Venice | Day 1

The City of Fading Glory

By Andy Johnson III

August 10^th, 2016

It’s one of the medieval world’s most glorious cities and one of the modern world’s most romantic destinations. While preparing our dream trip to Europe, there was never any question that Venice was a high priority on our list of places to visit. We spent our first day in this beautiful city trying to take it all in and wore ourselves out with all of the territory that we covered. Looking back on the experience, I’m glad that we experienced as much of Venice as we did on foot. Here’s our first day in the place that strikes me as a city of fading glory.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Riding a Vaporetto to the Rialto Bridge

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We stayed in a small cabin at a place called Camping Rialto on the mainland. The bus dropped us off at the Piazzale Roma where we boarded a vaporetto, the local name for a water taxi, and took in our first glimpses of Venice on our way to the Rialto Bridge. The first impression was striking. After anticipating this trip for so long, it didn’t feel real to actually be in Venice but as we coasted along the Grand Canal the beauty of Venice began to unfold for us, revealing glimpses of the city’s glorious history.

Basilica di San Marco

Enjoying a Sung Mass at the Most Famous Church in Venice

What better place to enjoy mass when in Venice than at one of the most iconic cathedrals in the world? We discovered online that there would be a sung mass at 10 AM so we rushed from the Rialto Bridge to the cathedral and then found the side door where they let you in for mass before the tourists who flood in from the main entrance. The choir’s singing caused me to reflect upon the glory of God and the experience filled my heart with wonder. Our first stop on the trip produced one of its most memorable moments.

San Polo

Cicchetti and Gelato in the Rialto Area

We had read that the Rialto Fish Market was open on Sundays and since it was going to be closed on Monday, we figured that this was the best time to go. When we got there, however, we learned that although the market was open, the fish would not be there until Tuesday. We enjoyed the views along the canal anyway and explored the area around the Rialto Bridge on our way to find lunch.

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Cicchetti is a local specialty and it is delicious. We enjoyed our first taste of cicchetti in Venice at Dai Zemi and found these open faced sandwiches with seafood, meat and vegetables to be exquisite. The area around the cafe was also gorgeous, making this a delightful place watch people while enjoying a delicious cicchetti lunch.

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Gelatoteca Suso served the best gelato that we experienced on our entire trip. The pistachio cherry flavor was delicious and especially memorable. The ladies serving the gelato were friendly and cheerful, making Suso a place that we would highly recommend to anyone going to Venice.

CANNAREGIO & Castello

A Beautiful Evening Walk Among so Many Canals

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San Marco

The Bridge of Sighs and a Seafood Dinner as the Day Ends

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Paradiso Perduto is a lovely restaurant with an evening crowd that features a healthy mix of locals and tourists. We enjoyed the Gran Frittoin del Paradiso Frittura Mista di Pesce con Polenta. It was a mix of fried seafood including sardines, shrimp, calamari, oysters and a few other items from the sea, alongside polenta. We are not quite as adventurous when it comes to seafood so going with a fried plate gave us a chance to try some new things and we really enjoyed our evening at Paradiso Perduto.