A Wet Weekend in Venice

My first week of school at CIMBA was so exhausting/busy/exciting. I had my first classes (my teachers are all amazing!) and some business seminars to go along with it. After having a rough schedule all week (I even had class on Saturday) a group of us decided to go spend one night in Venice.

Since Paderno del Grappa is small, we had to hire a bus driver to take us to the train station about 30 minutes away in order to take a train to Venice. Everything ended up going really smoothly and we luckily all got to the train in time!

We got to Venice at about 9:00pm and headed straight to a pizzeria after dropping our backpacks off at the hostel. I had the best pizza yet and am so amazed how tasty they can make just a standard cheese and sausage pizza. I also had the best bottle of 3€ wine to go along with it. Its crazy to me how wine is cheaper and more accessible than water here.

After dinner, we took a boat to Piazza San Marco and walked around. It had been raining all day and night, so the whole island was flooded about 6 inches in some places. I have never been so content with walking around with soaking shoes, wet pants and cold hands. Though we were all uncomfortable, none of us dwelled on it because of the overwhelming beauty of Venice at night. The lights that lined Doge’s Palace and all across the square twinkled as they reflected off the puddles of water on the ground. Also, since it was so late, we got to explore the piazza when no one else was there.

Rain reflecting the lights of Doge’s Palace

Because Venice is a big tourist destination and therefore really expensive, most locals work there during the day, close their shops around 9pm and go back to the mainland of Italy where it is less expensive live. It was hard for us to find somewhere to go, but once we were around Luav Universitá (a university in Venice) we found a bar crowded with Italian twenty-somethings. We met a group of Italians that were going on a pub-crawl for a friend’s birthday. They offered to let us tag along so we could know where to go. It ended up being a really fun night! My favorite place was a Brazilian bar that we went to. They had really exotic drinks made with all different fruits, but were all really expensive. After that, we headed back to the hostel to go to sleep for the night.

On Sunday, we woke up and checked out of the hostel around 9, and headed straight to Piazza San Marco. It looked completely different during the day: wooden boards to dodge the flooded streets, vendors pushing women to buy roses, gypsies in rags begging travelers for change, and tourists crowding the sidewalks soaking it all in. We got coffee at a café and then walked around and window-shopped. There are areas that sell authentic handmade Italian goods such as leather bags and hand-blown glass. Then there are the other areas that I absolutely cannot afford like Gucci, Burberry, Rolex and other very high-end shops. It was neat to see such sleek, modern brands residing in such old, historic buildings.

Overlooking the smaller islands around Venice

Gondola rides

After shopping we walked to the other end of the island (about an hour walk) to go to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. It was a modern art museum filled with artists such as Picasso and Pollock. I have never seen so many famous pieces of timeless artwork, which is ironic considering it has nothing on places I plan on travelling to such as the Vatican, Florence and Rome.

One of the Picasso paintings at the Guggenheim

After the Guggenheim we headed all the way back to see Basilica di San Marco. It was elaborately decorated with vaulted ceilings with religious paintings, stained glass windows, woodwork and gold anywhere and everywhere. It was so ornate but also had about a foot of water on the ground from the rain. The church also had paths of wood boards for visitors to walk on. This was so strange to me and took away from the reverence of such a holy place. Since Venice floods so much this time of year, I am very surprised they have not found a way to better care for such a respected, historical landmark.

The rest of the day we spent eating at about every restaurant and café we passed, indulging on sandwiches, pastries, pasta, pizza, gelato, and more pizza. We decided to enjoy the walk back to the train station, also on the complete opposite side of the city. We got to see where the locals lived and went to school, walking through dark narrow alleyways alongside narrow canals.

Off the beaten path in local neighborhoods

My first trip abroad could not have gone better. We had such a great time the night before at the bars and an even better time seeing the sights during the day. We were all tired and wet. Scott had to buy new socks because his feet were so wet. My back was hurting because my backpack was too heavy. We both got shin splints from walking so much (super embarrassing, I know). But with all of that, I have never had such a great time immersing myself in a foreign city. I can’t wait for all the adventures to come the next couple months.

PS: check back for my blog about my upcoming trip to Florence!