Buonasera da Venezia 😊 UPDATED see responses below

And which gelato favor is the best and did you get one?

Be sure to try a Spritz Hugo!
Invented in N. Italy.....made with tons of fresh mint leaves, elderflower cordial or liqueur, soda water, and sometimes a little Prosecco....very delicious!!

Love Venice.

Oh Chani, you're making me so jealous! I fell unexpectedly in love with Venice three years ago and periodically think I've gotten it out of my system, then I read something like your account, or a Brunetti mystery (requiring the Streetwise map alongside the book). Hope I can get back there someday when it's not too crowded or wet underfoot. You're lucky to live so close to Europe. ;-)

Hi, Chani, I, too have taken some of Brunetti's walks in Venice. I, too, love Venice and envy you your trip. Thank you for sharing. Have another Aperol spritz for me. Enjoy, enjoy,

Hi Chani, glad you are enjoying the good life. Have some gelato for me!

We used the Brunetti’s Venice book a lot for walks when we were in Venice for a month. We did them all, but never did find the flower shop where Signorina Elextra buys her flowers. It is supposed to be in San Polo, if I recall correctly.

So glad your trip is off to a good start, Chani. I'm curious about that "best gelato flavour" too! I'll be there in 3 weeks for my first real visit. Hoping to follow in your experienced footsteps, please continue to post these great tips. (No spritz near the fish market, got it.)

Chani, you have described an absolutely delightful day! Now I am hankering for Venice. Love the idea of the Brunetti walks to animate your wanders. Glad you found a B&B with such a lovely couple. I too am wondering what this BEST gelato flavor is !!

Keep enjoying !!

One of the great delights in traveling is just stopping and watching the world go by.

I didn't mean to keep you in suspense. The gelato (more expensive than the others) is salty caramel with ribbons of peanut butter and chopped peanuts. Honestly there are no bad choices there. Nocciola is usually my favorite, and good as it was, the other was sooo much better.

Please tell us the name of your B&B also!

Chani, thanks for the report. Your day sounds lovely. I’m impatiently waiting for September. I just ordered Brunetti’s Venice and bookmarked Suso Gelato. Thanks for the recommendations.

Chani,

It's wonderful to hear that you're back in Italy and having such a wonderful time. Hopefully the Covid procedures were easy to navigate.

In addition to an Aperol Spritz, have you tried a Bellini at Harry's Bar? I know kind of touristy, but they are very refreshing.

It's my last night in Venice and I'm very sad to leave but I still have two full weeks in other parts of the country so I'm excited about that at the same time.

I ended up eating dinner 3 nights in a row at the same place. I tried to get into a "real restaurant" but they were full on Sat and Sun nights (and don't take reservations for single diners, sigh) and tonight they were closed, so I defaulted to the pizzeria - both highly recommended by my B&B hosts. The first night, I was well treated as any patron would be. I'm obviously a tourist, so they expect me to be a one-time customer. The second night they greeted me warmly as a returnee. Tonight I was treated like a friend. While it's great to try new places, there is definitely a benefit to returning to a place more than once. The pizzas are really good - they told me the secret - the chef's from Sicily. Though he's been in Venice for 27 years, he's still considered a Sicilian :-). Tonight I said my good-byes and one of the waiters came back to give me a recommendation for a restaurant in Florence that makes "real Florentine" specialties and told me to say hello from him.

I'm staying at Bed & Breakfast Corte Campana. My hosts are Riccardo and Grace. Riccardo told me today that he's listed in the RS guide book and Grace told me that's how she met Riccardo. Staying with them has turned out to be a real RS backdoor experience. Besides being extraordinarily caring and companionable on check-in and at breakfast, they've given me and the other guests a window into some of the joys and tribulations of the Venetians. They are one more reason I am sad to leave Venice. A huge shout-out to Horsewoofie for the recommendation.

