SITE SUMMARY: Venice Fish Market, Correr Museum, Doge's Palace, Mosaics at St. Mark's Basilica, Group Gondola ride into the Grand Canal with a singer and accordion player, Evening Walk around St. Mark's Square
LUNCH: Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci
DINNER: Light snacks before the Gondola
SLEEPING: Hotel al Piave
LESSON LEARNED: It's true, you will get lost in Venice! Embrace this situation, it's fun to find your way. You can always ask for help. Our guide showed us how to pick up a business card at the hotel lobby because they have a map and you can also get help easier by showing it to a local.
Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge
Pictured left is an early morning view of the Grand Canal from the Rialto bridge. This was taken on the way to an early visit to the Rialto market, which was led by our Assistant Guide, Travis, on our second free day in Venice.
TOUR HIGHLIGHT: ASSISTANT TOUR GUIDE
It was amazing to see the variety of seafood and local produce sold in the stalls and shops of the market. Locals shop here frequently since most items must be imported to the island. We would not have been able to experience this local gem if Travis hadn't told us about it and then lead the way!
In the rest of our free day, we wanted to visit the Doge's Palace and see the mosaics at St. Mark's Basillica. To avoid the long lines, we purchased a combo ticket at the Correr Museum and enjoyed it first. After this first museum, we opted for a relaxed lunch at a table on a canal at Trattoria da Giorgio ai Greci, which specializes in seafood dishes. The fish on display in the case were likely purchased at the Rialto market that morning! Our server was kind enough to display a live lobster with our youngest son.
After lunch, we headed to the Doge's palace where the kids were really excited about visiting the armory. We walked across the Bridge of Sighs into the prison - the name suggests that prisoners got one last look of Venice and sighed before heading to their cells.
Just around the corner, we entered St. Mark's Basilica to view some of the nearly 5000 square yards of Byzantine mosaics. There are a few entry points for small additional fees. We opted to enter the San Marco Museum, which gave us access to the upper level of the church, outer balcony, and a viewing of the original bronze horses that used to overlook the square.
After such a wonderful lunch, we had some light snacks in the square before joining the group for a gondola ride into the Grand Canal with a singer and accordion player. Our flotilla included 6 gondolas and the experience was worth every Euro!