A-Z Challenge ~ Venice, Italy #atochallenge

 

Venice, Italy was the first stop on our Italy trip in 2010. I am sorry to say, I did not enjoy it as much as I should have. I think I fantasized the grandeur of Venice too much that when I saw it, I felt cheated, disappointed. It seemed too small and not as exciting as I thought it would be.

I think it started with the hotel showing significant signs of mold and mildew on all the walls and the smell just about killed me. Not that we planned on spending a lot of time in the room, but sleeping became an issue because of the smell and our allergies. Yeah, I probably sound like a spoiled brat, but it was the start of my disappointment.

So, as soon as we checked in, we ran out to go scope the place. I think we circled it in about 15 minutes. Well, that’s what it felt like. We found a small pizza place and I was extremely surprised to find that it was owned and run by Chinese.

Now, let me explain this … I’m Italian American and have always wanted to go to my home country–my motherland. LOL. I wanted to see my people. Not just those I grew up around. In Boston, Italian Americans and the off the boat Italians didn’t really associate that much. We weren’t good enough because we were Americans. So, I really wanted to see the real deal. You know? I had these ideas–the authenticity–Italian women cooking and Italian people that could barely speak English all over the place. Well, it seemed that it was no different than the U.S. that it was such a big melting pot. In Venice, there was a huge population of Chinese and Africans. Yes, there were Italians, but it just wasn’t what I expected. I guess it was too commercialized, touristy. Duh! It’s Venice. I know, right? But it ruined my fantasies.

Anyway, it was pretty. The architecture, the canals, the gondolas, and the gelato. That’s all I ate during that trip.

My favorite part was going to Murano Island to see how they blow glass.

After this, we rented a car and started our drive South. First stop, Maranello to see the Ferrari museum.
Have you ever been to Venice? What did you think of it?