the body of St. Mark the Apostle. It had a Greek cross base with five domes. In 1807 it became the Cathedral of the city.

St. Mark was buried in the crypt below the main altar of the Basilica.

The heavy vaults and domes were surrounded by gold mosaics.

These four horses also called Triumphal Quadriga were made of copper and originally they were placed on the facade of St. Mark’s. They were moved inside for protection. Replicas of the four horses had replaced the originals.

After touring the first floor we climbed the steps to the second level and had a different view of the Basilica.

Some men were doing some restoration in the Basilica.

From this second level we walked onto the outdoor terrace that had views of St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal.

When it was high tide there was water in St. Mark’s Square and surrounding walkways. Also, along some canals the steps were underwater.

After a full day we enjoyed a bottle of our Verona wine and chips in one of the sitting rooms at our hotel.

Italy- Vino, Views & Vacation Vibes: Day 13

Monday, September 8th, 2025

This morning we left Verona for Venice, Italy. We took the train.

When we arrived at the Venice train station we gathered our luggage and found a water taxi to take us to our hotel.

Scroll through the slideshow below to see photos of the Grand Canal in Venice as we rode on the water taxi.

We checked into our hotel, the Hotel Saturnia and International. It was run by the fifth generation Serandrei family since 1908!

The hotel was a historic residence that dated back to the 14th century. It blended the history of the residence along with modern conveniences. No two rooms were identical. Our room was a suite. We had plenty of space.

After we checked in and dropped off our luggage we walked into St. Mark’s square and also found a place for some lunch!

We went back to our hotel to freshen up before our wine tasting excursion this evening. Our hotel had a solarium where we could look out at the Venetian domes and rooftops.

Our food and wine walking tour was with a local guide, named Silvia.

There were six of us with our guide. We walked to five different bacaris. Bararis were where the locals gathered to drink wine and eat cicchetti. A cicchetti (chee-KET-tee) was a small, savory, shareable plates or snacks. It was fun trying the food and tasting the wines. We had a great time.