Day 1 and 2 in Venice

Again, two days in one post.  Yesterday we travelled 260 miles in a northerly direction from Florence to Rome.  The weather turned decidedly colder due to the influence of cyclone Penelope in the middle of Tuscany, and we had rainy patches, just when i thought we could safely put the woollies in the mail!

We crossed the Po River which is 652 kms long.  We travelled through the area which is responsible for the most amount of exports including corn and barley production as well as rice.  

The river Po also generates hydroelectric power.  Unfortunately Italy does not have capacity to store this energy, so they have to buy it back at a much higher rate.

Our first stop was at Verona, which interested particularly Paul, because Verona has world heritage listing.  Verona was founded by the Romans in 47 BC ruled.  In 1117, an earthquake levelled every building except for three, and the Arena.

This tower was the first to be rebuilt afterwards and became the watchtower for the Council and then the courthouse where judicial rulings were heard. 

This bridge was built, following the original bridge was bombed on the last day of WW2.  The building you can see on top of the hill is a monastery.  Verona has had its share of problems with flooding, the worst one was in 1882, after which embankments were built to protect the city.

Verona also boasts its own Arena, modelled on the Colosseum.  This building survived the earthquake  although the outer walls were badly damaged..

 

Of course the other thing Verona is known for, the scene of Romeo and Juliet.  This is Juliet's balcony. For a small fee you can go up and pretend to be Juliet.  There were many, many people viewing this spot.

It was then time to leave for Venice.  We caught the bus to the Port Tronchetto ,

then caught a small ferry to the old Venice  Seeing Venice at night is an amazing thing.

This is St Marks Square, which is completely pedestrianised, has many restaurants and each restaurant has its own private orchestra playing.  If you sit down to listen, it costs 8 euros and a coffee will cost you 10 euros!  But what a beautiful atmosphere it creates.

We had dinner with our group at a more low key place, sadly no orchestra.

The Rialto Bridge by night.

Then it was Venice by day.

Even though it was cold and raining, there was so much activity.  Venice is one of the most visited cities.

So many pretty things to look at!

 

i was quite exhausted!

Next we visited the Island of Burano famous for it's lacemaking history and its colourful houses.  These houses were supposedly painted bright colours so drunk fisherman after celebrating the nights catch, could find their way home more easily. What a spectacle they make.

I watched a lacemaking demonstration, such a skilled art.  This shop had a museum of lace, how stunning is this wedding dress, all completely handmade.

After leaving Burano, we made our way back to Venice, passing one of these on the way.  I wonder how big our ferry will be tomorrow night for our crossing to Greece.