A Tale of One House: Italy Vacation

Monday, February 7, 2011

Italy Vacation - Day 8

The ladies at the hotel made croissants homemade and they were the best of our entire trip! They were melt in your mouth, divinity!! We didn't have any set plans for the day. The first thing we did was hunt down Trent a winter hat, scarf & gloves. The wind was brutal, whipping through between the buildings, we were frozen 5 minutes after leaving our hotel. Poor Trent was even colder than I was since he's been on an Island enjoying 90-100 degree temps...he was an ice cube!! We didn't let the chilly weather slow us down much, we popped into shops here and there to thaw out, but then it was back to exploring!

I found that I just couldn't resist the buildings here. I loved every single one of them!

It felt strange and exciting to be in a place so different and far removed from what I'm used to. It was brutally cold today, but I was very thankful we were here at this time of year because I'm not sure we could have gotten around so easily in the summer. I hate crowds, and I bet the streets, piazzas and waterways are unbearable in the summer months.

We passed this darling little bakery in the morning. When we passed by again in the late evening, only 1 loaf of bread was left. Now, seeing this picture makes me wish we'd have bought one to munch on.

This is the Frari Church. It's Franciscan in origin. It is also filled with Renaissance artistry. Inside you can see Donatello's wood carving of St. John the Baptist, Bellini's Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels & Titan's The Assumption of Mary.

The coolest part of the church was the section where the choir sits. It's in the center of the church and the entire structure is hand carved from wood. The design of each seat is both unique and intricate. The structure is exquisite! We weren't supposed to be taking photos, but Trent snagged these two anyhow. We basically stood and stared at these seats for a long time with our jaws dropped open!!

As we meandered toward the Grand Canal, we stopped into a few shops, people watched in a few piazzas and just enjoyed our surroundings.

Here is the famous Rialto Bridge connecting Venice across the Grand Canal. Lined with shops and tourists, I found it just as charming in person as it is in photographs! It was built in 1588 and is the third bridge on this spot.

We didn't end up taking a gondola ride. Between the price and bitter wind, we just couldn't justify a ride. I'm glad I took this picture because we didn't see many out at all. Too cold for everybody I guess.

Crossing over to the San Marco side of the Grand Canal takes you onto a street that is wall to wall shops, cafe's and eye candy!! You can find just about anything you want here: leather goods, jewelry, shoes, clothing, ceramics, scarves, Murano glass, Burano lace, etc. etc. etc.

These delightful creations are made of marzipan.

St. Mark's Square

Venice's main piazza, was a sight to see. It's huge! I'm going to include another paragraph from Rick Steves because I don't want to forget the history here. Built in the 11th century to replace an earlier church, this basilica's distinctly Eastern-style architecture underlines Venice's connection with Byzantium (which protected it from the ambitions of Charlemagne and his Holy Roman Empire). It's decorated with booty from returning sea captains--a kind of architectural Venetian trophy chest. The interior glows mysteriously with gold mosaics and colored marble. Since about AD 830, the bones of St. Mark have been housed at this site.

We're not the only ones freezing today!

We went to a show at the Teatro San Gallo. It was a small production about the history of Venice. It was interesting to hear about how the town became famous for its masks. Apparently Venice has always been a place for tourists and the locals have always know how to throw the best parties. Once Carnival lasted for 6 months straight. People would put on masks to disguise their identities and then do what ever they pleased...thus becoming wildly popular. Even the nuns were participating in nightly shenanigans!! The government repeatedly tried to set laws and regulations upon the people, but they didn't care and just kept doing whatever they pleased.