Canal in Burano

Burano is known for its brightly colored houses. Violet, yellow, bright pink, any color and side by side, each house its own.
The streets are very narrow and the main ones lined in lace stores and workshops. There are lovely old ladies who have been making lace for 60 years. It is amazing to see how the lace is made, and the delicate pieces are lovely, all made from tiny stitches. We had a typical Venetian lunch, seafood, and finished with the typical dessert from Burano, warm cookies dipped in sweet moscato wine. We walked into the church on the island and were treated with a beautiful 20 minute set by the organ tuner. The church filled to listen to him play church hymns as well as beautiful classic tunes as well.

Making lace

We spent so much time in Burano that we ran out of time for Torcello, so it will have to wait for the next trip.
We did make it through the lock in time and had a beautiful boat ride through the river as the sun was heading down, there was a heavy mist on the water and with it came some refreshing cool air. We pulled back into the small dock in Casale sul Sile and we all freshened up for dinner. While we had a lovely dinner in Casale a week before, we wanted to try something new.

The river back to Casale sul Sile

The gelato shop guided us toward La Tana dei Golosi. When we walked in we were greeted by Nicolo the chef. He explained to us that there was no menu but he prepared whatever you would like with what he has fresh. He quickly realized that this was difficult for us not knowing the local ingredients and specialty dishes, as well as there being a slight language barrier. So when Nicolo returned to our table a few minutes later, we were delightfully surprise to see that he had sensed our hesitation and created a menu for us. He read us the menu and all of our concern was gone. Fresh cheese baked on top of even fresher tomatoes and plenty of fresh seafood to fill our hearts desire. When dinner was over Nicolo brought out glasses and two bottles of liqueur. One was grappa the famous Italian after dinner drink and the other was a licorice drink and Nicolo had made both of them himself.
It was a great evening and it was cool enough out to open all of the windows on the boat and sleep with the sounds of the river.

Tomorrow we will head back to the Le Boat docks and tuen the boat in. The town nearby, Treviso should be very nice. We will spend our last day in Italy there.

Arrivederci!



View from the bell tower

The day started with a very Italian breakfast spread out on our upper deck dinning table. Fresh scrambled eggs, asiago cheese, the sweetest little tomatoes ever and a selection of hand crafted salami and prosciutto. The early morning views of the water taxi stands and the bridges leading into St. Marks is a peaceful one. The mask vendors are getting set up and the crowds are only beginning to pour in. As the day goes on you can watch the crowds grow from the quiet San Giorgio. If you think the view can’t get any better visit the bell tower of San Giogio’s Church and pay 3 euros to ride the elevator up to the top. 360˚ views of all the islands of Venice are breathtaking. It gives a whole new perspective to the layout of the city.
As the afternoon heat started to wane we headed for a long taxi ride from San Giorgio Maggiore to the Rialto, we took the long way but it is worth it. The buildings are beautiful and the mix of old and new world architecture is fascinating. The colors and the arches are different here in venice than anywhere else in Italy.
We had a few good leads about a little restaurant off the beaten path in Rialto. Madonna is the name and it opened up from its summer holiday just in time for us to dine there. It was fantastic, we decided unanimously that it was the freshest seafood of the trip. Fried tiny soft shell crabs, sardines, calamari, sea bass, monk fish, their seafood fridge is extensive and they keep it out in the open so you can see the selection. The perfect dinner to end the day and the best tiramisu yet.

Soft shell crabs

So, back to the boat for one last night-time view of St. Marks and off to bed to get ready for Burano and Torcello in the morning. Then back through the river and at the lock before 7pm.
Ciao!

Fishing Hut in Chioggia

We pulled into the marina at Chioggia, Darsena Le Saline,  which was a lovely sportfishing club with a restaurant and bar, showers and a computer.
Chioggia is a fishing village and the canals were packed with fishing vessels ready for the upcoming fishing season. New Italian flags were being painted on the sides of some boats and many fisherman were repairing their nets. Along the canals were rows of little bars filled with fisherman drinking wine and playing cards.
We continued over the various bridges until an old Italian woman motioned for us to head over one more bridge to the Sanctuary Church of St. Dominic. The view from the outside seems very simple with brickwork and an unfinished facade. However, the church is important and quite impressive. Hanging behind the alter is a statue of Christ with a long history. The crucifix has hung in this church since 1812, when it was en route by sea to Venice to be placed in a church there. There was a shipwreck and the crucifix floated to Chioggia and has remained there ever since. A man we met in the church says that it is actually the oldest crucifix in the world. It is known for sure that the crucifix was in another church until 1479, and it is believed that the crucifix came alive to St. Peter The Matyr, who lived until 1252, so it may well be one of the oldest.
The people we met in Chioggia were very friendly and welcoming. We had an exquisite evening sitting by the water, people-watching and then eating at a fantastic restaurant called “El Gato” (the cat). We had some of the freshest seafood yet, and the richest and creamiest “sgroppino” a drink made of lemon gelato, vodka and sparkling wine.
Tomorrow we head back to Venice to dock at San Giorgio Maggiore, where the best view of the city is waiting for us!
Until then, ciao!

