Monday, 1 November 2010: 
Another (Rainy) Day in Venice


Morning in Cannaregio

What is it about Italian coffee? Every morning at home I dutifully warm the milk and pour the liquids with both hands to make the proper blend—but it just doesn’t come out right. We enjoy several cups of this ambrosial concoction along with the buffet breakfast at the hotel. Then it’s off to explore Cannaregio, the sestiere that extends eastward from the central train station. Although the Grand Canal offers a convenient geographic landmark for tourists, it is very easy (and mostly pleasant) to get lost in the streets and alleyways that meander and wind through the city. Lucky for us tourists, the city authorities have placed helpful signs along all the routes, pointing to either San Marco, Ferrovia (train station), Rialto, or Accademia. So no matter how lost you are you can almost always find your way to one of these landmarks.

Today is a national holiday (All Saints Day), so the city is still filled with tourists jostling in the rain. Fall brings quite a show of colors to the foliage and provides an unexpected palette of surprises around every corner (not to mention slippery leaves on wet pavement). We begin to follow another Cadogan walking tour through this part of the city, formerly the Jewish Ghetto, but decide to put away the guidebook and just enjoy the show of architecture that greets us at every turn—not to mention a wonderful small, very contemporary mercado, displaying every imaginable sample of local foodstuff, from fresh-baked breads and pastries to huge preserved Parma hams.

We even find an internet shop where we can check in for tomorrow’s flight and print our boarding passes. Next stop is a leisurely lunch with levitating gnocchi (see photo), prosciutto over arugula, and deliciously tender veal. Then we head back to the hotel to finish up our packing.

Evening at the Rialto Bridge and a walk through Santa Croce

After packing and a nap we take another slow vaporetto ride down the Grand Canal to the Rialto Bridge. Evening lights are starting to come on as we walk back through Sestiere de Santa Croce to the hotel, stopping for our last Italian pizza before setting our alarms and turning in for the night.