From Florence we took the autostrada on our way to Venice. We stopped in Ferrara, a city in Emilia-Romagna. The town has numerous palaces dating from the Renaissance. It has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We visited the Este Castle, located in the center of the town.
We returned our rental car at the Venice airport and took a motoscafo (water taxi) to our hotel, the St. Regis, formerly named The Westin Europa & Regina. The property is beautiful and has an elegant terrace on the Grand Canal. The rooms are modern and much larger than the one we had the previous year at the Danieli.
It was great to be back in Venice, one of our favorite cities. We had been there many times in different seasons, but the beauty of the city remains the same.
We dined at Vino Vino for our first night. It was originally a wine bar, but now it’s also a trattoria. They have a very nice terrace in the back, next to the Fenice theater and the famous restaurant Antico Martini.
We spent the next day walking in the city and visiting the shops specialized in carnival costumes. We ended in the Dorsoduro neighborhood and visited the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, which is located across from our hotel, on the other side of the canal.
That night, we had dinner at the ristorante Al Theatro. They have a terrace and the food is always delicious.
The next day we took a vaporetto and went to the Lido, an area of Venice known for its beaches. It was our first time there, so we walked around and rented bicycles to go back to the center of the town. The Lido definitely has a vacation feel. It is where the Venice film festival takes place in August and early September.
We went to another island we had never visited before for our last day in Venice. It is named Burano (not to confound with Murano). We took the vaporetto from San Marco Square and arrived at our destination after a few stops in other islands. Burano is an old fishing village famous for its bright multicolored houses and for the art of lace making. The colors of the homes are beautiful. You can take wonderful photos, walk around the canals and eat in one of the seafood restaurants. We really enjoyed the visit. We decided to try a new restaurant for our last night and we did not regret it. Its name is Da Cherubino. Wonderful service and great food. We will definitely go back the next time we visit the city.
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