Wow – it’s been so busy since my return from our September/October Candelaria Design Tour Italy. Our office is filled with many wonderful projects with everything from small remodel / additions, to full on estates, to the 32,000 sf Colten Bat Cave we currently have in design. Make sure you give us your VOTE for the Arizona Foothills Magazine Best of the Valley
I have been trying to find some time to write about the end of our Tour Italy – so here it is.
Our Italy travelers left early in the morning and Isabel and I and our travel mates Phil and Renee Giltner, stayed in Positano until later that afternoon whereupon the Giltners were kind enough to share their silent auction winnings with us which comprised of a trip to Venice for three days and nights. How could we resist that???
So with our travelers on their way back to the States we checked out of the hotel in Positano and made the drive from Positano to Naples to turn in our cars and check in for our flight to Venice. Now I have had airport food all over the place but nothing like in the Naples Airport…..Amazing.
Short flight to Venice, grab the luggage and then it’s a quick transport to the water taxi and then you are in a completely different world….the surreal and romantic landscape of Venice. This was Isabel’s first visit to Venice and it is so fun to bring someone to this city for the first time as it truly is unique and there is nothing like Venice in the world.
Our taxi took us to our hotel which was right on the Grand Canal. The Hotel CaSegredo was a palace originally owned by the Morosini family and was purchased at the start of the 18th century by the Segredo family whereupon later it was converted to a hotel. Let me tell you – this hotel truly is a Palace and what a way to stay in Venice.
I love Venice – the city is virtually a museum built on wood stilts and because of the canals and the fact this city is built on islands in the middle of a lagoon there are no cars, no vespas, hence its a unique quiet that you don’t experience in other European cities. You walk everywhere or go by boat and so you experience it at a quiet and slower perception - it’s magical.
We enjoyed all we could in the time we had including a private walking tour. Now this was not your usual tour of the well know sights of Venice. No – Isabel wanted to see Venice through the eyes of the courtesans of the golden age of Venice. Believe it or not – there is such a tour and it was actually quiet interesting and really informative…..from a historic standpoint!
Of course we spent time in Piazza San Marco, enjoyed several museums and galleries, took a gondola ride, enjoyed the Grand Canal from a water taxi and experienced the main market. We found some wonderful places to dine including a fantastic lunch at the Ristorante La Feluca where we walked into an empty restaurant but by the time we left the restaurant was filled with a couple dozen gondoliers who dined their daily and once served it was easy to understand why. Let’s just say, Isabel was very popular with the gondoliers. Another good stop for amazing pizzas not far off the Piazza San Marco was Rossopomodoro – we ate there twice!
What a wonderful trip and experience and thank you to our good friends, clients, and fellow travelers, Phil and Renee Giltner.
