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| When it wasn't rainy! |
We decided to go in some shops on the way to San Marco Square. We stopped in a chocolate shop and bought some chocolate and pesto. They had a lot of samples so of course we wanted to try everything. Steve decided he also wanted to buy some carnival masks to commemorate our time in Venice so we stopped in a few shops to see what they all had.
We spent some more time looking at all the details of San Marco and decided to check out Doge's Palace instead of the cathedral. The Doge was the chief magistrate of Venice. The Doge was elected by a selection of 40 people. And then there is a line of people above and below them that made decisions for the people. The Doge's Palace is enormous. It felt like each room served a very specific function for the people of the time.
The two things that stood out to me specifically where the number of fireplaces. There seemed to be one in each room. The next is that Doge's Palace houses the largest room in the world. It is called the The Chamber of the Scrutinio. The Doge's Throne also sat there and behind it was the longest painting in the world. It is called Il Paradiso. The whole space was very overwhelming, in a good way. It's hard to know where to look! It was incredible.
We then made our way to the prison. There is the famous Bridge of Sighs that leads from the Palace to the prison. It is said that it was prisoners last view of the outside world, so they would often sigh to themselves as they crossed. We got photos in and outside of the bridge. The prison was interesting because the prisons drew on the walls and much of it was still there.
After we left Doge's Palace, we headed out to get lunch. Steve found a place that sold noodles "to go". There weren't many seats and they gave you pasta in what looked like Chinese food containers. You built your own pasta and it was so surprisingly delicious for such a quick stop.
After lunch, we decided to shopping until we had to change for dinner. We decided in Florence that we wanted to get something special from each place we visited. Florence, we bought a photo album and a painting. San Gimignano, we found wine and and olive oil dispenser, and for Venice we decided to get a carnival mask. We were not there during carnival, but it's such a big part of the city's history, we had to get some! We went in and out of a few stores and finally found some unique hand-painted masks at a reasonable price.
I walked out wearing the necklace and we went to dinner. The Bistrot was a cute, and beautifully decorated with red. The service was top notch! The menu was unique in that there were 'classic' and 'modern' sections of the menu. The classic section housed more traditional Venician cuisine, and the modern section is self-explanatory.
Here's what we got!
Appetizer: Gourmet Egg
Chef's competary appetizer: Carrot soup
First Course:
Hillary- pasta with burrata cheese
Steve - Umbrime (a fish dish)
Second course:
Hillary - duck breast
Steve - Raw cooked risotto (which the waiter highly recommended)
Dessert: some creme puff kind of yummy deliciousness
This almost won best restaurant! It was extraordinary, and beautiful and the wait staff treats you like royalty. Definitely recommend!
Exhausted and full, we headed back to the hotel to pack up our wonderfully beautiful trip.
Italy is a dream and we would go back in a heartbeat. It's so rich in it's history, sights, people and food!
We then made our way to the prison. There is the famous Bridge of Sighs that leads from the Palace to the prison. It is said that it was prisoners last view of the outside world, so they would often sigh to themselves as they crossed. We got photos in and outside of the bridge. The prison was interesting because the prisons drew on the walls and much of it was still there.
After we left Doge's Palace, we headed out to get lunch. Steve found a place that sold noodles "to go". There weren't many seats and they gave you pasta in what looked like Chinese food containers. You built your own pasta and it was so surprisingly delicious for such a quick stop.
After lunch, we decided to shopping until we had to change for dinner. We decided in Florence that we wanted to get something special from each place we visited. Florence, we bought a photo album and a painting. San Gimignano, we found wine and and olive oil dispenser, and for Venice we decided to get a carnival mask. We were not there during carnival, but it's such a big part of the city's history, we had to get some! We went in and out of a few stores and finally found some unique hand-painted masks at a reasonable price.
Steve had spent a lot of time researching and found a highly rated, higher scale restaurant to go to as a celebration of our last night and a wonderful trip. Bistrot de Venise was the winner! We changed at the hotel and headed back out before our reservation time. I finally allowed myself the temptation and went in a Murano glass store. Everything was so pretty. And I finally allowed myself to fall into the temptation and decided to buy a pretty necklace! Thankfully they were very reasonably priced.
I walked out wearing the necklace and we went to dinner. The Bistrot was a cute, and beautifully decorated with red. The service was top notch! The menu was unique in that there were 'classic' and 'modern' sections of the menu. The classic section housed more traditional Venician cuisine, and the modern section is self-explanatory.
Here's what we got!
Appetizer: Gourmet Egg
Chef's competary appetizer: Carrot soup
First Course:
Hillary- pasta with burrata cheese
Steve - Umbrime (a fish dish)
Second course:
Hillary - duck breast
Steve - Raw cooked risotto (which the waiter highly recommended)
Dessert: some creme puff kind of yummy deliciousness
This almost won best restaurant! It was extraordinary, and beautiful and the wait staff treats you like royalty. Definitely recommend!
Exhausted and full, we headed back to the hotel to pack up our wonderfully beautiful trip.
Italy is a dream and we would go back in a heartbeat. It's so rich in it's history, sights, people and food!
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