Venice was everything I loved and remembered!

It was great to have it as our rest stop after such a crazy time in Rome. We were able to just wander around and really take it easy and have as much of a r est – we were exhausted when we got there. The only disappointing aspect was the food. Venetian food just cannot compare after the wonderful meals we had in Rome.

After we checked in to Don Orione and had a rest, we decided to head out and wander around the vicinity of Don Orione to get our bearings and get some dinner. In typical Venetian fashion, we walked so far out of our way but it was so peaceful and enjoyable – you can just walk and walk and walk.

Firstly, we checked our the church that was next to Don Orione, Santa Maria del Rosario. Oh my goodness – it was absolutely spectacular. Remember – this is a normal everyday parish for people. Can you imagine going here for Mass? I know!

View from the front door, looking out –

We hadn’t got far when we arrived at the BILLA supermarket. The name alone drew us in! Visiting another supermarket was fun… but then we reached the meat area. Ewww. They sell horse. We had to take some photos. Here are horse burgers –

Shredded horse –

Horse steak –

Sliced horse –

We kept walking, down little walkways, over tiny bridges and started to look for a restaurant. We then stumbled upon a place called Osteria 1518.

Bill and I are so alike… we both do not like al fresco dining at restaurants but for this, we took a chance. It was just near a cute little square in a quiet walkway.

Here was the view from our table –

Our first Venetian dinner –

While we were eating, the weather changed drastically and the wind picked up substantially. There were a few drops of rain but then a huge gust of wind blew away chairs from a nearby restaurant. All of a sudden we were getting covered in a dusty dirt/sand mix. It was awful! Luckily, we had just taken our last bite of dinner so we retreated inside. The service at this restaurant was pretty bad so we hung out there for a while until the storm passed and then quickly left.

We walked around the back canal area and it had some gorgeous views –

Gondola repairs –

Of course, we also had to try some gelato!

We slowly meandered back for an early night and thankfully the storm that night was the only bout of bad weather we had while in Venice!