"Venice" a Venice Travel Page by SueWarwick

I last visited Venice when staying at Slovenia
The coach took us most of the way, with the final leg of the journey taken by 'Waterbus' in to the heart of the city. Venice itself is a collection of almost one hundred and twenty islands connected by over four hundred bridges.

Our tour let us see the city independently, we had plenty of time to explore the back streets as well as the main tourist sites such as Basilica Di San Marco and the bell tower.

St Marks square is a paved square surrounded with cafes, however, some of these cafes charge just for sitting at the tables. This is the first square you will come across after alighting the water bus and there are cash machines situated around the square for you to pick up some Euros. The square does get very busy, not just with tourists but also pigeons

Our next stop was the Rialto Bridge. The setting for Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, it is covered with street vendors, tourist shops and jewellery shops. It was here we bought a unique wooden cheese grater and a hand made wooden Pinochio desk tidy at a reasonable price.

The Grand Canal cuts the city in half and the Rialto bridge was built across it in the twelfth century but the bridge has been modernised many times since. Until the 19th century it was the only way to cross the Grand Canal by foot.
We returned to St Marks square to see The Bell Tower, Campanile di San Marco, which is the highest point in the city. A lift takes you to the top of the tower which offers the best views over Venice.
The Basilica di San Marco is also on St Mark’s Square.Inside are many of Venice’s treasures including a golden mosaic and the Pala d’Oro a golden screen behind the altar. Be warned, however, that once in the church there is an extra charge to see the treasures.

Unimaginatively we decided on pizza for lunch, These are available to take away from small kiosks dotted around Venice. Look out also for the coconut stalls which sell pieces of coconut cooled in water. It is well worth finding these kiosks as, despite popular belief, the prices aren't as high as you are lead to believe.

Apparently Venice flooded after we left!