Venice – Day Two

After another morning of daydreaming through my open hotel window, and another ‘jammy’ croissant we packed our bags and checked out and left our luggage by the front desk while we enjoyed a few more sights.  First stop,

The Accademia Art Gallery… 

is Venice’s top art museum, packed with highlights of the Venetian Renaissance.   I enjoyed most of the art here.  Renaissance painting evolved incredibly to show such depth. Below are some of my favorites.  Mary and the Christ Child seemed to be the theme of most of the paintings we saw.   I didn’t get us in any of the pictures, but at least these help me remember which art gallery was which.

Campanile Tower… After the Accademia we got gelato from GROM and walked back to St. Mark’s Square for the Campanile Tower.  We were in line in front of a young couple from St. Petersburg, Russia and had fun talking to them as we waited.  I really love talking to different people, asking them where they’re from and what they do.  I find other people’s lives just so fascinating.

Top of the tower…

Checking out the ornate details of St. Mark’s Basilica while waiting in line…

Corner of the Basilica and the Doge’s Palace… plus one of the many touristy vendors…

Seeing the view from the highest point in the city is always one of the highlights for me.  I just love a good view.  Venice was especially scenic because of the water in all directions.  Just gorgeous.

 

St. Mark’s Square and the Basilica…

The Doge’s Palace and courtyard…

St. Mark’s Square… 

On the Vaparetto…  By noonish we had shopped a few more stores, picked up fold over pizza’s to go, got our SECOND gelato of the day, ran back to the hotel to grab our luggage and were on the vaparetto again headed back to Tronchetto to find our van.  Nikole and I stayed on the ‘open-air’ part of the boat the whole way back taking forty last pictures in every direction.  Farewell, Venice!  We’ll be back.