Venezia
May 2023
2 Days
We had wanted to do a group trip with a few couples and finally were able to make it happen in 2023. We spent 2-3 days in each location to try to fit in as much as possible, starting in Venice and working our way South ending in Naples and the Amalfi Coast. I've been fortunate to visit Venice on a number of occassions but never stayed overnight and never had very good dining experiences. That changed on this trip as we planned a couple dinners ahead of time at restaurants located further away from the most heavily populated tourist spots where we could sit outside to enjoy the summer air.
Contents
Daily Itinerary
Start the trip off with an Aperol Spritz
Eat the duck ragù at Osteria Alla Frasca
Get some fresh foods at the Rialto Market
Walk through the maze of bookshelves at Libreria Acqua Alta
Visit the main tourist attractions in Piazza San Marco
Grab a quick slice of pizza at Farini
Evening gondola ride
Quiet but delicious dinner at Osteria Ai Assassini
Flights
Austrian Airlines Business ORD-VIE-VCE: 63,000 Citi Thank You points one-way transferred to Avianca Lifemiles + $75 taxes & fees
Hotels
Ca'Sagredo: 70,000 Hyatt points for 2 nights
▸ 5 star hotel right on the Grand Canal in a former Palace. Central to the train station and main tourist areas, but truly more like a 4 star hotel.
Ca'Sagredo - Venice, Italy 2023
Food (With Beli Ranking)
Osteria Alla Frasca (9.3) - Located off the beaten path, in a small square with narrow alleys running away in various directions. The duck ragu was in contention for best dish of the whole trip (and the competition was strong). Sitting outside here in the summer was one of the best dining experiences I've had in Venice.
Osteria Ai Assassini (8.9) - Another small restaurant off the main tourist paths located in a small alley ending in a canal. Excellent food and great service.
Farini - Translating to "flours", a good spot to get a quick bite of fresh pizza.
Full Itinerary
Day 1
From the Venice airport, the easiest ways to get to Venice are to take a taxi to Piazzale Roma and then walk or take a water taxi depending on how far you are going. Alternatively, you can also take a water taxi directly from the airport. As our hotel was on the Grand Canal, we were able to pre-book a transfer and pull up directly to the hotel's pier.
The Dock at Ca'Sagredo - Venice, Italy 2023
While our flight was smooth, unfortunately my bag didn't make it all the way to Venice. Without a change of clothes there wasn't much to do other than walk around a bit and get the vacation kicked off with an Aperol Spritz (or Hugo Spritz in this case)!
I've been to Venice a number of times but never took the time to find any restaurants outside of the main tourist areas. Tucked away down a number of narrow streets in the Cannaregio district is Osteria Alla Frasca, a small 4 table restaurant with additional seating outside.
Dining Al Fresco at Osteria Alla Frasca - Venice, Italy 2023
If you are looking for a more peaceful meal away from the crowds, this is the place for you. On top of the great atmosphere, the food was the best I've ever had in Venice. Although I had an excellent spaghetti with seafood, the duck ragù dish stole the show. It was definitely one of the best pastas I had on this trip (which included a 3 Michelin Star restaurant).
Day 2
Piazza San Marco
Fortunately, my bag was delivered to our hotel after dinner so when I woke up extra early the next day I decided to go on a run (which turned out to be the only exercise I did on this trip). While the main tourist streets are normally packed with people, at 6am the streets were quiet and empty, with only a few shopkeeprs out starting to prepare for the day. It was a very different Venice at 6am than even just an hour later when ferries started to arrive and I headed back.
Piazza San Marco - Venice, Italy 2023
Ponte di Rialto
After breakfast, we started to make our way through the streets of Venice. Our first stop was the Rialto Bridge, the oldest and most famous bridge in Venice. Built during the 16th century Renaissance, the bridge is considered the true heart of Venice as it was the only bridge to cross the Grand Canal until the 19th century.
Ponte di Rialto - Venice, Italy 2023
Mercato di Rialto
Just across the Rialto Bridge, along the Grand Canal is the Rialto Market featuring fresh produce Monday-Saturday and fresh fish Tuesday-Saturday from 7:30am - 1pm. While we weren't in the market for fresh fish, we did get some amazing cherries.
Mercato di Rialto - Venice, Italy 2023
Libreria Acqua Alta
Back over the Rialto, we made our way to Libreria Acqua Alta, a unique bookstore that's a content creator's dream. The assortment of rooms have books piled from floor to ceilings, in bathtubs and even a gondola. There's even a mountain of books out back with an old guy sitting there telling you to keep moving so the next group can take their picture.
Libreria Acqua Alta - Venice, Italy 2023
Basilica di San Marco
The Basilica sits on the East end of St. Mark's Square. If you're like me and feel like all Italian churches feel the same, you can probably skip entering the Basilica. If you do go inside, it's worth the extra price to go out on the terrace which overlooks the square.
Basilica di San Marco - Venice, Italy 2023
Palazzo Ducale
Directly next to the Basilica is the Doge's Palace although the tickets and entrances are separate. Again, the Palace is similar to other European palaces, but there are some very ornate rooms here. Additionally, you can cross the Bridge of Sighs and walk through the prison.
Ponte dei Sospiri
The Bridge of Sighs connects the Palace with the prison and the name suggests the prisoners would sigh as the crossed the bridge which allowed their final view of Venice. From inside the Palace you can cross the bridge. You can also view the outside of the bridge from Ponte della Paglia.
Ponte dei Sospiri - Venice, Italy 2023
Campanile di San Marco
The Campanile is a bell tower just outside the Palace and Basilica. You can take an elevator up for 360 degree views of Venice.
View from the Campanile - Venice, Italy 2023
After our day of sightseeing, we stopped at Farini for some pizza on the way back to our hotel. There are a few locations in Venice serving some very good fresh tasting pizza.
Gondola Ride
I've been to Venice many times, but never taken a Gondola ride so this trip we finally did it. At 80 EUR, or 100 EUR after 7pm, it's certainly expensive for a 30 minute ride. But, we figured we might as well do it once and with a group of 5 people that decreased the cost per person significantly.
If you are expecting a quiet ride with a gondoliero singing, you will be quite surprised as the ride is far from that. There's a lot of gondolas everywhere so the canals can get quite crowded. And I don't think I've ever witnessed singing. My opinion is once is fine, but it's not something I would do again given the high cost.
Gondolas - Venice, Italy 2023
After our sunset gondola ride, we had a reservation for dinner at Osteria Ai Assassini in the San Marco district. Though very close to the main walkways to and from Piazza San Marco, the restaurant is on another quiet street with a dead-end at a canal. While not quite as good as the previous night, the food was still very good and I would definitely return. We even had some unique dishes like asparagus flan (shockingly delicious!)
Osteria Ai Assassini - Venice, Italy 2023
Overall
Our first stop in Venice was a great start to the trip and was by far the best time I've had in Venice (probably because of the delicious meals). Often I will tell people that are pressed for time in their itineraries that they can skip Venice, but it truly is a very unique city (and it might be underwater in the future!). With a couple of good restaurant recommendations now I might need to start telling people not to skip Venice!
To see the next stop on this trip, go here to Rome
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