St Mark's Basilica

A late-ish start to what would be a busy morning today. After breakfast, we took a walk north from our hotel to the Natural History Museum, via the Rialto Fish Market. The market was in full swing by the time we got there; the swordfish on display were huge...as were the seagulls loitering ominously nearby. Shortly after a minor detour (being lost in Venetian alleys) we found the Natural History Museum. Some of the displays were interesting but the museum was entirely in Italian and seemed to lack any sense of flow. Their was a fascinating of gruesome room of mounted heads of almost every animal imaginable. We spent a diverting hour here before moving onwards to Palazzo Mocenigo. Much like the Ca'rezzonico, this was an impressively decorated and furnished former palace but we lacked the historical detail to understand it's relevance and place in Venetian history. It did include a history of perfume making which was interesting but, in their concentrated form, many of the scents smell atrocious. We then trekked through the rest of San Polo and San Marco to the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace). A hugely impressive building glittering in the low and dazzling morning sun, the inside was just as glamourous. Huge frescos and oil paintings with golden gilt frames adorned almost every wall and ceiling in this heart of Venetian governance...even the prison cells were far from horrific. Sadly the Doge's apartment was under renovation, but the rest of the palace was well worth a visit. Afterwards, we headed across Saint Mark's Square to the Museum Correr, all included in our Museum Pass. The entrance room housed one of the most interesting displays in any of the museums we'd visited; it showed the history of trying to preserve Venice from flooding as well as a 20 minute video on the various barrier defences and lagoon preservation currently underway. Beyond this, the royal apartments and archeological museum held some fascinating pieces including 17th century globes and a letter signed by Elizabeth I. After such a hectic morning, we were exhausted and it was only lunchtime!Read more