Venice – The Good And The Bad

Venice was a mixed bag.

The downsides:

It was crowded with tourists. There were two gigantic cruise ships in port that disgorged their loads each morning.

It was VERY expensive. We knew this going in, but it still sucked paying so much for every little thing.

It was was hotter than expected. The weather reports put the temps at 75 degrees, give or take. It felt more like it was in the upper 80’s or lower 90’s during the full on heat of the day and it was humid.

The upsides:

Venice is magnificently beautiful and provided for some great photo opportunities.

We had some fantastic food

We had some fantastic wine

I think the highlight of Venice was walking around and exploring and remembering our first visit. As we were doing this we came across the gondola repair shop we spotted on our visit 8 years ago. The Squero di San Trovaso is the official name. It’s a small square used as a boatyard to build and repair gondolas.

When we found this spot I knew we must be near the restaurant that we found on our previous visit. Neither of us could remember the name, but we we hoped against hope we might find it again and have a meal there while we were in Venice because it was so good. We knew it was down an ally and off the beaten path so we hunted around a bit to see if we could find it. And we did!

It’s called Ristorante San Trovaso and it was every bit as good as we remembered it to be. It was our best meal in Venice. Not that any of the other meals weren’t great, but this one was special.

Sadly, though, I think we’re done with Venice. We enjoyed our visit for the most part but there is no compelling reason for us to return. It’s a big world out there and there’s a lot to see. I am glad to have seen Venice before it sinks in to the sea or is converted into a Euro Disney park or whatever it is that has to happen to save it from it’s ultimate demise due to the ravages of time, tourist and the tides.

Next stop, Florence!