Italy- Day 2

Day 2 found us up at 7:00am for a breakfast of ham, cheese, hard rolls, jam and coffee. The bus took us to the dock where we got on a boat to the island of Murano. (This is where they make Murano glass!) We saw one of the artisans make a vase from glass, then make a small horse statue- all in about 5 minutes! Then we perused the glass art gallery with some exquisite pieces in it!

After Murano, we boarded the boat to the Grand Canal at Venice. After disembarking, we met Carlo, our local guide, who took us down the back alleys of Venice, pointing out the more interesting sites. Many of the streets are very narrow. often allowing enough room for only two people to pass. The oddest thing, to me, was that the entrance to many of these streets was through what appeared to be a "door" in a building.

We saw the Campo San Zaccaria, where the remains of John the Baptist's father (Zacchariah) are. We crossed small canals and tiny alleys to end at the Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's Square. The Basillica of San Marco is exquisite, and the Doges Palace beside it is even more elaborate. Home to the rulers of Venice (the Doge) it also housed the government as well as the prison. Opulent with gilded ceilings, massive carvings over fireplaces, frescoes, and paintings from artists like Tintorello, Veronesse, and Risso, it was built in the 9th century and partly reconstructed in 1580 following a fire. It has a huge "grand hall" which is said to be the largest room in Europe.

Following the self-tour of the palaces and prison (where Cassanova was imprisoned at one time) came the best treat of the day- a gondola ride! For 20 Euro, we had a relaxing 45 minute ride through the back canals of Venice and partway down the Grand Canal. Our gondolier "Gianni" was humorous and sweet as he showed us where the first floor of buildings were now flooded as Venice slowly sinks. It is built on mud with wooden pilings driven down into the ground to create the foundation of most buildings.

We had an hour before it was time to meet the boat off the island and used that time to have gelato and wander through the street vendors. I would have loved to have more time in Venice. We only saw a part of the city and saw, but didn't get to cross, the Rialto bridge.