A day in Venice

Bologna is a great position to use as a base and day trip out to different places. Today's destination - is Venice. Thanks to high-speed trains, we could be in Venice in an hour and a half. Hot tip - pay a bit extra for a 'business class' seat for a quieter, more comfortable carriage - drinks and snacks included!

Shannon had been in contact with Fiona, a guide we had met on our first trip to Venice in 2012, ten years ago, and arranged to do a different tour with her this time. Venice can be difficult to navigate, so to make the most of our time, we knew doing a tour with Fiona would make our day easier and more enjoyable. It was amazing to reconnect with someone we had met ten years ago. We have kept in touch over the years via social media and our blogs, so it was like meeting up with an old friend. Fiona is a true Venetian and incredibly knowledgeable in the areas of history and art. Arriving back in Venice was like stepping into a different world. Bridges cross over the canals and connect you from one island to the next. 

  

We wandered the winding streets with Fiona, stopping to admire buildings and other points of interest. The highlight for me was a visit to the Basilica San Maria Gloriosa. Yes, we have visited many beautiful churches in Italy, and many contain impressive artwork. Inside this beautiful church, Fiona led us to a painting completed by Giovanni Bellini in 1488. This masterpiece was created within the church, for the church, making it more special. The painting highlights an image of Mary and baby Jesus in the centre in a 'holy conversation' with four saints. The point of difference in this piece is how it is constructed, making it seem as if the painting is 3D. Bellini was the first to use the frame as part of the artwork to draw your eye to the pillars he imitated from the frame in the painting. Incredible.

We continued wandering with Fiona. She led us through the old red light district and market area, which is still popular with locals and tourists. Most days, there is a fish market in the huge square, but today we only found a couple of fruit and vegetable stands. We finalised our time with Fiona at the famous Rialto bridge and were on our own to continue exploring. 

  

Ciao Fiona!

The weather had forecast rain today, and not long after we left Fiona, it started coming down on us. Fortunately, we had our umbrellas at the ready that we purchased in Florence. Fiona gave us a few tips. We started walking towards St Marks square, the famous and largest piazza in Venice. Because of the rain, the boardwalks had been put up across the square so you could walk from one side to the other without wading through deep water. The water from the canals had risen and overflowed onto the piazza.

This used to be a much bigger problem in Venice. With the high tide, the water would flood the city each time, making life difficult. However, in 2020, a new flood prevention system was opened. The MOSE system is a series of barriers that, when enacted, stop the high tide from entering the Venetian waterways. We learnt today from Fiona that yes, they are working and also, each time they are utilised, it costs 300,000 euros! Hopefully, they won't need to be used too often. If you would like to learn more about the MOSE system, I found this website interesting: https://www.mosevenezia.eu/project/?lang=en. By the time we had found a place for lunch (not worth mentioning) and returned to the square, the tide had already dropped, so water had receded out of the square.

We continued on our walk, window shopping and stopping at a Pasticceria for coffee and cannoli. Delicious! Before we knew it, we had completed our loop and returned to the train station in time for our train back to Bologna.