Venice is a beautiful city known as the Queen of the Adriatic, the City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The Floating City, and City of Canals.

Venice is divided into five neighborhoods – Cannaregio, San Marco, Castello, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, and San Polo.  I visited all five areas on the first day of my trip.

The rooms were massive and dripping with artwork. 

There were several rooms that displayed the weaponry used by the Venetians during that time period.

The prison construction dates back to the 16th century.  One of the famous people imprisoned in the Piombi was Giacomo Casanova who was also one of the only ones to successfully escape from the prison and write about it in 1787.

The next stop on my list was the San Marco Basilica – however, when I exited the Doge Palace I noticed the line to enter the Basilica was wrapped around the building.  I immediately revised my itinerary and headed to the Rialto Bridge.

In planning for this trip, I had several churches on my list to visit and found many more by purposefully getting lost in the city. 

As I made my way to the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in the Cannaregio neighborhood, I saw lots of canals, crossed over many bridges with gondolas EVERYWHERE! 

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta was magnificent.

The next church on my list was the Church of San Polo in the San Polo and Santa Croce neighborhood. 

One of the most amazing structures in this basilica is the burial monument of Antonio Canova. 

As I explore these beautiful churches, I also learn about the story of the saints named for these structures.  Saint Roch was a Frenchman born in 1295.  He is the patron saint of dogs and dog lovers.  He was highly regarded in the late Middle Ages because of the many healings he provided during the black plague of Europe.   These healings occurred when Saint Roch simply made the sign of the cross over the diseased victims.  As a result, many Italian towns chose Saint Roch as their patron saint.  The connection to dogs had to do with his own healing.  It seems, despite Saint Roch’s immediate contact with plague victims, that it took years for Saint Roch to contract the disease which presented itself as a sore on his leg. When this became apparent, he sought refuge in an abandoned forest hut.  One of the local nobleman’s hunting dogs found Saint Roch.  The dog would bring the saint food daily and lick the wound on his leg.  Eventually, the dog brought the nobleman to the hut where Saint Roch was discovered and cared for properly.  He recovered from the illness and years later was imprisoned by his uncle who did not recognize him.  Dressed as a pilgrim, Saint Roch was charged as a spy.  He died in prison.  When the plague broke out again in 1414, the intercession of Saint Roch was encouraged by the Council Fathers after which the plague ceased. 

The Basilica of Santa Maria Della Salute was under partial construction.  The parts I was able to tour were very beautiful.

I headed back to the San Marco square on the public water bus system.  I knew I couldn’t leave Venice without seeing the Basilica of San Marco.  The line was shorter then the morning but still long.  I ate gelato and took pictures of the outside of the basilica while waiting for entry.

The basilica is MAGNIFICENT!

The beauty of this basilica abounded in all areas as I was led up a narrow stairway to the museum and the front balcony of the basilica. 

By the end of the day, I walked 21,585 steps for a total of 9.2 miles – which for me justified the gelato and many Italian pastries along the way! 

It was a beautiful, fun day in Venice.  The next day I did a day trip to Padua.  Let me know in the comments below if you know the name of the famous patron Saint of Padua.  Also, let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever been to Venice and what you like best about the city.

Stay tuned for more adventure!

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