Italy Blog #3- Welcome to Venice! - An island map/Our Hotel

Palazzo Stern Hotel

Tom has been to Italy before, but I (Rob) have not. Although I'm 1/2 Italian, I never really paid much attention to Venice (other than seeing it in photos, movies, etc.). Initially I thought that Venice was part of the mainland with canals through it. I learned that it is in fact a large number of islands (several main islands) in a lagoon.

The room we had

The 3rd floor hotel hallway

 

 

 

 

Tom loved this window of the hotel

HOW IS VENICE LAID OUT? - Venice, capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a marshy lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Its stone palaces seemingly rise out of the water. There are no cars or roadways, just canals and boats. The Grand Canal snakes through the city, which is filled with innumerable narrow, maze-like alleys and small squares.

Map of most of the islands of Venice

BRIDGES - There are some foot bridges that span the Grand Canal and take you to another island. There are a LOT of walking bridges everywhere as the "streets" are all waterways. 

We worked through a travel agent who arranged drivers, private tours, etc, so we never had to worry. That's the way to go. Tom can tell you who to go to. A driver from the airport took us to the lagoon, and a boat taxi took us to our hotel. (We had been awake for about 30 hours, so we were tired).

View of the Grand Canal from our room.

HOTEL PALAZZO STERN - This hotel, set along the Grand Canal in a stately 15th-century Moorish manor, lies 1.3 km from Piazza San Marco and Saint Mark's Basilica. There's a Vaporetto stop in front of the hotel. (That's for boat pick ups).  The elegant rooms feature traditional Venetian decor and Murano glass chandeliers, plus satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, minibars and tea and coffeemakers. Some rooms have canal views, exposed beams and/or whirlpool tubs, while the suites add living rooms. The hotel offers a free breakfast buffet.




*NOTE: Always ask for Early check in when traveling. We didn't**

QUICK VIDEO INSIDE THE HOTEL: Here's a quick video of the floor we stayed on in the Palazzo Stern Hotel . It was decorated like a former church and it was pretty elaborate.

NEXT: EXPLORING VENICE'S GRAND CANAL