Venice, Verona & Burano

Venice is honestly a magical city. There is no city in the world quite like it. Granted, there are a few other canal cities, however Venice is the only one that is entirely car-free. Every time I am there I feel transported back in time! I had been to Venice before this trip so I wanted to experience a little bit more than just the city itself so we planned a couple day trips to Verona and Burano to get a taste of some other incredible cities in the surrounding area.

Day 1- Venice

We arrived in Venice quite late and immediately took the ATVO bus from the airport into the city. The bus ride took around 30 mins and dropped us off right in Piazzale Roma. The Airbnb we stayed at was located in the Cannareggio area of Venice, so it was about a 20 minute walk from Piazzale Roma.

We really enjoyed the Airbnb we stayed in. It was much larger than we expected and fit us four quite comfortably, with room for even two more! It had a cute terrace balcony which would be lovely to enjoy a glass of wine at sunset outside had it been warmer when we visited.

Once we had found our Airbnb through the maze of streets and canals that is Venice, it was already around 11 at night. We were worried we would be too late to get dinner and we were dying to eat so we rushed over to the local restaurant only two minutes away from our Airbnb: Il Paradiso Perduto.

When we walked up to the restaurant we were shocked to see many little tables clustered in front of restaurant facing the canal, with tons of lively Italian conversation floating through the chilly night air. We walked through door and were met with a similar buzz. Pretty much every table was full! We asked for a table for four (per quattro persone) and they squeezed us into the end of a large communal table. We ordered as fast as we could as everyone was about to pass out from low blood sugar.

I decided to order bigoli in salsa veneziana, the traditional pasta of Venice. This is basically thicker spaghetti noodles in an onion and anchovy sauce. It was unlike anything I have ever tasted and I actually really enjoyed it. My friend Émilie ordered the cacio e pepe which was made table side in a huge wheel of cheese and seasoned with pepper. Ellen ordered a seafood pasta which had a stunning presentation and was also very tasty.

After our midnight feast, we went home and immediately passed out into our food coma- but not before we set our alarms for the next day’s early wake up.

Day 2- Verona

The next morning we got up early to make it for our 8:12 am train to Verona! The train station was about 15 minutes away from the Airbnb.

The train journey to Verona was a bit of an adventure as our train broke down midway through in the town of Padua. We had no idea what was going on because the train announcements were entirely in Italian so we just followed people off the train. This one woman seemed to be walking particularly confidently so we followed her onto another platform and onto another train- going to Milan! One of the train operators was beckoning us onto the train and said we would have to pay 90 euros more if we wanted to go to Milan but we just got on and hoped for the best. Once we were on, we realized that we had gotten on a premium class high speed train. Thankfully, Verona is one of the stops on the way to Milan so we were able to hop off and avoid the extra fees. We also made up all the time lost with the original train breakdown due to the high speed train we got on.

After a bit of a twist of fate with our journey, we arrived at the Verona Porta Nuova Station and headed into town. We immediately headed to grab a coffee and a pastry for breakfast. Walking through the city to get to the coffee shop was incredible. The city gates are absolutely stunning and on the way we passed by the old arena of Verona.

We got to the coffee shop, Caffe Borsari, which was very cute and full of locals crowded around the counter enjoying their morning coffees. I had one of the best cappuccinos I have ever had there and enjoyed a nice cornetto pastry for breakfast.

Once we were renewed by our shot of caffeine and breakfast we set off to check out the main sights. First, we headed to the main square of the town: Piazza delle Erbe. This square had many beautiful fountains and a pretty clock tower as well as a large market which sold many touristic souvenirs- including penis shaped pasta for anyone who is interested!

Next stop was Casa Giulietta, arguably the main attraction of Verona. For anyone who has seen the movie, Letters to Juliet, this courtyard will be very familiar. There is the balcony where the Capuleti family (from Romeo and Juliet) is said to have lived. In the centre of the courtyard is a statue of Juliet and if you cop a feel it is rumoured to give you good luck in your love life. Needless to say I went to town on that baby- I need all the help I can get. On the wall behind it are letters that people leave in hopes that one day their struggles in love will be answered by Juliet. It was definitely a tourist trap, but it was very fun to see it in real life

After Juliet’s house we were getting pretty hungry so we headed to a lunch spot that was recommended to Chloe by the random Italian guy sitting next to her on the train who had lived in Verona for many years- Ristorante Greppia.

The truffle pasta I ordered was excellent, but the standout dish was definitely the Risotto all’Amarone della Valpolicella that Chloe ordered. This was risotto made with Amarone wine from the nearby Valpolicella region. I had never tasted a risotto made with red wine before and it was delish!

After lunch we had a little bit of time left before our 2:20 train back to Venice, so we walked along the Adige river to the Ponte Pietra and around to the most renowned bridge of Verona- Ponte Borsari. Before strolling back to the the train station slowly through the side streets, we grabbed some gelato and enjoyed it on the way.

After our train got into Venice, we decided to head straight to Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica, the main attraction of the city. On the way, we passed over the Rialto Bridge and got a little bit lost in the windy streets and stopped into this truffle store, Bottega del Tartufo and sampled as many products as we could get away with.

The incredible view from the Rialto Bridge

We decided to stay in that night and cook a light meal from fish we could find at the Rialto Market. Unfortunately, once we got to the market around 6 pm or so most of the stalls were closed, save for a few produce stalls. Pro tip for you guys I guess. We managed to pick up a few veggies to roast as well as fresh lemons for the fish before heading to a supermarket to grab the rest of our supplies.

