Ask any traveler visiting Italy for the first time where they’re headed and you’re bound to hear “Rome, Florence, and Venice”, the country’s Big Three.
With a couple of months in Italy and a rough (I repeat, rough) itinerary that would lead us from the very north of the country to the very south, there was no way that we could skip The Floating City on Homayoun’s first trip.
Even if we were traveling in the dreaded, HOT, high season.
On Day Seven, we set off from Bolzano to the Venice airport, where we returned our budget-breaking rental car and were left to navigate public transportation as originally planned. The only problem: we were still saddled with way too much luggage.
After a long, arduous walk from the rental car drop-off, through the airport, and to the water, we saw a line dozens deep for the public “vaporetto” (ferry) and swiftly decided we’d splurge once again. This time on a private “traghetto” (water taxi) to our hotel.
The water taxi turned out to be worth every cent. It lifted our spirits, dried our sweat(!), and excited us for all to come.
In only twenty minutes, we arrived at the St. Regis Venice. A luxurious, five-star hotel, perfectly situated on the lagoon.
Though it might seem another splurge, our hotel stay didn’t cost a cent. Instead, it was a well-deserved and well-timed redemption of Marriott points that I had accumulated during a long, pre-pandemic year of business travel.
Of course, walking into the hotel, no one would have guessed that we were corporate professionals, and certainly not that we boasted Marriott’s highest “elite status”. In fact, we’re pretty sure most of the other guests (who were dressed to the nines) immediately thought “there goes the neighborhood” as we walked by.
Sweaty, and strapped with luggage both front and back, I was mortified.
Nevertheless, the glitzy hotel welcomed us with open arms, and it turned out to be the highlight – or saving grace – of our trip to Venice.
When we arrived in our room, we found a small gift from our dedicated “butler” with a handwritten note, a bottle of Bellini (a cocktail made with Prosecco and peach puree that originated in the city), and “pane del doge” (a traditional Venetian sweet).
In the days that followed, we battled crowds, heat, and humidity. All of the charm that I met on my first trip to Venice, seven years earlier, was lost among the masses. In fact, Homayoun aptly described our experience walking through the winding streets as something akin to “cattle herding”, and I profusely apologized for steering us wrong.
If you take away one thing from this blog, let it be: do not travel to Italy in August. It’s true what they say. DO NOT DO IT.
As always, though, we made the best of our stay…
We admired the canal from our comfortable accommodation and adopted the “aperitivo” ritual.
We then ventured out into the streets to taste “cicchetti”, watched a couple fish their shoes out of the canal, and snapped a few photos on the famed Rialto bridge.
The following day, we took advantage of a complimentary one-way water taxi to the islands of Murano & Burano, known for handblown glass and hand-stitched lace respectively. Then fought our way back home on the packed public vaporetto.
(For those taking notes, the water taxi was the highlight of each of these visits. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these islands unless you’re particularly fond of this type of craftsmanship or if you have a ton of time in Venice, enjoy shopping for knick knacks, and/or want to photograph Burano’s colorful homes.)
Perhaps the most rewarding thing we did in all of Venice, however, was gather nearly fifteen pounds of belongings, pack them up, and send them home. I’ll always remember Homayoun’s smile as he handed several over-stuffed packing cubes to an attendant at Mail Boxes Etc. He saved the neighborhood (and our trip) with express shipping.