Yesterday morning started at the Rialto market. Row after row of bright red tomatoes and enormous red peppers, mountains of fruits and vegetables. After the produce section of the market came the seafood. Piles of tiny little soft shell crabs, fresh whole scallops on the shell and various sizes of Mediterranean fish.
After our trip to the colorful Rialto market, we took our market purchases back to the upper deck of our Magnifique and had a huge Italian spread.
Later in the day, after our lunchtime break, we headed back out to the water taxi and boarded the express boat to a new part of the Grand Canal. We walked the winding streets stopping at various cafes for a capuccino or cold glass of prosecco. We continued exploring the unknown until we ended up at Harry’s Bar for their famous Bellini.
We made it an early night to prepare for our day trip to Chioggia first thing in the morning.
Chioggia is a great little fishing village about two hours south of Venice.
Check back in tomorrow to hear how it went!
Arrivaderci!

We took a 10-minute vaporetto (water taxi) ride over to Murano, the island known for the centuries-old tradition of glass blowing. Many factories will invite you in to watch the masters at work by the furnace. It is mesmerizing to watch them spin, pull and tap the melted glass as it transforms into a delicate glass or a figurine of a horse.
As we left the factory heading to lunch, the factory doorman picked us ripe figs out of a tree near by. There is nothing quite like a fig warmed up from the sun and ripe from the vine.
We stopped for lunch for some fresh seafood. The little local places further away from main tourist strip are a safe bet for a great meal.
We hopped back on the water taxi and jumped from place to place. The taxis run very often and once you figure out the different lines, it’s just like jumping on a subway. The only dfference is that this subway has a incomparable lagoon view. As the sun went down, we headed back onto the main island to a district called Dorsoduro for an amazing local meal at hidden gem called Al Profeto. The bruschetti misti, is a must order. The misti is a mix of fresh bread toasts with various toppings, fresh tomatoes, olive spread, fresh sun-dried tomatoes; actually go ahead and order two!
So much to do, so little time, we are grateful we are here on the weeklong trip.
Tomorrow, Rialto market first thing in the morning and on to some classic tourist sight seeing.
Ciao amici! 

Entering the lock

The skyline of Venice is majestic and bright; it was breathtaking the whole way in. There are so many colors on the buildings, bright blues, yellows and red against various colors of plaster and brick. Very Mediterranean and a great spot to pull out the camera.
We quickly found a mooring at Diporto Velico Veneziano. A private marina in Sant’ Elena, it is very quiet  and the dockmaster, who goes by Lalo, is extremely friendly. There are hook-ups for water and power, showers and internet.
A quick water taxi and we arrived in the awe-inspiring Piazza San Marco.
Many things were closed as it was Feria de Agosto (an Italian holiday) but there were no shortage of interesting sites to see.
As the sun was heading down around 9 pm, a romantic gondola ride through the Grand Canal and down the dark and winding canals that link the island, was the perfect way to end the day’s touring. Our gondolier took us by Marco Polo’s home, Mozart’s Italian home, and La Fava (Venice’s oldest church).
It was a totally different experience gliding under the bridges and being up close to the water line. It’s easy to imagine the years of Venice’s most  prestigious inhabitants using the canals as their transport and entering the houses through the little stairways and little private boathouses.
Don’t miss the gondola ride; in fact, one may not be enough.

Sport Cruisin’.

V62 Photo Courtesy of Viking Sport Cruisers

August 2010 Contents

Destinations

Carolina Loop

Explore this great get-away idea
By Beth Adams-Smith

Steinhatchee

It’s scallop season in Florda’s historic big bend.
By Marilyn Mower

Features in this issue

Towed or Stowed

We help you decide what to do with your tender.
By Eric Sorensen

Sport Yacht Trends

The newer models are larger, faster, more user friendly and probably driven with pods.
By Marilyn Mower

Power Up

Get the lowdown on that other chunk of iron low down in your boat.By Bill Ando

New Boats Reviewed

Riviera 5800

In control with triple IPS.
By Marilyn Mower

Riva 56

The latest Italian fashion statement.
By Dudley Dawson