When I think of Venice something in my heart still sighs. It was the first place I visited in Italy ten years ago and it certainly stole a piece of my heart. I am happy to welcome this week Andrea Perullo from My Beautiful Adventures, who experienced a similar draw to Venice just as many years ago. By the way, if you haven’t checked out Andi’s blog, be sure to visit as it’s one of my new favorites!
Welcome, Andi!
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While it has been almost a decade since I have visited Italy, it still holds a special place in my heart. Perhaps it is because I know that my ancestors hail from there or perhaps it is because the trip I took was with my father and traveling with him was a treasure in itself? Nonetheless, Italy is simply magical and I have no doubt that I will return one day soon.
On that trip, I visited Florence, Rome, Tuscany, Pisa, Padua, and Venice; the latter city being my favorite. “La Serenissima,” or the “the most serene one,” as the locals affectionately call it, definitely left a lasting impression on me. They say that everything floats in Venice and I certainly floated in my own state of surrealness the entire 3 days I was there. The following are my thoughts that I wrote down in a journal one day while I was drinking an espresso in Piazza San Marco, which is the city’s famed central square that is lined with shops and cafes and on any given day bustling with lovers and musicians:
Imagine the city of Venice at the end of the day, rainy and slightly fog shrouded, just as the glow of twilight begins to settle over everything. The sounds of the church bells, lapping water, and the song of a solitary gondolier waft through the air on a salt-tinged breeze. There is an astonishment evoked by a place that is from its lowliest footbridge to its loftiest Basilica, indeed a work of art. Few cities in the world are as breathtaking as Venice. She rises like her namesake, Goddess Venus, from the sea. Gondolas, glass work, and gorgeous piazzas are all part of the mysteriousness of this fabled city on the Adriatic Sea. Is it any wonder that Casanova called it his home away from home? Floating through the canals the flowers in the windowsills call out, “Ciao bella!,” and it is impossible to not want to drop an anchor here.
Andrea in Piazza San Marco
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Andrea Perullo is a Chinese Medicine Doctor by day, travel addict by night. When she is not treating patients, she is exploring the world or dreaming of the next place to visit. She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs at My Beautiful Adventures.
It came out beautifully! 🙂
My son and his wife went to Venice, they loved it, but it was so expensive, I guess you have to be in the know about where to eat and shop.
What a lovely travel story! I am another Venice addict. I can never get enough of its mystique.
And Laura thank you for spotlighting Andi and her fabulous blog.
Ciao
Eleonora
you're so cute there Andi! italy is def on my list of europe next year. =)
Ciao ladies.
Great article Andi – I love the way you write and it's so full of your Italian heart!
Love the pic too. Brava!
Venice is truly breathtakingly beautiful, that's true. But it was too hot and overcrowded when I visited it one August. I guess I'll have to try it again…on a cooler day!
Ciao Andi! Thank you for sharing your beautiful memories of Venice! 🙂
Ciao Anne! Yeah, I was in Venice ten years ago and I remember it being quite expensive. I was a poor college student at the time, so we ate pretty simply and walked a ton.
Ciao Eleonora! You are very welcome. Yes, I thought of you when I read Andi's writing because I remebered how much you love Venice. There is something magical there…
Ciao wanderlass! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Ciao Lisa! Thanks for introducing me to Andi and her lovely blog!!
Ciao Saretta! Yeah… August must be a sticky and crowded time to be in Venice. I was there in May and it was a lovely time of year.