Wow I really am the worst person ever at writing trip recaps… maybe because our Italy trip was so long and the summer was so busy it gives me an excuse for writing this recap 3 months late!? Ironically enough today I’m away on another trip- a mini New England road trip with my husband. We are hitting up Vermont (Burlington and Stowe), Maine (Portland), and Massachusetts (Boston)- maybe even a stop in New Hampshire. I’ll be attending FNCE in Boston which is what inspired this trip so you might not hear from me until later next week!
Oh and in case you missed them- the previous 3 recaps: Positano, Rome, and Florence.
Anyways back to Venice… our Italy trip concluded with 3 days in Venice… since this was the end of the trip we were planning on having zero schedule and just walking around and enjoying ourselves. We stayed in the cutest Airbnb- I absolutely loved how all of Venice was set up and how gorgeous it was… without an agenda we just took to walking around and taking in the scene for a few hours.
We roamed our way into St. Marks Squares to see the Basilica but we had had our fix of historical Italian churches so we just took in the views. Afterwards we enjoyed some cicchetti (Italian tapas) and tried out the famous aperol spritz (I wasn’t a huge fan so I ordered a glass of wine). 
That was just a snack so we did a little more canal exploring before dinner. Pat had the Venetian steak and I had a lasagna. Pat also insisted on trying Grappa- omg most disgusting drink ever. We ended the night with gelato and more relaxed exploring around the canals. 
The next morning we woke up with one thing on the agenda- kayaking through the canals. This was totally Pat’s idea and I was all about it. We headed out in the morning with a guide who was fantastic. Pat and I aren’t expert kayakers and with all the boat traffic it is insanely busy so they only let you go out with a guide. We had a great time and it was a little scary at times having these big boats passed and rock you but overall it was a success!
After kayaking we showered and headed to lunch. Pat had read about this awesome pizza place and although we knew nothing could compare to Naples we decided to check it out. It was called Antico Forno I believe, and was just the opposite of the traditional Neapolitan style pizza- it had large and fluffy crust. We each had a slice and then shared a slice of this margarita pizza we watched being made. 
After lunch we walked around and did some souvenir shopping. Pat was on a mission to find some fancy leather handmade loafers- after about 2-3 hours (I wish I was kidding but my low maintenance guy has a tough time making decisions) we found the perfect pair. And before we knew it, dinnertime had approached! The meal that night was one of my favorites of the trip. Venice is known for it’s creamed cod (cream and olive) and polenta so I had both.
The last day of our trip we woke up on a mission to check out a nearby island. We heard about Murano (the glass blowing island) and tiny Burano (colorful houses) but neither really appealed to us so I convinced Pat to check out one of the beaches so we could have some downtime. There were private huts set up with multiple lounging chairs so we figured after we laid down and go set up someone would approach us for payment. No one did which made it even better (Positano definitely ripped you off for paying for lounge chairs). We relaxed and enjoyed the very soft sand and views of the sea. Most of trip was so go, go, go it was nice to have some chill time for reading and napping in the sun. 
After a few hours we took the ferry back and showered for our last afternoon and evening in Venice. We did a little more exploring and I just have to say Pat is the best map reader ever- we never got lost once and apparently everyone does in Venice! We also got in some final photos before settling in at a wine bar. Sharing a bottle between the two of us and recounting the previous days and how wonderful a trip we have had was one of my favorite ways to spend our last few hours. 
Our dinner the last night wasn’t anything to write home about (a lack of reservations kinda screwed us but we did enjoy a nice authentic (chocolate with orange) cannoli from a local bakery. It was perfection!
To conclude our Venice trip we of course had to get a gondola ride! It was recommended by a local to take it down the main canal so we were able to go under the Rialto and Bridge of Sighs. Although it was expensive it was worth every penny… so magical. Plus we learned a lot- our gondolier was actually an apprentice so it was really cool to talk to about the crazy certification process. Apparently it takes years and you have to have a gondolier in your family and it’s a very highly respected profession. One of my favorite parts of traveling is talking to locals and learning about their customs so Pat and I both loved talking to this guy. We really enjoyed capping off our Italy trip with such a historical tradition!
Sadly that ends our beautiful trip to Italy. It was definitely one of the best trips I’ve ever taken and plan to go back to explore some of the smaller cities in years to come! 
Have you ever been to Venice? Or Italy?
