Aaahhh...Venezia!

Malima and Ross met our train in Venice and it's a good thing too--I'm sure we would have gotten completely lost trying to find our way to the hotel, especially figuring out the vaporetto schedule! Venice is such a picturesque city that no matter where you look, there's another photo op.

We did all the typical tourist things like visiting St. Mark's Square and crossing the Rialto bridge, but one of the highlights of our entire Italian trip was attending a Musica A Palazzo performance of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, courtesy of Malima!

 

Photographs were not allowed during the performance, but these are from a couple of the palazzo rooms where different scenes were performed. The electric lights were turned off at different times so the rooms were illuminated only by candles! The effect was magical, and you were easily transported back 200 years. Such a lovely way to spend an evening!

 

It's hard to choose photos of Venice because all they all look so good! Visiting the island of Murano was a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon, and we really enjoyed the Special Itineraries tour of the Doge's Palace. Everywhere you go, the water is a beautiful aquamarine color. It's so much fun to explore the nooks and crannies of this pedestrians-only city.

We took a leisurely gondola ride during our last evening in Venice--a perfect ending to a very special holiday!