After leaving the Ferrari museum we stopped for a pleasant but overpriced lunch at the nearby Ristorante Montana (Via XX Settembre, 3, 41042 Fiorano Modenese MO). The food was good as was the service but not nearly the quality we had at Donatello or Osteria Romagnola but we paid close to the same amount for our lunch as we did for dinner at the other places.
After lunch, we had about a two-hour drive to Venice. The city is only accessible by foot or boat so we were met at the outskirts by Federica a petite-looking woman who runs the tour company we are using in Venice. Much to my surprise she insisted on taking BOTH of our suitcases and wanted us to hand her our backpacks too. Oh well, for petite-looking, I wouldn’t dare mess with this lady.
The boat ride brought us to Londra Palace (https://www.londrapalace.com/it/hotel.html) and this place really is a palace. The hotel first opened in 1853 and has evolved through a variety of names and renovations to be the facility we are staying at today. We were welcomed by a front desk person who took the usual information and then personally escorted us to our 3rd-floor room. The room is very spacious (similar to our hotel in Milan) with a lovely view of the Grand Canal.
This is a major change from our hotel in Bologna (Hotel Touring) where we were very disappointed in the accommodations. The Hotel Touring staff was great but our room was small, the breakfast was only adequate, and the shower was microscopic. The shower measured 27.5 inches by 35 inches.
In contrast, the Londra Palace is in a class by itself. The staff is amazing. I already told you about the front desk clerk escorting us to our 3rd-floor room. Another clerk took us into a separate room and showed us on the map where we were located and some interesting spots to hear classical music (yes, that was Patrice who was asking about classical music. I am not that cultured). The room is fantastic and the shower is beyond any comparison. Not only is the shower large, but it also has a separate sitting area for your partner with its own water source.
In addition to the room, there is a rooftop deck with a wonderful view of the city and the Grand Canal. The Touring Hotel also had a very nice rooftop view but not compared to this one. Breakfast this morning was great. We could get eggs prepared as we wished. The pastries were fresh and delicious. They gave us freshly squeezed orange juice. We each had a cappuccino with a design that showed pride in workmanship. I also ordered salmon and was embarrassed when it arrived because it was even too much for the two of us, yet for me alone. It was the best meal of the day. I am looking forward to breakfast tomorrow and we haven’t even had dinner tonight.
Speaking of dinner we had a wonderful meal last night at Bancogiro (Campo San Giacometto, Ponte di Rialto, 122, 30125 Venezia VE) where we sat outside by the Grand Canal. This place was recommended by our friend Karen and when I looked at David and Robyn’s pictures from their summer trip to Venice we saw they had been there too. I mostly mentioned dinner because I had to post a picture of the Zuppa (soup).
Today we had a wonderful walking tour from our guide, Mauro. He was full of all sorts of interesting facts about Venice and Italy. He showed us the main sights and since he is a guide we got to bypass some very long lines.
After a brief rest at the hotel, we were taught how to row a gondola by our guide, Elena. It was fun and not as difficult as I thought it would be (especially with Elena doing most of the paddling). During the “lesson” we stopped for some snacks (cicchetti) and a drink. I had an Aperol Spritz (my son, David, and his wife, Robyn talked about them during their visit so I had to give it a try). I really liked the drink but since my alcohol consumption is about 1 every 2-3 years I was ready to go to bed soon after. Speaking of bed I better either have dinner or go to sleep soon because I am fading quickly. Before I leave you please check out this video of Patrice paddling and me relaxing. https://youtube.com/shorts/YYP3qjGRsjU
Lots of fun things are planned for tomorrow. See you then.
Ciao
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 