I am currently bobbing about the Mediterranean after taking a lovely Delta flight to Venice before embarking on Cunard’s stunning Queen Victoria, an amazing ship with truly incredible service (but more on that later!).
I am traveling with my partner John and my super-cool parents, Lois and Jary … We do an annual trip together—it’s a terrific tradition, and we have hit some amazing spots, from Istanbul to Iceland and Oman. We are currently en route to Florence’s port at Livorno and then Marseilles ... Well, sort of. Since the French are prone to strikes and are currently striking yet again (so many strikes, so little time!), I am not sure where the Queen Victoria will be docking in the upcoming days after we hit Florence tomorrow. So let me turn my sights back to our five days in magical Venice.
|
| Here I am overlooking Venice from the deck of the Queen Victoria. |
Pre-cruise, we rented a wonderful apartment high atop Venice and just behind the La Fenice opera house, and from our roof deck—Venetians call them altanas—I watched the gondoliers navigate the narrow canal behind our apartment building. It was non-stop renditions of “Volare” and “O, Sole Mio,” but it was really charming and beyond atmospheric.
Venice in October is magical—still busy—but nothing like the summer months when the city is too, too crowded. I have finally reached the point where I don’t need a guide to navigate the city. Sure, I carry a well-thumbed map to find a tucked-away calle or sotoportego, but I can get from neighborhood to neighborhood with only a few missteps. It’s such a terrific feeling to really understand a city without constant map checks.
We skipped about town and visited friends that we made last year when I produced a multi-page feature on Venice for the magazine called Let’s Get Lost! Highlights of our visit? We supped upon fabulous grilled fish at Osteria Alle Testiere, purchased a chandelier upon the island of Murano and waded through the acqua alta burbling up in Saint Mark’s Square. We stocked up on glorious paper products, drank way too much white wine and spritz cocktails and discovered all sorts of hidden gems.
|
| The sun setting in the distance, such a magical view of La Serenissima. |
But our most favorite memory was a bit closer to home: One warm evening, the Nixon clan dined on our altana upon grilled fish that we picked up at the Rialto market and gorgeous vegetables purchased upon a boat in a neighboring canal. We washed it all down with a fabulous wine from the Veneto region and fabulous Italian cheeses as the sun set over the Giudecca island in the distance.
Magic!
Photos by Jason Oliver Nixon