We went to the gorgeous city of Venice for a long weekend on my birthday. Our first day was spent visiting the islands of Murano and Burano respectively. Located in the northern Venetian lagoon, Murano, known for its stunning glass making, is a series of islands linked by bridges.
Burano is also an island located in the northern Venetian lagoon (making it very easy to get to and from Murano) and is known for its brightly coloured houses and hand made lace. The island's main streets boasts pastry shops, souvenier and other stores, bars and many, many restaurants.
We made a pit stop for a quick bite...cicchetti, come to mamma.
Simple but so damn good!
After a great day of walking and the weather forecast being completely wrong (thank you sunshine!), we made our way back to freshen up ready for my birthday dinner. Apologies for the lack of food photos, I was far too busy eating. Sorry (not sorry)! To finish the day in the best way all birthdays should end, we had CAKE! Food coma ensued so bed time was calling.
The next day required an early start to catch our train to the city of Padua.
The city originally challenged both Venice and Verona for regional hegemony but eventually Venice permanently occupied Padua in the early 1400s.
It is a medieval city state and is home to Italy's second oldest university, as well as the Basilica of St Anthony.
A short trip gandering around Padua, a hop back on a train and we were back to Venice in no time. We naturally made a bee line straight to Piazza San Marco.
It is named as "The Drawing Room of Europe"and is the widest swath of flat, open land in the water bound city. A tourist heavy location but incredibly beautiful nonetheless. Saint Mark's Square was named after the Basilica that sits at the east end of the square.
A short but wholesome stay in one of the most beautiful cities. I ate my body weight in scrumptious Venetian food and walked it off exploring, but like every great city break, you must come back home. Farewell Italy, until next time.
