Walk if by Land, and Row if by Sea

Having seen Venice from the safety of the land, we decided to explore it by water and hopped on a water taxi bright and early on Friday.  While we had asked for the water tour tickets, there was no audio component.  Good thing we had brought our own (Rick Steves saving the day again).  We learned that the originally ghetto was in Venice, now visible from the Grand Canal as two tall pink buildings.  The Jewish community, a segregated neighborhood within Venice, was called the "geto" because it was located near a copper foundry.  We also saw several churches (not too many, as the Grand Canal was a commercial rather than religious center), a series of palaces (really just grand houses; they are palatial but not royal) with extraordinary facades and often vacant first floors due to flooding, a historic open-air market, the famous Rialto bridge, Peggy Guggenheim's (in)famous waterfront abode, and the enormous La Salute church.  

I found it interesting how Italians turned to Mary and rejoiced at being spared the Black Death, which wiped out half the population in some Italian cities, even as they were mourning the loss of loved ones.  Despite having a decimated population, they managed to erect a huge structure as they simultaneously rebuilt their society.  It was also interesting to see the modern role of the palaces.  These grand structures has either been saved as museums or were waterlogged, peeling shells.  The first floors were often empty, if not the entire building.  In order to preserve the city's ambience and history, it has become nearly impossible to change buildings.  This has made them unappealing for many modern tenants, and so these monuments decay, instead.  It's the sad reality of Venice.

Josh and I set off in search of the other best-reviewed gelato place that he had found, a small place tucked away on an island far from Tourist Central.  On the way, we wandered new islands and stopped at a lovely place for sandwiches.  I continued to eat my way through Italian specialties, enjoying a sandwich of a spicy salami with Brie on ciabatta.  Josh simply ordered the largest sandwich he could find.  Our sandwich place was only about two blocks from our gelato destination, around which we had planned our day.  Gelateria Alaska opened late, around 2 pm, and was filled with the experimental creations of the owner.  While not necessarily adventurous flavors, they were all very fresh.  We arrived just as it opened and watched as the gelato finished freezing.  I preferred the other gelateria, but there was no denying that this was good gelato, too.

Since we had only a little time left, we made our way back to the train station and wandered the streets surrounding it, soaking up the charms of Venice, the beauty of the canals, and the taste of cannolis.

It really is a shame that last time I was in Italy, I didn't get to eat good food.  Because it is everywhere, and it will knock your socks off.  Your taste buds will love you.  We got in to Florence in the evening on Friday, moved into our new digs on Via Mazzetta (very close to the river and a lovely square that filled with live music at night) and immediately commenced eating.  At the recommendation of our host, David, we went to a place called Tamero which makes delicious fresh pasta.  Delicious!  Josh got the gnocchi and I got pappardelle with pork ragu and, as usual, we went halvesies.  I think we each preferred our own dish, but it was nice to try different things given how little time we have in Italy.

In the evening, we walked around, scoping out the window displays of nearby shops and enjoying the views of the Arno River from the beautiful Ponte Vecchio.  This ancient bridge, which in its several incarnations has served the city for almost a thousand years, linked a major Roman highway that passed over the river that this, its narrowest point.  

Washed away by occasional floods, it remains an incredible structure.  It has shops built right on it and a secret passageway for the Medici family above it, making it unlike any bridge that I had ever seen.  It was also the only bridge to survive World War II, since the Nazis planned to bomb every bridge and cover their retreat.  Thankfully, they were convinced to preserve this little bit of history.

As we walked around in the dying light, we realized that nearly all the shops were selling high-quality leather goods.  

I had known that Italy was famous for its leather but hasn't remembered that Florence is a hotspot for such goods.  Josh dragged me home as I practically drooled over the bags, shoes, and most of all jackets in the different windows.  I jotted down a few names and returned home to do my research.

Spotted: incredible glasswork.  Venice was more of a shopping destination than we realized, and one of the main products was Murano glass.  They made glass versions of everything, from tiny creatures to full orchestras to enormous (and somewhat terrifying) clowns.