Arriving at 145 mph
The fast train from Florence took about two hours, at times reaching 145 mph — comfortable, with snacks and water, and only slightly Clampett-like as we hauled bags, backpacks and a stroller through the station. Then a boat to our hotel: the JW Marriott Venice, on its own island, with a kids club, a rooftop infinity pool looking back at Venice and the sea, and a private boat transfer to St Mark’s of about 30 minutes.
A Day Around St Mark’s
Day eleven was the classic wander: lunch near St Mark’s and the Rialto (a mussel and pasta dish with red sauce), gelato at Suso, the Rialto Bridge, and dinner at L’ombra del Leone on a terrace overlooking the Grand Canal and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. Venice at dinner, on the water, is hard to beat.
The Tour: Eat Like a Local
The best thing we booked in Venice was a 3-hour food, coffee and wine walking tour through Viator, starting near the Rialto at the Church of San Giacometto. Seven stops:
- Caffe Del Doge — coffee at the Rialto
- Cantina do’Mari — cicchetti in a spot the guide said opened in 1462 and counted Casanova as a regular
- The Rialto market — fish, produce and spices
- Osteria Ruga Rialto — sweet and sour sardines, squid in tomato sauce, frittata, chilled sparkling red wine
- Cantina do Spade — off-menu seafood risotto and a fried cheese and tomato sandwich with anchovy
- A nameless wine shop — salami, prosciutto, parmesan, balsamic and red wine
- Ostaria dai zemie — a spritz and cicchetti to finish
We skipped the two dessert stops. There are limits, and Venice had already found ours.
Gondola to Dinner
That evening we took a gondola to dinner at Ristorante da Ivo — around ten tables, and a truffle oil pasta special I still think about. Nightcap at the Hotel Monaco bar on the Grand Canal.
The Last Day: Rain and the Pool
Our final full day it rained until mid-afternoon, so we did Venice the slow way: slept in, long breakfast, kids club for McKenzie, the pool for us, and a properly leisurely two-hour lunch. Heading home the next morning. Like all good things, this too must end.
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 / 5
Highlights
- The Viator “eat like a local” tour — seven stops, book it early in a Venice stay
- Dinner at Ristorante da Ivo, all ten tables of it
- L’ombra del Leone’s terrace over the Grand Canal
- The JW Marriott’s rooftop pool looking back at the city
Good to know
- The JW’s boat transfer runs about 30 minutes to St Mark’s — lovely, but plan around its schedule
- A food tour early in the stay pays off: you’ll retrace the stops all week
- Build in a no-plans day; Venice rewards wandering as much as sightseeing
More from our 2018 Italy trip: Tuscany, from a Villa Built in 1786 and Florence: The David, the Duomo, and Two-Hour Lunches.