Trying to see Venice with Brunetti has been a challenge. I bought the kindle edition and the maps are really poor quality. I've found illustrations in kindle books to be subpar but these maps are very very difficult to use. I think the print edition's maps are at least legible. But even so, they are not as helpful as one would want, missing a great number of street names or sight/campo/rio names. Then the book's text doesn't give good directions either. Sometimes getting from point 1 to point 2 involves more streets and turns than what's given. All in all, it's been more frustrating than enjoyable for someone who has difficulty following maps and directions anyway LOL. On the other hand, I have seen a lot of off-the-beaten track Venice, where there are more locals than tourists, especially since two of my 3 days here were the weekend and warm(ish) and sunny after the locals had a spell of cold, cloudy days and were thrilled to be out enjoying the sunshine and blue blue sky.

Cichetti that sound unappetizing turn out to be delicious - a dried salted cod pate and sardines in a sweet-sour sauce with onions and raisins. And an Aperol spritz a day keeps a tourist happy . . .

Arrivederci Venezia 😹

Domani . . . Firenze. . . . 😎

PS I bought the 7-day vaporetto pass and think I about broke even on it. Worth it for the convenience. Today with time to spare I stayed on the vaporetto all the way to Lido and back, just to enjoy the sunshine and blue water of the lagoon.

Chani, I was delighted to see your post. I too am here now on my fifth visit to Venice, and day 1 has been delightful! I am a huge fan of Brunetti, his walks and his food (there is a recipe book also, in case you haven’t seen it) and the mysteries. We will have to find that gelato!. After settling into apartment near San Marcuola, we walked through the ghetto, bought some artwork to bring Venice to our house, and had a wonderful dinner at Osteria Al Bacco, featuring Venetian seafood dishes. Tomorrow is San Marco area, next day Murano and Burano. Plus we have to find all our favorites from past trips! Being here again is good for my soul and brings alive all the memories of previous visits.

Sharon, I've had the same feelings. I turn a corner and a flood of memories assails me. After 3.5 wonderful days, I left this wonderful island of tranquility (yes, I found tranquility unexpectedly in many places). The only thing that buoyed my spirit is that I still have 2 weeks to enjoy different parts of this great country.

Final update: I bought some cheese at Brunetti's favorite cheese shop and some fresh peas in the Rialto market (love fresh raw peas) and met my B&B hosts in San Polo for lunch - drinks and cichetti at one of their favorite places, dai Zemei. Excellent and not expensive. Then I tried to follow the book for more Brunetti, got lost a bit but came to Campo San Polo and then Campo Santa Margherita. Both are very large and have a few trees and BENCHES, so very different from the San Marco side of the Grand Canal. My last stop was a visit to Ca' Rezzonico, similar to the imaginary home of Brunetti's inlaws. I can't imagine anyone actually living in a palazzo these days . . . . or where they get the money for the upkeep. I meant to take the vaporetto back to San Marco but I got one of those seats at the very front where you can get great views. The sun was shining, the weather was warm(ish) and the lagoon was a brilliant shade of blue, so inertia took over and I stayed on the the boat all the way to Lido and back. The ride back was chilling and all I could think about was hot chocolate. My B&B hostess had recommended Rosa Salva for pastry, just a couple streets off the Piazza, so I made a beeline there and it did not disappoint. Of course I had to have a small cake with it.

I still managed to have an appetite for dinner. I ended up back at Aciugheta, where I'd had such excellent pizza 2 nights running. On the first night, they were very pleasant. On the second night they greeted me warmly, on the third night they made me feel like a regular. It was really special. I tried some other foods and had a marvelous soup.

Lastly, I did quite well out of the 7 day vaporetto pass in the end. At the train station I was able to resell my pass (which still had more than 72 hours left) to someone who wanted a 2-day pass. We split the cost, so I got 15E back on my "investment." No regrets whatsoever.

Thanks for sharing about your time in Venice, Chani! It sounds like a wonderful time and your descriptions transported me back. I need to plan a return trip and make sure to go to Suso!

Chani, thank you for the shoutout. I have to shoutout to jazz from Missouri for recommending B&B Corte Campana in his 9/23/21 post. Without his post I would not have heard about Riccardo and Grace’s B&B.

I’m so glad you enjoyed your Venice visit. I noted your restaurant reviews. Enjoy the rest of your Italy trip. Looking forward to more trip reviews.

I loved your Venice reports, Chani, and am delighted that you're having a wonderful time!
Looking forward to your reports from Florence!