Italy Day 11: To Venice

Traveling around Europe by train includes some classic moments. We’ve previously experienced a few, from overnighting between Paris and Berlin or passing through the channel tunnel. This day we experienced a simple one and an inspiring one.

The simple experience is one that can end well or badly: running for the connecting train, usually involving luggage and stairs. Our “run” was at Pisa Centrale station. It was the first of two changes that took us from La Spezia on Italy’s west coast to Venice on the east. A five minute connection enabled a four hour journey as opposed to one that was two hours longer. I’d recently discovered this website that presented the arrivals and departures of Italy’s trains by station. While it did not display our arrival platform at La Spezia, it showed where our onward travel from Pisa would start. Having traveled to Pisa at an end of the train, we moved into the train’s middle as we approached the station, hoping to be closer to stairs. On pulling in, we noted our arrival platform was 5 with our departure from 8. Poised by the door, I immediately pressed the “Abierto” button to open the door as the train halted at 9:06, two minutes late. I spotted our next train out of the corner of my eye but there was no time to check as getting our luggage off the train and rushing to the steps was priority. I led the way down the flight of steps, along the tunnel, and up to our train. I stood at the open door, contemplating holding it if it started to close. I did not welcome trying to change the tickets at an Italian ticket office if we missed it. Janet was close behind me and the real heroes, Jett and Bailey with more than 60 lbs each across multiple bags, were close behind. It was 9:10 and the train was supposed to leave at 9:09. The train conductor greeted Bailey and Jett with, “we held the train for you.” We all jumped on, the doors closed behind us, and we were moving toward Florence before we had even found a seat. While we had sometimes shared our frustration about the Italian ways, we greatly appreciated this gesture of holding the train that we likely wouldn’t have found in Britain or Germany.

As one can imagine, there was no time for photos of this special experience, but here are a few from the rest of the journey:

Then came our inspiring event while traveling around Europe by train: Arriving in Venice. A bridge first connected Venice to the mainland in 1846 with the current causeway and bridge finished in 1933, allowing trains to come all the way to the Stazione Venezia Santa Lucia on the Grand Canal. On alighting the train, we walked a short way down some steps onto a crowded Vaporetto (water bus) and were soon whizzing down the Grand Canal to our accommodation. Venice was real!

Even though it was crowded, Venice’s atmosphere was different from the other Italian cities we’d visited. After four stops, we got off our Vaporetto at Rialto Mercato where our Airbnb host greeted us and led us along winding backstreets that got progressively narrower and quieter before arriving at a simple door. We needed to climb a few flights of stairs with our luggage before he showed us our apartment which used to be part of a palace. He gave us an introduction to the city and left us to enjoy Venice.

Next came a traveling realization: However good the pasta and pizza is, you can have too much of it! The gang yearned for a hamburger, and an advert for the Golden Arches showed the way.

Refreshed and entertained, we were ready to explore Venice. While there are plenty of famous sites to see, the way to explore is by “getting lost.” We meandered along quiet backstreets and over canal bridges. It was peaceful and unique.

After some rest and freshening up, we walked a few minutes to a small restaurant that Janet had researched. It was hosting a gathering of about twenty locals that was fun to watch. The staff were very welcoming, recommended fine meals, and we tried several deserts. It was probably our finest meal of the trip and “discovering” it was a big part of the joy.

Our first day in Venice was over. We had tried to take a Vaporetto for an evening cruise along the Grand Canal but it was full so we gave up. We had mixed emotions after the first day – such a cool experience but so many crowds. We had two more days to find our Venice!