Island hopping, Venetian style

I think we got our 120 euros worth on the vaporetto today alone! From 9 till 5 (for Joe) and almost 7 (for me) we were hopping on and off. We visited three outlying islands and saw two drop dead gorgeous ancient churches, with mosaics from X and XI century.

First stop, Burano, a pretty little island that is home to the Lace Museum (which we did not visit). But walking the streets was a real pleasure, this is a place with a lot of life. From there it was another 5 minutes on another vaporetto to the island of Torcello, which has a Byzantine cathedral and an XI century church. And what is "said to be" Attila the Hun's throne. Amazing, beautiful, jaw-dropping.

From there to the island of Murano, more on the normal tourist circuit, with its glass blowing tradition, a glass museum, AND an astonishing basilica from the XI and XII centuries. Truly one of the most beautiful romanesque exteriors anywhere. Lunch in a trattoria and a visit to the glass museum rounded out the day. When we got back to Venice, Joe went to "take a load off his feet" while I went out for a couple more hours of walking/vaporetto riding in central Venice. It never gets boring, from San Marco to Rialto to the train station.

Tomorrow is our last day, and I guess it's only fair that Joe should decide our activities, since he followed me to the ends of the lagoon to see these romanesque churches!Read more