A perfect day of travel... what exactly is that?

When I read Sabine's (of the blog Ferngeweht call for a blog parade, the answer was immediately clear. I didn't even have to pause to decide between two or three travel days that were perfect. No, there is a very clear and unambiguous answer. And it doesn't involve exotic locations, magnificent landscapes or extraordinary excursions. My perfect travel day is as simple as can be.

Giro de Ombre & indulgence in Venice

La Serenissima – for me, one of the most wonderful cities in the world. To avoid the worst of the tourist crowds, I prefer to visit in November or March, when you can sit in the sun without a jacket and don't have to squeeze your way through the narrow streets at a snail's pace with masses of people.

I have now been to this beautiful city five times, and I would love to go there for a weekend every year. Even I find this somewhat ambivalent. As you have probably heard, the Venetians are now protesting vehemently against the masses of tourists – and rightly so! Nothing is worse than seeing gigantic cruise ships slowly passing by St. Mark's Square, towering over everything in Venice. At least that will soon be a thing of the past. Nevertheless, even in the off-season months, when I like to go there, there are simply too many people. And that's only a fraction of those who are here during the peak season in summer and during carnival time.

And yet I still can't tear myself away from the city. That's why today I want to tell you about my perfect day out in Venice – a day that was full of atmosphere and very little action. For me, it's not a great museum or impressive architecture that makes a place my favourite – it's the moment when I stand somewhere, look around, take a deep breath and say to myself

Yes, it's wonderful here. Right now, at this moment, I'm happy.

A day in Italy naturally begins with...

„Un cappuccini e un cornetto naturale, per favore!“

Coffee and croissants – that's all Italians need for breakfast. We stick to local customs, of course, and as someone who likes a sweet breakfast, I particularly enjoy this. The little bar around the corner is perfect for this, and a small bar table completes the Italian feeling.

Once the initial hunger has been satisfied and conversation has become easier, a second cappuccino is in order. Nowhere else is it as good as in this country; I am uncertain as to why that is. Naturally, I only drink it here in the morning; from late morning onwards, I stick to espresso. That is how it should be. 🙂

Venice is still quiet in the early morning. Very few tourists can afford accommodation directly on the lagoon, even though it's simply brilliant. It's a completely different feeling to walk out onto the streets of Venice in the morning and look around after your first coffee than to have to take the train from Mestre or the boat from the Lido first.

I stroll through the empty streets, take photos and enjoy the first rays of sunshine. In the afternoon, it will be so warm that I can walk around in a T-shirt, whereas at home, a day without a jacket is still unthinkable.

Giro de Ombre

There is a wonderful custom in Venice that I immediately embraced: the Giro de Ombre. A ‘Giro’ is a walk, an ‘Ombre’ is a specific small wine glass size.

And with that, you can probably already imagine what our perfect day in Venice would look like...!

During a Giro de Ombre, you stroll from bar to bar, have a drink at each one, chat and eat a few cichetti, which are small snacks such as sandwiches, olives or pickled sardines. Of course, you don't get drunk, but rather treat yourself to a highly enjoyable little tipple and make sure you keep it going for as long as possible with excellent wine and perfectly balanced small delicacies.

My Giro de Ombre begins at Campo Erberia, the market square near the Rialto Bridge, where Venice's famous fish market is held every Saturday. For me, it's the ideal place, because markets are the best thing about any city anyway.

With a bit of luck, we'll find some fresh oysters and have them opened right away so we can slurp them down. We usually grab a few strawberries to go as well. Otherwise, I stroll through the market aisles past the stalls and enjoy the many aromas, colours and the hustle and bustle of the people around me.

Before and after, you can of course fortify yourself with a fine glass of wine and a few delicious snacks.

A little excursion is also allowed

To keep things interesting, we happily and refreshedly board a boat in the early afternoon and head to the island of Burano. It is known for its fine lace, although only a few shops still sell ‘genuine’ Venetian lace. Just like in Murano, where much of the lace comes from China, the same is true here.

The beauty of Burano, however, lies not in its lace tablecloths, but in its brightly coloured houses, which have become world famous thanks to their colourfulness. And, of course, a fine Aperol Spritzerl is also available here.

When you return to Venice by boat and are lucky with the weather and timing, your heart will be delighted with a view like this:

Could the day get any better? Perhaps with a grand finale in a small restaurant serving Venetian specialities and a refreshing Vino della Casa. Simply wonderful.

 And now that I've really whetted my appetite with my report about my perfect day of travel, I'm even more excited that I'll be spending another weekend in the beautiful lagoon city at the end of October!

By the way, I have written more about Venice in my articles on cruise ships in Venice and the most important information about travelling to this wonderful city. geschrieben.

More perfect travel days?

On Ferngeweht , you will find more perfect travel days from other travel bloggers who report on experiences from all over the world.