Venice, Italy
Ciao, familia! I’m so excited to share a few highlights from our most recent trip to Venice, Italy. From dreamy boat rides through the canals and the most unforgettable meals, to watching master artisans blow glass in Murano and attending one of the world’s most legendary operas… every moment felt like a movie.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to book your next Venetian vacation—this is it.
Quick Hit List:
📍 Gio’s at the St. Regis Venice
📍 Vero Venetian Roots
📍Antiche Carampane
📍Ristorante Al Covo
📍Mercato del Pesce al Minuto / WEnice
📍Teatro La Fenice / Taverna La Fenice
📍Gino Mazzuccato (Murano)
Teatro La Fenice (Dress: Abercrombie, Boots: Vince Camuto)
📍 Gio’s at the St. Regis Venice: Usually we don’t eat at our hotel, but this meal was EXCEPTIONAL for the night we didn’t have any reservations! The tasting menu was elegant and deeply satisfying—proof that sometimes the best meals are the ones you don’t plan.
📍 Vero Venetian Roots: Intimate and elegant—we were the only guests dining during the first seating. Their tasting menu felt thoughtful and refined; every plate was a work of art.
📍Antiche Carampane: This spot is Venice at its most honest. The vibes? Cozy and local—you feel like family. Their spaghetti in salsa (a traditional Venetian pasta with slow-cooked onions and anchovies from the Gulf of Trieste) was simple, briny, and delicious.
📍 Ristorante Al Covo: Probably my favorite bite of the entire trip—these clams were impossibly fresh, deeply flavorful, and cooked with restraint and respect. This dish was a masterclass in letting ingredients speak for themselves. Long Island could never 🤭
📍Mercato del Pesce al Minuto: The Mercato del Pesce al Minuto is where the city’s seafood culture feels most alive. Locals gather early in the morning as the day’s catch arrives from the lagoon. It’s raw, authentic, and deeply Venetian—offering a glimpse into the traditions that shape the city’s cuisine. We opted for some fresh langoustines and fritto misto from a nearby counter called WEnice.
📍Teatro La Fenice: Finally crossed seeing an opera off my bucket list! We saw Anna Bolena, sung in Italian with English subtitles. I was moved to tears by how talented the performers were, how beautiful the space was, and how lucky I felt. Even though we booked our tickets more than a month in advance, our seats had a limited view of the stage… which did not bother us at all, because we had such a stunning view of the theater.
📍 Taverna La Fenice: At intermission, we slipped out for a romantic rendezvous over risotto secco, a traditional Venetian specialty, at Taverna La Fenice. Located literal steps from the opera house, this taverna has long served as a gathering place for opera-goers, musicians, and artists before and after performances.
Risotto secco, a traditional Venetian specialty, at Taverna La Fenice
📍Gino Mazzuccato: During the day, we took a boat over to the island of Murano, famous for its centuries-old glassmaking tradition. Glass is blown there rather than in Venice itself since in the 13th century, all furnaces were moved off the main island to prevent devastating fires. (This is also why you can’t find good pizza in Venice—no wood burning ovens.)
Andrew in Murano
I love the Viator app, so we used that to book an intimate glass blowing demonstration at Gino Mazzuccato. This was another first for both Andrew and me; the experience was a lot of fun and very hands on. Glass blowing is definitely a lot harder than we expected! We returned home with hand-blown glass souvenirs and gifts—the perfect keepsakes.
The other keepsake I couldn’t leave Venice without was a mask. I (obviously) selected a cat in honor of my fur child, MJ. When I asked the artist why cats appear so prominently in the city, she explained that throughout history, rats devastated their population by spreading the plague and it was the cats who hunted those rats and ultimately saved the people. Since then, cats have become symbols of protection, survival, and quiet guardianship in Venice. There were a lot of stands throughout the city that offered cheap plastic masks—I’m so glad we opted to go somewhere local, for both the craftsmanship and the history.
One of my favorite parts about being in Venice was floating through the picturesque canals. We booked a private boat to and from the airport, as well as to Murano for our glass blowing experience—but we took the Vaporetto (water bus) as transportation home from Murano, as well as to and from some of our dinner reservations. Figuring out the Vaporetto schedule intimidated us at first since we don’t speak Italian, but wound up being very easy and provided gorgeous views of the city, especially during sunset. Would highly recommend both of these experiences, but would personally avoid the gondolas.
