Fall is definitely in the air as we woke to a cooler morning and a change in the light. Fall is probably my favorite season so I look forward to the changes.
I am glad we have been in Venice before and have checked off ✅ the requisite sites – – St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace, Peggy Guggenheim Museum, Harry’s and Murano. It has allowed us more freedom this trip in terms of time and destinations.
Today we headed to Burano, one of the three islands (Murano & Torcello being the other two) north of the city of Venice, a 45-minute vaporetto ride from our district. We found the vaporetto stop without much problem only to find there was no ticket machine! We wandered back into the streets in search of a tobacco shop where we knew we could buy tickets.
Burano is home to the fisherman who bring their catch daily to the Rialto market on the main island. Legend has it, that because of frequent fog and low visibility, each one painted their house a bright and distinct color to find their way home. Today I think it’s more for us.
We got off the vaporetto with a crowd and walked until the mass thinned and we were away from the shops and the restaurants. We would find a place later for lunch. Being there made you wonder what it was like to live so remotely and on an island with the ever encroaching sea. All over Venice, and here as well, you see the preparation for the high tides and the rising water levels. House doors are equipped with railings from the threshold to about 18” up where a metal guard will slide in to protect the property from taking water in.
And there are the temporary elevated walkways stacked in piazzas and courtyards waiting to be assembled when the waters come as they do with the high tides and rains. They say Venice is sinking 8 inches every hundred years.
We did indeed find a small cafe for lunch and seafood was the featured fare. Who can resist fresh linguine and clams? Not me!
We continued to walk the back streets after lunch taking in the local flavor and colors.
It was s beautiful visit.
We caught the vaporetto back to the main island, stopped at the apartment to unload jackets and then headed out to find the Jewish Ghetto. This area of the Cannaregio was home to the Jews of Venice from the 16th to the 18th century. Once the location of a foundry, it was impoverished and overpopulated. The height of the buildings in this area speaks to the population and the word ‘ghetto’ as we now know and understand it was coined here. It’s quiet and without the shops and souvenirs. There is still a small Jewish population here and five active synagogues.
We have come to believe we can find our way around (maybe a misguided belief) and so ventured on. There is so much to see, digest, understand, that you could just wander the streets for hours observing.
We found ourselves near the chaos of the train station close to sunset. The light was so beautiful on the water and the city. A few last photos before heading home.
We ate in, caught up on email and timed a conversation with Ali.
Ciao for now.
¡Ciao America! 