Day Trips From

Tips and Advise for day trips from Venice by Road to Travel Inc.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Sestiere Cannaregio

Cannaregio is one of the six sestieri, or districts, of Venice located in the north of the city where you can get away from the maddening crowds and enjoy authentic Venetian life.

The area was settled in the 15th century, so Renaissance left a significant mark on Cannaregio’s planning making it more luminous and spacious than other sestieri. The great masters Titian and Tintoretto lived here.

Cannaregio
The Strada Nova opened in the 19th century is the main street in Cannaregio and the longest street in Venice. Here you will find many quaint shops, ice cream parlours, small bakeries and green grocers. The neighbourhood is home to the Jewish Ghetto with its five beautiful synagogues. The stunning Renaissance Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli that has been recently restored is also located here. 

Another gem that is worth a visit is the Gothic Madonna dell'Orto Church built in the 14th century in red bricks with contrasting white stone decorations. Inside you can admire spectacular paintings by Tintoretto, who is also buried here.

Madonna dell'Orto
The famous Ca' d'Oro, one of the most beautiful palaces on the Grand Canal is found in Cannaregio. One of the best example of gothic architecture in Venice, the palace’s facade was once covered in gold (hence the name “golden house”). Today, the beautiful palace is home to the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro. Stunning Ca' Vendramin Calergi and Palazzo Labia are also located in Cannaregio and are worth a visit.

Check out the charming small square Campo dei Mori with its pretty Palazzo del Cammello and three turbaned statues that, according to a local legend, are three brothers turned to stone as a punishment for their greed. 

Ca' d'Oro
In Cannaregio you will find some of the best Venetian bacari, typical small bars where local enjoy wine and snacks called “cicheti”. Alla Vedova (Cannaregio, 3912, Ramo Ca' d'Oro) serves delicious polpette (pork meatballs) and Venetian tripe. In Cantina Vecia Carbonera (2328, Cannaregio) try local artichokes and tiny panini with gorgonzola and leek. 


Photos via Flickr by: Rick Payette, Nick Bramhall, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Drinking the wine of Venetian nobles on Mazzorbo

Although located only a short vaporetto ride from Venice, the little-known island of Mazzorbo seems like worlds away. With only a few couple of hundred resident it is hard to believe that 1000 years ago Mazzorbo was a lively settlement with thousands of inhabitants.

Mazzorbo
The island is connected to its more famous neighbour, Burano, with a long wooden footbridge and sees very few visitors. Winston Churchill used to come here with his easel to paint. Today, only the most curious tourists and people in the know arrive to this peaceful backwater to stroll along Mazzorbo’s few streets, wonder off to see cultivated fields and views over the lagoon, admire the 8th century Church of Santa Caterina and … drink the local wine that Venetian nobles used to love. 

Venissa Vineyard
Wine connoisseurs know Mazzorbo for Scarpa Volo, the ancient estate encircled by medieval walls, which has been lovingly restored by the Bisol family, well-respected prosecco wine producers. The Bisols have been making wine for 21 generations and stepped in to save the local vineyard a decade ago. Once a thriving farm with fruit orchards, a vegetable garden, fishpond and vines had been in decay for centuries when the new owners arrived. They restored the estate and put all their energy into reviving la Dorona, the “golden grape” as it was called by the Doges of Venice, which had been 
forgotten for a long time. 

It is not an easy task to keep a vineyard on Mazzorbo: the constant threat of high water (“l’aqua alta”) and elevated salt levels of the soil limit production. As a consequence, the yield from the vines here is one of the lowest in the world. Every year between four and five thousand bottles of Venissa, highly prized white wine, as well as red, are produced in the vineyard. The wine is sold in gold foil embellished bottles hand-made by a Murano glass master. The vineyard has a simple hotel and a restaurant where gourmet and wine connoisseurs flock to enjoy exquisite food and the ancient wine.


Photos by: Michael Day/Flickr, Venissa/Facebook.