Venice
| Title: | Venice | |||||||
| Category: | Destinations We Visit on Our Bologna Vacations | |||||||
| Author: | Sophie Townsey | Updated: | Jan 30, 2019 | Views: | 9,092 | |||
| Tags: | venice day tour in venice train to venice excursion venice venezia a day in venice | |||||||
AHHH Venice! Venice is universally considered the most beautiful city in the world. Many would say the crown jewel of Italy. This can be argued, but Venice’s fascinating and unique structure definitely supports that argument. The city is famous for it’s canals built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by 400 bridges. These canals and bridges are what create Venice’s magical setting. In the old center, the canals are their roads and every aspect of transportation is on water or on foot.
We’ll be traveling first class on the high-speed rail line from Bologna to the Venice Santa Lucia Station.
As we exit the station, we'll get our first glimpse of the famous Grand Canal and what life in Venice is all about! There will be no doubt as to why the entire city is an UNESCO World Heritage Site! Here, we will board our private water taxis and start our private tour through the maze of canals and waterways through this amazing and complex city on the sea.
We’ll see such famous places as the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square.
As an exclusive bonus in true CDV style, we’ll have a private and personal visit with a premier artisan builder or "Squero" of some the many famous gondolas of Venice.
This unique and historic workshop is a place where gondolas are still made completely by hand, using the basic tools and techniques handed down through the generations of his family of traditional artists and craftsman. Each gondola made here is custom-crafted for the Gondolier it is destined for, even considering their height and weight as to maintain proper balance and control.
After this delightful visit with the Squero, we'll be treated to private gondola rides of our own as we make our way through the canals ending up at the gondola pier adjacent to St. Mark's Square. We'll have a short walk to a nearby trattoria for a wonderful lunch with many locals on hand for some seasonal and very Venetian specialties.
Afterwards, you will have some free time to explore and find your own hidden gems scattered throughout the city, such as St. Mark’s Basilica, The Bell Tower, Murano glass and Carnival masks. You may want to tour the Doge's Palace. This was the grand and opulent palace in Saint Mark's Square where the Lords of the Venice ruled for centuries. It is well known for it's dark and dank prisons that not only held common thieves, but also enemies of the state as well as, non other than the famous lover, Casanova. Take a walk across the Bridge of Sighs, where many of these prisoners saw their last glimpse of the outside world.
We’ll all meet up at the train station to catch our return first-class trip back to Bologna. A great time to rest or share stories about today’s adventure! We’ll have a little time to freshen up before dinner at a wonderful pizzeria close to the hotel.