Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I have a love affair with Venice, Italy. It’s the place where I took my first breath of Italian air and where my husband asked me to marry him. How could I not be obsessed? It’s always surprises me that Venice is one of those love it -or-hate it destinations. I’m here to tell you why I love it!

1. It’s Magical

Venice is pure magic; it doesn’t even feel real. A city built on water, that is actually sinking over time! With no cars, the only way to get around is either by boat or by foot. There is something about never having to check for cars before crossing the street, that is so whimsical and romantic. You’ll never know what’s behind a street corner, since the “streets” are narrow alleys that may lead to a small bridge over a canal, a grand piazza, or a stunning lagoon view.

2. It’s easy to “get lost”

This may be a reason why someone will tell you they hate Venice, but for me, it’s my absolute favorite thing about Venice. Getting lost in Venice is my favorite thing to do, just because you’ll never know what you’ll discover as you wander the canals. Obviously this can be frustrating if you have somewhere to be, at a certain time, and you can’t find it, but my favorite days in Venice are the ones where there are no plans. Of course, there are things to see like Piazza San Marco and you’ll want to ride a gondola at some point, but the best way to experience Venice is by wandering to explore. This is how we’ve stumbled on some of our favorite *hole in the wall* type of restaurants: Ostaria al Diavo’lo e L’aquasanta being one of them! We popped in here after seeing gondoliers heading in for a bite during their break—we knew it had to be a local favorite.

3. The Snack & Cocktail culture

Most people who have visited Venice will tell you the food isn’t good. And that’s because they’ve fallen trap to tourist restaurants, were on a guided tour that planned where they would eat, or were expecting “Italian” food that they are used to in the United States (which is surely different than the typical cuisine in Venice). I’ve had some amazingly fresh meals in Venice, but the snack and cocktail culture is really where it’s at! Venice does an awesome aperitivo (see my previous post about aperitivo HERE)— and has a whole culture dedicated to tasting “cicchetti,” (small bites) from a bacaro (a bar specializing in apertifs). Cicchetti can be crostini, tiny sandwiches, small fried bites of seafood, meat and rice—think Venetian tapas. You can make a meal out of this by ordering a bunch and sharing. Most of the time, cicchetti is accompanied by an “ombra,” a glass of local wine or even a spritz! It’s super fun to bacaro hop throughout your afternoon in Venice, grazing on small bites and wandering about.

4. Sightseeing by boat

I’ve already told you that my favorite way to see Italian towns on the coast and on the lake is by boat. Since Venice is practically IN the water, you can see the entire city by boat. I will never NOT ride a gondola in Venice, especially since that’s how Joe proposed, but there’s plenty of opportunity to see Venice by boat, not just gondola. For starters, the public transport is called the vaparetto, also known as the water bus. You can visit every nook and cranny of Venice via the vaparetto. Passes for the vaparetto can be bought just as you would buy a metro card, unlimited access by day or simply pay per ride. With the ability to hop-on/hop-off the vaparetto, you’re able to hit up all the main sights like: the grand canal, Piazza San Marco, the Rialto bridge and more. AND the vaparetto can take you beyond central Venice, to other Venetian islands like Murano and Burano.

5. The History

At one time, Venice was one of the most powerful republics in the world. Dominating trade and commerce, Venice was the one of the wealthiest cities and cultural epicenter. With money, came a strong investment in art, music and literature. A ton of famous writers, musicians and artists all lived in Venice and left their mark. You can get a taste of the baroque style just by checking out the architecture of the buildings, or even paying a visit to the Doge’s palace. The oldest cafe in the world, Cafe Florian, is located in Piazza San Marco, where you can have a treat and coffee in the same cafe as Casanova, Lord Byron and Charlie Chaplin to name a few! It’s like stepping back in time.

When I visited Venice in the summer of 2017, I wrote a short but brief love letter to my favorite Italian city:

“Venice, our love story is a good one. When we first met, you captured my heart at first sight. The second, you gave me lots of belly laughs with my bestos a Carnevale. The third, a proposal & engagement to my love. This time, you did not disappoint! You added Murano & Burano to my list and gave me magical nights of vino in San Marco and bellinis, private boats and sunsets. Until we meet again my friend, Ciao.”

And we did meet again after that. Only the next time, my baby Marco was with us (in my belly, of course). We did not know it was him, but we took a picture with Marco in San Marco square. I can’t wait to take him there so he can experience the magic.