Last Day In Venice

Our plan today was to start by going north to the Frari Church, over the Rialto Bridge, to the Correr Museum, and do some shopping before dinner. The only other couple at the B&B were telling us how the church bells were going all night, at odd hours, keeping them up (we had earplugs). Sure enough, at 7:45 the bells started ringing and again at 8:00. Not sure what kind of clock those monks were using, but our inn keeper stated they ring every hour and never after midnight...sure. It just made the point that Italians have their own time keeping system. Good luck figuring it out!



En route to Frari church we found the ceramics district. This was great as we had no plans to hit the island of Murano to see their glass works. The shops had a bunch of neat glassware (you know, glass fish, glass horses, glass spiked balls, and other highly prized glass things) and beautiful ceramic vases and dishes. very pretty as you can see in the photo.









Finally finding Frari church, we were struck at the contrast of the simple gothic Franciscan austere exterior and the ornately decorated interior. These monks knew how to do it. They hired the sculptor and painter Titian to make most of the artwork in their church. he played such a major roll and this was his "home" church, so here he lies in a beautiful tomb. Heck he probably spent more time there than home, and if not he does now, these monks must have owned him. Take all of that with tombs of important dead people and religious relics (bones, flesh, etc. of saints), and they had a church worth praying in.



Having absorbed all of the really old stuff (ROS) that we could absorb, we departed for the Rialto Bridge, stopping quickly (1.5hrs) for lunch in San Toma Square. The Rialto is very symbolic of Venice; covered in graffiti, the shops lining either side of the bridge are set up to capitalize on stupid tourists and offer a cramped area perfect for pick pockets. We walked past that as quickly as possible, as the rest of the march was lined with shops all the way to Saint Mark's Square.

The Correr Museum is a very looked-over part of Venice. Most people go straight to the basilica or the palace or the canals. So we were able to get away from the hordes while still getting our fill of ROS. The museum nearly surrounds Saint Mark's Square,once a government office building, now a combination of museum, shops, hotels and restaurants. The Correr was filled with sculptures by Canova as well as other lesser known artists. Stuffed with countless carvings, paintings, frescos, and other ROS. We got nearly lost going through the exhibits. Some of it so common place for Venice that it is easily touched and inspected without the security people caring! They would just watch and maybe tell you (in English first) to stop doing whatever you're doing if you were climbing on top of a sculpture for a picture session. That or ask you for €25 for the privilege and a photo to remember it (also €25).  So thoughtful of them.



Tired from tromping countless miles all over the stone alleys, museums, and standing in lines, we decided we were content with what we saw, it was time to eat dinner. Conveniently located back in our part of town, the restaurant we scoped out proudly claimed "no fish" on the menu. It turns out this place was recommended in our guide book, so we took a quick nap and bee-lined to Enoteca e Trattoria la Bitta. Having been on a mission for burrata cheese, we finally found it on a menu here. We ordered up the salad with burrata, pancetta/veal/? bolognese, and a braised pork and veal with polenta and fresh wild mushrooms. This food was out of this world. Somehow our food has continuously gotten better each night so far, a miracle that is much appreciated by our hungry bellies. Stuffed and happy,we finished out with an orange chocolate sauce cake dessert and rolled home the half block to bed. Yum! Another great day, excellent weather and killer food.













(I just realized how unappealing the braised meat and mushrooms looks, but the taste was incredible. It melted apart and had a great texture to boot.)

-NT

Location:Sestiere Dorsoduro,Venice,Italy