Photography: Jenna Milne
Trip Duration: 3 days
Where I stayed… an Airbnb in the sunny neighbourhood of Cannaregio
Best thing I ate? Lobster pasta with white wine and endless charcuterie and cheese boards
Best hang out spot? Ancora Realto Mercato is a stunning little wine bar right by the Rialto Bridge. It has an old world feel with the interior boasting sandstone walls and tiny windows that peer out onto the water. If you want to sit in the sunshine there is a beautifully open courtyard with a number of spots to sit. The courtyard adjacent is a flurry of buskers and growers markets during the daylight hours and entertainers and musicians by night.
Photography: Jenna Milne
Photography: Jenna Milne
Best daytime activity? Spend the extra and get a water taxi over to Murano where the traditional glass blowers still work. There are a number of stores to visit most with a working gallery out the back. We had a private tour and sat down with the glass blowers and watched them work their magic. The room gets really warm, think working in a sauna, but worth sitting a while and seeing how the master creates a vase or chandelier. Murano as a town is super pretty, just like Venice it sits on the water and has one main canal with shops and cafes either side. Almost every window will is lined with bright florals and greenery.
Trip highlight? Twilight gondola cruising through the canals of the city. Our driver was a true entertainer, he sang us down the water past the Rialto Bridge and showed us where Casanova spend most of his time when he flirted his way through Venice.
Photography by Jenna Milne
Photography: Jenna Milne
Could not leave home without… Witchery off the shoulder striped dress, Zara grecian sandals, Le Spec sunglasses, Lack of Colour Panama hat, Chanel Backpack, selfie stick, and my Chanel lip stain (wont wear off even when you sip your Aperol Spritz!)
Most inspiring aspect… The fact that the entire city in all of its greatness is built on water. If you come during the cooler months when the tides are higher portions of the city completely flood when the waters rise. They say that Venice is actually sinking by about 2mm a year, thats about 20cm every 100 years. Perhaps this will one day become a modern Atlantis.
Photography: Jenna Milne
I wish I had… Experienced the city during Carnavale de Venezia. The Carnival ends with the Christian celebration of Lent, forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. The festival is world-famed for its elaborate masks. Every dresses up in period costume and wander the city both day and night.
Favourite Store or shopping trip? It’s amazing to be able to take home a piece of blown glass. I loved the hundreds of pieces to choose from out at Murano, it was so hard to decide and if I had my time again (and a little more cash) I would purchase a set of glassware with gold trimming.
Photography: Jenna Milne
Photography: Jenna Milne
Why? We crossed through to meet up with my sister and her new husband on their honeymoon (hello buddy mooning!)
