Venice, Italy - Ciccheti & Wine Tour/Gondola Ride/St. Mark's Basilica After-Hours

This morning, we started our day from the Saint Regis via water taxi to our starting point where we met our tour guide. The tour was “Experience Venice like a local on a Cicchetti (small tapa-style dishes) wine bar tour.” We had a very small group of 6.  We took a Gondola to cross the grand canal and walked through the Market of fresh fruit, spices, pastas, etc…  We made our way through the backstreet bars of Venice for delicious food and wine. We toured 5 different ‘enotecas’ (wine bars) to discover where local Venetians go to drink and mingle. At each stop, we sampled regional wines and Prosecco alongside plates of the popular Venetian appetizers called ‘cicchetti.’ 

Our guide surprised us at the end with Tiramisu and a glass of Champagne. The Cicchetti’s paired with the wines was very delightful. The tour was AMAZING!!!

 

 

 

 

Had a couple of hours to spare before our next tour. “Private Gondola Tour off the Beaten Track.”

 

We met a couple on our previous tour from Naples, Fl (Lori & Tom), who decided to join us on our stroll.  Visited various areas and made our way on over to tour. Meandering through several squares and crossed many bridges (there are over 400 bridges in Venice). We took a rest and had a Spritz and headed over for our Gondola Tour.

We experienced the beauty of Venice through the city’s less-traveled canals. Our gondolier navigated past historic palaces, churches and landmarks that most tours miss. We enjoyed the quiet relaxing tour so much we forgot to take pictures.

Having just enough time to walk back to our hotel, refresh and off again to our next excursion. Literally 10 minutes. This excursion was an over the top history experience. The tour guide was WWAAYY to detailed with history to being absorbed in this mind. To boot the tour started at 5:50pm.

2 hr Tour of Doge Palace, 1 hr break, 2 hr Tour of St. Mark’s Basilica

 Tour: St. Mark’s Basilica After-Hours Tour w/ Doge’s Palace

 Doge Palace: OK…I took this from the web.

The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice in northern Italy. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. It was built in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries. It became a museum in 1923 and is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

Saint Mark's Basilica

The St Marks Basilica was more interesting, but our guide was extremely detailed which as you can image becomes very exhausting to listen to. Some people just left. 

 Originally the Doge's private chapel, St. Mark's Basilica became Venice's cathedral in 1807, when it took on the role of the Patriarch of Venice. Known as the Chiesa d’Oro (Golden Church), this ornate cathedral seamlessly blends Gothic, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Renaissance styles. Crowned with soaring domes and breathtaking golden mosaics, the basilica stands as a testament to Venice's rich history. 

Pala d’Oro (Frontal of Gold, Silver, Enamel & Precious Stones)

Remains of St Mark

First Crypt placed in the Basilica

Last Archdiocese to be placed in the Crypt of St Mark’s Basilicia