Waterside Wishes

 

The city of water… The city of bridges… The city of Venice.  

  I’ve always been enamoured with Italy, there’s just something about the beautiful cities and culture that I’m completely head over heels for – okay so I’ve never actually been, but a girl can dream right? And I’m definitely good at that!

Venice is number one on my, very extensive, adventure list and I hope to visit this summer on a short break. I’ve been told that during the hotter months, the city can be a little, how can I put this… whiffy? which deterred me a little, but the thought of riding through Venice island on a gondola in a striped tunic dress and classically stylish sunglasses far outweighs any undesirable smells (yes I’ve imagined my outfit, I warned you about the dreaming!), I’ve been to Glastonbury festival for goodness sake, I can handle bad smells.

Once there, I would make it my mission to visit the piazza San Marco. Described as the ‘drawing room of Europe’ this part of Venice has three of the city’s main attractions; St.Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace and Torre dell’Orologio and as a complete sucker for history steeped architecture this could not be missed. In addition to ensuring I had the generic tourist snaps in front of the aforementioned attractions, I’d also be eager to get a view of the city from the top of the San Marco Campanile where you can see the Lido, the lagoon and apparently the Dolomites in the distance. If there is ever a bell tower to climb, I’ll be at the front of the queue with my polaroid camera in hand.

For many, art is one of the main draws of Venice but, if I’m honest, it’s just not for me. I studied art, I like art and I can appreciate art but it’s not something I would choose to include on my itinerary, unless I had additional time and was bored of wandering the city (although it’s doubtful!)

At the ripe old age of 24, an evening aperitivo would be an absolute must for me. I would never describe myself as a party animal but I like a tipple. I like the social aspect of ‘going for drinks’ and love to immerse myself in the traditions and culture of the places I visit; seeing as the aperitivo is a deep-rooted Italian tradition and involves cocktails, I’d be keen to get involved! Aperitivo is a ritual that is centred around unwinding after a long day with a dry drink and a light meal or nibbles before going home. It’s becoming popular in London but I’d much rather experience it from a table facing the Grand Canal or at the Skyline Bar; a drink with a view and taste of the atmosphere sound perfect to me. Some gelato at the waterside wouldn’t go amiss either!

It goes without saying that I’d be taking gondola rides and I’d love to see as many of the famous bridges possible including the Rialto Bridge and, of course, the Bridge of Sighs. The Rialto Bridge is one I’d like to walk across. I don’t know why, but whenever I’ve seen pictures of it I get the strong urge to drop a coin over the edge while making a wish. It’s probably not recommended so instead, being the eternal romantic I am, I would attempt to find The Wishing Tree. The wishing tree is an art instalment at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal – the idea is that you write a wish and hang it on the branches of an olive tree until the tree is full. I don’t know much else about it but it sounds lovely. Venetian legend says that lovers who kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs, as the bells of St Marks’ Campanile toll, will be granted eternal love and bliss. It sounds like a tall order getting all of those things lined up perfectly! I’m not sure that I’m up to the job so I’ll stick to a cheeky peck followed by reciting the history of the bridge to my other half who will pretend to listen while wondering what bar we should go to later on. I’m happy with that.

I wonder how many coins there are at the bottom of the Venetian waterways…

 

    Desperate to visit Venice, I’m trawling the internet for cheap city breaks for this summer. Hopefully in a few months time I’ll be able to write a post all about it from first hand experience!