There was only olive oil and salt at our Airbnb so I made a super simple marinade for the fish of lemon juice, and olive oil and salted the fish and put it in the oven while Ellen and Émilie got to work on the roasted veggies. We kicked back with a bottle of the same wine, Amarone della Valpolicella used in the risotto we tasted earlier that day. This would turn out to be our first bottle of the five we finished in total…

Once we had finished our third bottle we realized we had ran out of wine and needed to get more. Ellen and I headed off into Venice without checking how much battery our phones had left and began the 15 minute walk to the grocery store with only 10% battery. By the time we got to the store and bought our wine our phones had died and we were left to navigate our way back to the Airbnb in the dark with no map. The magic of Venice lies in its maze-like streets leading over a multitude of bridges, with absolutely no cars on the road. This is magnificent in the day, however when you are lost in the dark, every bridge you cross over starts to look the same and you can’t just hail a nearby cab to take you home. After being pretty lost for about a half hour we noticed signs point us towards Piazzale Roma, the large square we had been dropped off at from the airport at the beginning of the trip. We were saved! By the time we got back, a thirty minute round trip had turned into an hour and a half trip and Chloe and Émilie were beginning to get a bit worried about us. Thankfully that was nothing that a glass (or three) of wine couldn't fix.

Moral of the story: when navigating Venice at night MAKE SURE your phone is charged.

Day 3- Burano

After a slightly slow start to the day due to our wine hangovers, we set off to catch the ferry to Burano, a beautiful little island near Venice famous for its color. We caught the ferry from Fondamente Nove A which goes directly to Burano. The ferry ride is about an hour and we grabbed a coffee to go at shop nearby while waiting for the ferry.

Once we arrived at Burano we were instantly stunned by the amazing colors at play in the canals and streets. Every street we turned seemed to have a new palette of color and although we were slightly disappointed at first by the cloudy skies, it made for a completely different perspective on the city- making it even more of a pop of color contrasting the stark white skies.

For lunch we went to Trattoria al Gatto Nero, which is one of the most famous restaurants in Burano. I read online that you would need a reservation and thankfully I made one because when we got to the restaurant at opening there was already a sign on the door saying they were completely booked for the day and could only take reservations. This was pretty surprising to me as it was both a Sunday and low season. Feeling pretty PRO, we walked into a beautiful dining room and were greeted with Prosecco.

I ordered the seafood pasta, which came out with amazing presentation and was just as delicious as it looked. Seafood in Venice and its surrounding areas is renowned for its freshness, and I can definitely see why. After enjoying the dish and soaking up every last drop of the amazing sauce with bread (fare la scarpetta), we set off the catch the ferry back to Venice.

After all the excitement of the past few days, we were absolutely exhausted by the time we got back and I took a long nap and grabbed a kebab at a random local shop for dinner.

Day 4- Venice

After checkout at 11, we found a nearby storage locker in Canareggio to store our luggage for the day. We made our way to see a few more main sights in Venice before our flight back. We stopped for a coffee in Campo Santa Margherita and enjoyed the sights of people strolling around before heading back to the Piazza San Marco, as it was sunny and we wanted to see it in the sun. On the way, while crossing a bridge we were taken by surprise by a police boat zooming down the canals, sirens blaring. It was quite a sight to see as we definitely were not used to seeing police by boat. However, in carless Venice, that is the only way to do it!

Afterwards, we checked out Doges Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, which is where prisoners were transported across to the prison from the palace after their interrogations in the palace. The small grated window would be their last glimpse of Venice as a free man.

Next, we headed back to the market to check it out in the day light. We saw a water taxi chilling in the canal ahead so we walked to the edge of the dock and hailed it down.

After doing some math to determine whether or not we were being ripped off, we hopped into the taxi for a nice 25 minute ride around the canals to the Peggy Guggenheim museum. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and was a great way to see the canals from a completely different perspective. It’s a good way to go through the canals by boat without spending 100€ on a gondola ride.

What a lovely museum! I really enjoyed the variety of art showcased there, including many big names such as Jackson Pollock, Dalí, Picasso and Calder. Because we arrived by water taxi we arrived at the back entrance and were greeted by a staff member and ushered towards the front ticket desk. It all felt very VIP to be hopping off our boat and escorted to the front, but really they were just making sure that we bought a ticket.

After the museum, we grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant but it was honestly nothing special so I didn’t even record it and it’s not worth mentioning. We grabbed our luggage and slowly strolled back to Piazzale Roma, stopping to shop and grab gelato along the way. Some of my favourite stores were Suite Benedict and Xetra. We grabbed an ATVO bus back to the airport at sunset and watched the magical city of Venice disappear over the horizon. To quote Peggy Guggenheim:

"To live in Venice or even to visit it means that you fall in love with the city itself. There is nothing left over in your heart for anyone else."

Where I Stayed & Ate

Airbnb

Tintoretto 2 Terrace Over the Water

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15959898?guests=1&adults=1

Day 1

Il Paradiso Perduto

Cannaregio, 2540, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy

Day 2

Ristorante Greppia

Vicolo Samaritana, 3, 37121 Verona VR, Italy

Day 3

Trattoria al Gatto Nero

30100 Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy