From the top of St Mark’s tower to the steps of the Rialto Bridge, Venice is one of those rare places in the world that feels like a living museum – or more accurately a living gallery.

It’s little wonder so many poems, books, films and paintings have Venice as the central character.

A sea of terracotta rooftops, waterways stitched with tiny bridges, and streets and canals so narrow there’s barely space for the buildings to breathe. It’s easy to get lost as you wander, but that’s where the real fun of Venice begins.

Getting lost in Venice – finding the city’s heart

I’ve been to Venice several times now – with my family, on my own and together with Jim – and each time I see something new. Even travelling the same path you’ll notice different things, meet new people and take away a whole other side to Venice.

And the most important thing to remember is getting away from the main tourist areas of Venice doesn’t mean you’re away from the most beautiful parts.

In fact, most of the time that’s quite to the contrary, and you’ll have it all to yourself as well.

We’ve shared our 5 things you must do in Venice and we stand by those, but we really wanted to focus on that extra tip of allowing time to wander.

We recommend avoiding the heaving summer crowds and try to plan your visit for autumn or spring instead. If you do visit in winter, you’ll find some places are closed, but you’ll have the city to yourself.

So put away your map, take your vaporetto ticket and put on comfortable shoes. Venice is a romantic city that needs more than a guided day trip to really experience it.

And if you can’t get to Venice right now, here are our Postcards from Venice.

Have you been to Venice? What was your fave spot? Tell us in the comments!

PS. You may also like these posts on Italy –

• How to find the real Italy
• The best way to get around Venice
• How to order coffee in Italy
• How to spend a week in Tuscany
• And for more of our Postcards From… series, click here.

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Venice is one of those places everyone should see at least once in their lives. Its beauty, its history, its romance all add up to make it worth travelling across the other side of the world to see.

However, if you’re already in Milan, it’s only another 2 and a half hours of travel before you’re standing on the banks of the Grand Canal staring at the Ponte degli Scalzi and wondering how any of it is still standing.

Getting from Milan to Venice by train

Mrs Romance and I did this journey from Milan to Venice by train a little while ago and it turned out to be the best option by far. It’s quick, cheap and you don’t have to worry about parking.

Driving to Venice is possible, and going by coach is probably the cheapest option, but Venice’s main train station comes right into Venice proper.

There is also an airport, but this is on the eastern side of this incredible city and not as convenient as the train or road.

Milano Centrale

Milano Centrale train station is a northern Italian hub for many different journeys around the country – including going from Milan to Venice of course. For example you can go from Milan to Lake Como by train in under 2 hours from here.

You can book tickets online ahead of your trip or you can buy tickets when you’re ready to leave. Check the times for trains here on the Trenitalia website.

When you’re searching your trip, you need to look for trains from Milano Centrale to Venezia St Lucia.

Important – when you’re choosing your journey, make sure it’s direct. Some make you change trains along the way, which would be annoying with your luggage.

The train

When you get your ticket, make sure you validate it at one of the ticket validation points before you get to your platform. Every train has a ticket inspector who will check you’ve done this. It’s to stop people using their non-time specific ticket more than once.

If you have a ticket with seat allocation, you may not need to validate, but I would just in case.

The hardest part of your train journey will be resisting the temptation to hop off at Brescia or Verona or one of the pretty little towns you stop at along the way!

Venice

The train’s last stop is Venezia St Lucia, which comes out right on the Grand Canal. It took me by surprise when we came out of the station and there was Venice right in front of me. The crumbling walls and beautiful waterways of one of the world’s most intriguing cities was there at my feet.

Watch out for people offering to help you with your luggage. They’re not trying to be friendly, but they’re not trying to rob you either. They’ll carry your bags to wherever you want to go, but they will expect payment and it’s hard to convince them that you don’t want their help.

Getting around Venice

After leaving the station, you should probably buy your vaporetto pass. It’s worth buying a multi-day pass rather than single trips or single day passes – especially if you’re in Venice for longer than one night.

The vaporetto system is like a floating bus service that takes you all around the main canals of the city. It seems complicated at first, but once you get used to it, the vaporetto is a brilliant way to see a lot of Venice.

Here’s our guide to navigating the vaporetto in Venice.

Leaving Venice

When that sad moment comes for you to say goodbye to Venice, you can return to Venezia St Lucia Station to reach a huge number of places around the country. And in fact there are ferries that go from Venice to Croatia and Greece regularly.

Most of the vaporetto lines return to Ferrovia – the wharf to St Lucia Station. Once again, you can book train tickets ahead of time or buy them on the day. Just remember to validate them before you board the train.

While you’re in Venice, there are so many things to see and do it can get overwhelming. Here’s a shortlist for you of 5 things to do in Venice to get you started.

And if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out our Postcards from Venice here.

Going backwards

If you’re planning on going from Venice to Milan by train, you might want some help on things to do in Italy’s fashion capital.

Here are some of our favourite stories we’ve written about things to do in Milan. And don’t forget to save some time to visit Lake Como while you’re there. You won’t regret it. Here’s some more information on Lake Como.

And as we love talking about Italy, we’ve got lots of information about other destinations in Italy. Here’s our library of guides and stories from our time in this beautiful country.

We hope you have an amazing time in Italy – our favourite place to travel to. If you have any questions about the trip, ask us in the comments below. We’ll do our best to help.

Jim & Christina xx

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Whatever you do, don’t go to Venice. That’s what I tell everyone I meet because I want to keep this incredible place to myself. Well, as much as I can. With over 20 million visitors every year, I don’t think I’m going to make that much of an impact on that front!

Before I first visited Venice, I thought it was going to be a bit of a disappointment after all the hype. But from my first sight of the canals from the train station I was besotted.

Everything you see on the TV, every photo you’ve looked at, every description of it doesn’t do Venice the proper justice. It’s just beautiful; a living museum of waterways, bridges, grand buildings and romance.

But once you’ve finished gazing in awe at this town that seems to have been created especially for Instagram, what else is there to do?

5 things you must do in Venice

1. Visit Murano

Murano, famous for its glass-making. For hundreds of years the glass factories of Murano held a monopoly of high-quality glass production over Europe. The glass from this relatively remote island in the Venice archipelago is still highly prized.

The factories still in operation here use the same centuries-old methods to create the valued glass types such as the enameled glass, coloured glass and the famous aventurine – glass filled with golden threads and crystals.

Get the 3, 4.1, 12 or 13 vaporetto* to explore this fascinating, historic part of Venice not many people get to.

2. Visit Burano

Burano is probably our favourite part of Venice. Further north than Murano and only accessible by the 12 vaporetto service*, Burano is much less touristy and the locals, therefore, are much friendlier.

Other than its friendliness, the island of Burano is also famed for its colourful houses. This part of Venice is unique as there are no house numbers. Boundaries are set but the different colour of each building.

The result is one of the most beautiful, lively street scenes you can find, and coupled with the romance of the little canal network running through it and its wonky church tower, Burano has such a fun feel to it.

Be warned though, it does take a while to get here, so if you’re only in Venice for the day or if you’re on a deadline, make sure you have time to get back to town!

3. Drink spritz Aperol

Spritz Aperol has become the drink of choice throughout Italy and beyond now, but in Venice they do things slightly differently. Not only is it often extraordinarily cheap here – we’re talking €2 at one place – it’s also often served still.

For our recipe for spritz Aperol, check out our post here but usually it’s made with Aperol, prosecco and soda water. In Venice – unless you ask for it ‘frizzante’ or with prosecco, you’ll get just Aperol and white wine.

It’s still pretty good – I had quite a few – but it can be a bit of a shock that first time. Head to Giudecca, the southernmost island in the Venice lagoon for amazing views of the city and the cheapest spritz Aperols.

4. Eat spaghetti al nero di sepia

There are hundreds of places to eat around Venice, but one dish you’ll see pretty much everywhere here is the spaghetti al nero di sepia – or squid ink pasta. Each state or province in Italy has its own specialty food. Tuscany, for example, is famous for its wild boar prosciutto.

The squid ink the Venetians use as they make their pasta turns it black (hence the ‘nero’ part of the name), so don’t freak out when the dish arrives. This is a typical Venice dish and it’s bloody delicious too! It’s not very photogenic so we’ve included another food photo to entice you to try more local dishes.

5. Go up the tower at St Marks Square

St Marks Square is a crushing mass of trudging tourists, sneaky hawkers, and over-priced restaurants, bars and shops. It is somewhere you should go though. The square itself is magnificent and the crowds thin out towards the end of the day.

Try to arrive about 45 minutes before sunset, then go up the tower. The later you leave it, the smaller the queue. We were pretty much the last people to go up and the last to come down. It made it so much better. You don’t need long up there and the sunset from that height over the city is incredible.

Extra tip

Wander – don’t worry about getting lost. If there’s one city in the world that suits getting lost, it’s Venice. Around every corner is a new surprise and a new discovery, and the smaller the back street, the better. You’ll never get bored finding your way here.

Is it worth spending more than a day here?

Although over 20 million people visit Venice each year, less than half that stay the night. Hotels are expensive and often over-booked. With the advent of AirBnB however, you can find a little flat or even a canal boat to rent for a couple of nights and still spend less than one night in a hotel here.

The benefit of staying overnight in Venice is the crowds thin at sundown and you get to see the real Venice come alive.

*How to get around Venice

Venice’s canals are its main roads, so getting about by boat is the way to go. I don’t mean the exorbitantly expensive gondolas, which look painfully embarrassing to ride. I mean the vaporetto system.

Operating like buses, this complex network of public ferries covers most of Venice. It’s an affordable and fun way to see the city from the water.

Check out our post on how to get around Venice on the vaporetto here.

Do you have any tips for what to see in Venice? What would you do first if you were in Venice? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.

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Brought to you by Lavazza

Mrs Romance was brought up the old-fashioned way – as part of a community; an Italian community. And still now these lifelong friends her parents made when they were young get together regularly.

There’s always lots of talking, laughing and especially eating.

Mrs R warned me about The Italians from the start, and tried to give me crib notes on their names and who they were. It didn’t help much; I still felt overwhelmed.

No, perhaps ‘overwhelmed’ isn’t right. I felt… immersion.

It was like I was being allowed to look through – and eventually climb through – a window into a culture; to live it, to understand it, to fall in love with it.

It was like discovering the real Italy. And it’s definitely helped to make things clearer whenever Mrs Romance and I have travelled through that great country.

We now know what to look for, where to go and what to do to enjoy Italy to the max, and to have truly unique authentic experiences there.

7 ways to find the passion in Italy

1. Go beyond the tourist perimeter

You don’t have to go far from the crowds in Italy to find something amazing yet not overrun.

Even with the really big draw cards like the Trevi Fountain in Rome or St Mark’s Square in Venice, you only have to go a street or two back and you’ll find what Italy is really about. The prices will be lower, the food more authentic and the people friendlier.

The best example of this is when we were in Milan. In the main piazza – Piazza del Duomo – you’ll pay €12 for a Coke whereas two streets back, we were buying coffee for one Euro!

Extra tip:

Even in Venice, the busiest tourist spot in the country, we found peace and space. Go north-west to the island of Burano and leave the madding crowd behind.

2. Don’t rush

Accept that you’re not going to see Italy all in one go, so don’t worry about trying to get to 7 cities in 5 days or visit every castle in the country.

Take your time in each place you visit and enjoy its passion, its romance, its soul. Pick a region and really get to know it properly.

We once decided to drive from the Cinque Terre in the north-west down to Naples in the south. We only had about 3 or 4 days to do it and – although we had a great time – we wish we’d had more time to spend travelling down.

Extra tip:

Hire a car and drive the country. Italy’s one of the best places to explore by road.

Try not to get stuck in the big cities in Italy. You could spend a month just in Rome or Florence or Naples, but the real Italy isn’t necessarily in these places. It’s out in the little towns and villages scattered across the country.

3. Aperitivo hour

Happy hour for Italians is more about food than drink. Buy a drink from certain bars at around 6pm any night and you’re free to fill a plate as many times as you like.

The best example of this we found was in the backstreets of Milan in a place called Pandenus.

Extra tip:

What’s more, every time you buy a drink in a bar, you’ll probably be presented with a bowl of nuts, some pizza, some biscotti, chips… a little snack ‘to keep you going’!

4. Coffee

Coffee in Italy is a religion. They take it as seriously as their football, and it’s just as good.

Drink coffee like a local – only order a cappuccino before noon. Most Italians treat it like a breakfast meal. After that, it’s espresso all the way, perhaps a macchiato.

And if you want to make your waiter smile at dinner, ask for a ‘caffe corretto’ or corrected coffee after your meal. Caffe corretto is an espresso with a ‘blessing’ of spirit in it. Choose between Cointreau, Grand Marnier, possibly sambucca or (my favourite) grappa – or petrol, as Mrs R calls it.

Extra tip:

Buying coffee in cafés in Italy can be a little fraught. There’s an art to it: order and pay at one counter, give your ticket to the barista then pay attention.

Mrs Romance has more details in her post here.

5. Aperol spritz

One of the most popular drinks in Italy is the Aperol spritz. It has an orange flavour and is a little bitter like Campari, but has a sweeter edge.

In Italy, you’ll see everyone drinking this brightly coloured, delicious cocktail. It’s a refreshing mix of Aperol, prosecco and soda water. Depending on where you are, it’ll be served slightly differently and priced differently too.

Extra tip:

The cheapest we found was in Venice, where we paid €2.00 each – though it’s usually about €6-10!

6. Gelato

Italians LOVE their dolce! And gelato is like a staple for them. Gelato and ice cream are not the same thing, as Mrs R explains here.

The thing to look for in Italy for really good gelato is if they’ve got it covered or piled up high. If the gelato is covered, it’s going to be the best.

Avoid touristy gelatorias – look for where the locals are getting theirs. If all else fails, look for a Grom!

Extra tip:

Ask for la coppa for a little cup of gelato or il cono for a cone.

7. EAT!

To Italians, food is a big deal. The words ‘mangia!’ and ‘buon appetito’ are mantras repeated with incredible frequency and passion at our parties with The Italians.

Be daring – there are a few things that Italians eat that are a bit weird but very few that don’t taste good.

Our favourite thing to do in Italy is to find a little salumeria and buy a selection of cut meats and cheese, a bottle of local wine and have a picnic somewhere.

Extra tip:

Each region has its own specialty food so do your research and tap into that. Tuscany has its own special wild boar prosciutto, Venice specialises in squid dishes, Naples has its pizzas, and everywhere has good cheese!

Visiting Italy isn’t just about seeing the sights. It’s about plugging yourself into the passion of a nation that loves to love.

Whether you do that through the food that you eat, the place you go, the people you meet – the best thing about Italy is it will love you back.

Sharing the love of Italy

Lavazza are all about the passion of Italy. To celebrate the launch of their new pod-based coffee machine, the Minu, Lavazza are offering you the chance to win two tickets to the Old Country.

When you enter you also have the chance to win a taste of Italy in your own home with Lavazza’s very cool new Minu pod-based coffee machine that makes awesome espresso coffee – and I’m not just saying that. It really is molto buono!

To have a crack at this competition, check out Lavazza’s site FromItalyWithPassion.com.au for more details.

** Competition now closed **

Do make sure you check out Lavazza’s new Minu coffee machine. It’s a cracking little machine. We were really impressed with the coffee it produces and the range is fantastic too.

There’ll also be updates on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds about new chances for you to win, so keep your eyes peeled for the #FromItalyWithPassion tag.

** Competition now closed **

Buona fortuna!

Images by Mrs Romance.

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Venice, Italy is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. Romance flows down its canals like the many little boats, gondolas and vaporetti that float along its waterways.

The whole city is a living, floating museum, but there’s one place in particular that most people miss out when they visit Venice, which is a terrible shame.

Burano is a little island on the north-eastern fringe of the lagoon. Its streets and canals are lined with brightly coloured buildings. In fact, the closer we looked we realised no building was the same colour. It makes for a very pretty spectacle.

It’s not only pretty, Burano also has a very happy feel to it. It’s almost like a toy town. The little canals, the wonky church tower, the brightly coloured houses and shops. But the colourful walls have a deeper purpose than just making the place look nice.

Traditionally, every house was painted a different colour to signify the borders of that building’s property. There are no house numbers here.

We even found a little out-of-the-way enoteca to have a quick drink and sit down before the ride back to town.

We were very pleased we’d made the journey out of Venice away from the hordes of cattling tourists. Burano is very small, but there are still hundreds of little alleyways and interesting nooks you can explore and get lost in.

It’s one of the highlights of our visit to this remarkable destination.

From Ferrovia in the centre of Venice to Burano, it’s about a 35-minute vaporetto ride north. A lot of people head to the bigger, closer and more famous island of Murano. Murano is well-known for its coloured glass, but we found it to be a bit dull and very touristy.

Vaporetto number 12 goes to Burano, though many others will take you most of the way to neighbouring Murano. For more information on the vaporetto system, check out our guide to using Venice’s public waterbus service here.

Have you been to Venice? What was your favourite bit? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post Burano, Venice’s most colourful hidden secret appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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Even with Mrs Romance excitedly describing every detail as our train pulled into Venezia S. Lucia Station didn’t completely prepare me.

Roaming the little pathways and streets that cover the islands of this amazing city like a network of lace is enchanting. And it proves that in spite of the hundreds of canals that cut through this unique place, Venice is still a great walking city.

But this takes time and an unnaturally attuned sense of direction to get about on foot. Instead, the complex but complete vaporetto system will take you anywhere you want… providing you get the hang of it.

The vaporetto system is the public waterbus service that operates throughout Venice’s canals. Each vaporetto carries about 230 people and is the best way to get around this beautiful water-girt city.

The name ‘vaporetto’ is the diminutive form of ‘vapore’ – Italian for steam, which was how the original vaporetti were powered from 1872.

How to use the vaporetto system

When you arrive in Venice

Come out of the train station and bear right. Head to the ‘biglietteria’ ticket point and join the queue. Don’t even bother looking for your wharf until you’ve got your tickets!

You can use the automatic machines if you want, but the ticket office is better because you can ask questions and get an up-to-date route map.

Which type of vaporetto ticket to buy

Single tickets are good for an hour’s worth of travel and are €7.

If you’re in Venice for a day or two, buy 24-/48-hour tickets. They’re much better value. You can also get up to a 7-day pass, depending how long you’re there.

If you’re arriving in the afternoon, buy a single ticket and a 24- or 48-hour ticket. They only start working once you validate them, so you can use the single the day you arrive and the longer ticket from the following day.

Not all vaporetto stops have ticket offices but all of them have validation machines.

It’s very important you validate your tickets before you get your first vaporetto. If you don’t, it’s very likely you’ll be fined. Wave your ticket in front of the little machine, the lights should come on and that’s all you have to do. You only have to do this once.

You won’t be asked to show your ticket every time you get on a vaporetto, only if there’s an inspector on board. So once it’s validated pop your ticket in your wallet.

Tactics for vaporetto travel

• Tickets include just one piece of luggage and you can’t buy extra tickets! If you have more luggage than this, you’ll just have to chance it. We had a small trolleybag and a large suitcase each, and we just tried our luck and got away with it. If you’re worried or you have lots of luggage, either organise storage before you get to Venice or organise a private boat transfer with your hotel.
• Vaporetto routes can go in both directions unless it has a .1 or .2 after it. For example 4.1 and 4.2. Look at the final destination shown on the ferry (which can be hard to spot) or work out which way it’ll be heading before your vaporetto arrives.
• Carry your backpack in your arms on the vaporetto – not on your back. The locals hate this and even have signs telling people how it should be done.
• If you’re only going a couple of stops, stay nearer the doors up on deck, otherwise stay out of the way and away from the doors.
• Allow extra travel time in peak hours. Sometimes – especially in the busy tourist season – vaporetti are full and you won’t get on. Be especially careful if you’ve got a specific train to catch as the routes to the station are always busy.

• At night all routes change to just the N route on maps – this is the night route obviously not available during the day. Not all stops are included on the night vaporetto route, so make sure you choose stops on the N route after about 11pm.
• The N night vaporetto service starts at about 11pm and goes until around 5.30am.
• You can tell whether your vaporetto stops at a wharf or not by checking the map. If the route line goes over the stop, the boat doesn’t stop there. If the line breaks and the route number is where the vaporetto stop is, the boat will pull in.

Vaporetto routes you must do

Murano

Murano is known for its glassmakers and jewellery. Routes 3, 4.1, 4.2 go to and from Ferrovia – the train station stop – and 12 goes from Fondamente Nove (F.te Nove).

Burano

Route 12 also continues on to Burano, which is particularly pretty and in our opinion much nicer than Murano. Every house is painted a different colour to show the property boundaries.

Giudecca

Giudecca (from Ferrovia routes 4.1, 4.2, 2) is a quieter residential area but is also home to the Hilton, where there is a rooftop bar. Cafes and restaurants are a bit cheaper here and not so touristy but still with amazing views across the canal to the city.

St Mark’s Square

St Mark’s has 3 different stops which are quite close to the cathedral and square. Most vaporetti going along this canal will stop at S. Marco S. Zaccaria, so this is your best bet. The 1 and 2 stop at S. Marco Vallaresso, and the 2 and 10 stop at S. Marco Giardinetti as well though.

Below is the current vaporetto service map. Click on it to enlarge:

Main routes and where they go

• Routes 1 and 2 are great as they stop all the way along the Grand Canal. They’re very busy during tourist season though. 1 is an all-stops boat while 2 is more of an express. Both end up in the Lido and both go under the Rialto Bridge, which is a must on your Venice to do list.
• Routes 4.1 and 4.2 cover the same ground just anticlockwise and clockwise respectively. These are great for going all the way round the main islands of Venice and of course going to Murano.
• Route 5.1/5.2 is similar to the 4.1/4.2 but doesn’t go to Murano. It’s also a bit quicker than the 4 due to fewer stops.
• Route 7 gives you quick access from St Marks (S. Marco S. Zaccaria) to Murano in the north. It only runs during tourist season though.
• Route 10 is a short ride between the Lido, St Marks and Zattere.
• Routes 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20 and 22 are all local vaporetti used in the lagoon area east and north-east of the city and so not as useful as the other routes.

The main thing to remember is to validate your ticket then be ready with your camera as the pure romance of Venice sails by.

Have you been to Venice? What was your favourite place there?

Images by Mrs Romance.

The post The best way to get around in Venice, Italy – how to use the vaporetto system appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

For us, we are heading to Ca d’Oro to our AirBnB accommodation. It’s an awesome little top-floor apartment nestled amongst the roofs and chimneys of the lowrise Venetian skyline.

Here’s our street. A lot of Venice streets have old communal wells like the one in the foreground. No one uses them anymore though.

Venice isn’t Venice without a gondola. It’s like something out of a film to see them riding up and down the canals here.

