Whatever floats your boat
Look! It's me riding a gondola!
I'm finally back and blogging again! Hello everyone! I spent the last weekend exploring Venice, the city of water (or bridges). It was fitting, considering it rained most of the time that I was there. Don't worry though, the rain didn't take away from this wonderful experience!
This is definitely the time of year to explore Venice. The Venice Carnival or Carnevale di Venezia lasts from end of January to the beginning of Lent. It's an annual festival where many events and activities take place on the island of Venice, and it is incredible. Imagine being on an Italian island where several people walk around in masks and traditional Venetian costumes throughout the day.
Me + my beautful mask
These costumes are made by local shops on the island. Some places also make authentic masks, not to be confused with the cheap versions sold by street vendors. While I was in Venice, I found one of these authentic mask stores called Sogno Veneziano Atelier. It was almost as if this magical, little store appeared out of nowhere. The people running the store told us about several local carnevale events, including a masquerade ball happening the following night.
So, of course we went to the ball. I mean how many chances were we going to have to see an actual traditional Venetian masked ball?
Most of the carnevale events happened at the Piazza San Marco, Venice's most famous square. We saw several events happening there, including a live band and a magic show. The Piazza is very crowded, but a definite must if you are ever in Venice. Plus, it is where we saw some of the most creative costumes.
Famous Murano Glass sculpture
Me in Burano
We also managed to hop over to Murano and Burano islands during our short trip. They are both worth the trip, though I will say Burano is actually very difficult to get to. They are both very colorful cities and make some of the finest glass and lace in the world. I'm grateful we made time to go.
The last thing I will say about Venice is this: do all of the touristy things. Go see the Murano glass, ride a Gondola and if you're there during the carnival, buy a fun mask. But when you're done with all of that, just get lost. Venice is one of the most unique cities I've been to and some of the best experiences happened because our group just went exploring. So go down the side alleys and see the quieter parts of the island. Find the weird shops and non-tourist restaurants. Venice is quieter at night, especially compared to Rome, but you'll still be able to find those little local places.
Ciao for now!
