Arrivederci Italia

After nearly two weeks in Italy, we spent our last three days in the unique city of Venice. The days were spent walking and getting lost along the stone pathways, crossing canal bridges and riding the vaporettas, the public water-buses. While it is a beautiful city, it is certainly a popular destination for tourists which proved challenging at times when trying to capture the right photo. I stood on a bridge for nearly 10 minutes waiting for the “right moment”. But as we are unlikely to come back again, we had the time and we really had no other place to be – the beauty of holidays.

We received an insider tip to visit the San Giorgio church bell tower rather than the one at St Mark’s because of the view it gave of Venice and the much cheaper price. It was certainly worth the trip.

Our favourite day was when we caught a boat to the other side of island and spent the afternoon trying to find our way home. We discovered places we didn’t know about and came across an end of school year prep concert in a local square. Children are the same the world over – there is always the one who doesn’t know what’s going on and then the one who is born for the stage and he wants all to know it. It was lovely seeing local real Italian life.

Venice was also the place where we had our worst BnB stay. It was situated down a little lane in a reasonable part of town which was great but it was a ground floor room very close to a canal with very little natural light. Everything in the room felt damp and it didn’t smell wonderful either. At the front door were two metal slides where they can slide a barrier in when Venice experiences one of its Acqua Alta high tides. But this just meant we were happy to use it for the bed and bathroom and stay out on the streets all day.

Thank you, Italy, for the time spent exploring and enjoying your diversity, colour and history. We have learned a lot from your people and the way you do life.

Some of my reflections (in no particular order):

Sadly, though, much of what we have enjoyed cannot be transferred to life in Australia but if there is one thing we will take back, it is the importance of taking time out at the end of a day to just sit, relax and chat. I hope the busyness of Aussie life does not extinguish our hope to bring a little of Italy into our home.

Off to Croatia now to discover the beauty of the Adriatic coastline and meet new people.

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