Lunch is an excellent little trattoria somewhere on one of Venice’s little side streets. Mrs Romance goes for a delicious crab pasta and I have sepia nero. It’s pasta with cuttlefish and the sauce and pasta is black from the ink. It’s a Venice specialty and absolutely delicious.

We’re stuffed from our pasta lunch, but we still have room to at least admire the amazing cake trolley the waiter rolls out for another table.

Everywhere in Venice is a postcard. Every little bridge over every little canal. It’s just an amazing place.

The sun sets on our first night here. We sit on our rooftop balcony and absorb the romance of this beautiful water city.

Next morning we wake up and have a humble breakfast on our balcony. We went to a supermarket yesterday and picked up some local meat, cheese, eggs and apples. It makes for the best start to our day.

Mrs Romance loves taking pictures of flower stalls. I’m still reeling at how expensive this one is… unless maybe the sign-writer just doesn’t believe in decimal points.

The Rialto Bridge is the most famous bridge in the city. Its huge stone structure is home to market stalls all the way along. The stalls sell touristy trinkets but it makes for the most amazing shopping mall you’ll ever see.

The sun goes down leaving us with the only thing more beautiful than Venice in the day. Venice at night. These guys really know how to light stuff. The twinkle and glow of all the little lights along the canals and the boats meandering past make this one of the most stunning spots we’ve ever been to.

Even from the tourist-crammed walls of the Rialto Bridge, the romance of this city is palpable.

This morning we make the most of our 48-hour vaporetto tickets and head off on our Venice odyssey. We ride south all the way to Guidecca and explore some of the islands here. There’s also an amazing rooftop bar in the Hilton Molino Stucky. Of course, we have to sample their aperotivi.

Across the canal we gaze at the sights. Here’s the Chiesa del Redentore – a beautiful old church. Thanks @murfeo for ID-ing this one for us on Instagram!

We enjoy a bellini before heading off to our next place of interest. Murano – where the glass is made – is north-east and on the other side of the city. It’s incredibly touristy here and we don’t enjoy it much. And the very idea of trying to get glass all the way back to Australia in our luggage… shattering!

Instead we head further north east to Burano on the ferry system here known as the vaporetto. Here’s our guide to using this excellent ferry service in Venice.

Burano is an enchantingly garish little place. Every building is painted a different colour here.

The reason for these Harlequin streets is many years ago the borders of people’s property was painted in a different colour to identify the borders of each person’s land. The use of colour today is much more ornamental. And it makes for a beautiful photo.

Burano’s church tower leans even further over than the famous Tower of Pisa.

The colourful streets of Burano make this one of the prettiest places in all of Venice. Because it’s a bit further out, the locals are a bit friendlier too. I wonder if this is also because it’s such a fun, colourful place to live as well.

We stop for refreshments here. Mrs R is modelling my drink. The barman can’t make me a negroni (no gin!) so he makes this monster of Campari and pink vermouth. It’s awesome!

Our last stop of this epic day is all the way back to St Mark’s for sunset. We make it just in time and the sun just dips behind the beautiful Santa Maria della Salute across the Grand Canal as we pull into the San Marco quay.

We head for the famous St Mark’s Square expecting it to be a zoo, but most of the day-trippers have gone and there is no queue to go up the tower of St Mark’s Cathedral. There’s a manned lift so we don’t mind paying the €7 to go up. The views and the sunset are mind-blowing.

The next morning we head out for a bit more exploring and use up the half day we have left in Venice. We see these love hearts (very on-brand) stuck to the pavement near our apartment and think it’s the most appropriate way to end the Venice part of our Instagram diary.

Next stop, we head further north and east to Trieste, where Mrs Romance’s father was from. We use the train ride there to quietly contemplate our time just spent in one of the world’s truly romantic cities.

 Images by Mr and Mrs Romance via Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance, @HairRomance and of course @AngryBastard!

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