My initial visit took place in September of the previous year; it was intended to be a multi-stop road trip through Florence, Rome, and Venice, but due to the logistical challenges of driving, we ultimately chose one destination: Venezia, my long-held dream spot. Interestingly, I didn’t adhere to my usual planning habits, as I typically take great care to consider all the specifics of where I’m headed—I didn’t this time. I was fortunate enough to receive recommendations for a few restaurants, and somewhat foolishly, or so it seemed at the moment, selected the Luna Baglioni hotel, disregarding both my instincts and advice from various friends who cautioned against it. To be clear, I’m not here to disparage the establishment; it wasn’t terrible, but upon our arrival, they literally could not locate our reservation for about thirty minutes, which, as you can imagine, was frustrating given the lengthy journey we’d undertaken (road trip, remember?) and that I had exchanged more than a few emails with the front desk about our stay and the activities we wanted to plan. Eventually, they located our rooms, which we had to upgrade because the junior suite I originally booked ended up being a rather spacious room with a small bathroom that offered no view of the city or canal, despite the hotel being (in my mind) ideally situated right on the grand canal, just five steps from St. Mark’s square; it was indeed near, but the views were lacking. Naturally, I went downstairs to negotiate an upgrade, which I secured—albeit for an additional cost. Without a doubt, the upgraded suite was stunning, albeit a bit aged like everything else in Venice. It was called the ‘Sansovino lagoon view suite’ and featured a large terrace with an exquisite rooftop view of the canal. It was somewhat disappointing and unexpected that the vista didn’t directly overlook the canal, given the hotel’s prime location, but the interior was quite welcoming; the Renaissance-style finishes lent it a much lighter ambiance compared to the darker, more foreboding designs typical in most Venetian residences. Nonetheless, worrying about one’s accommodation in Venice should be the least of one’s concerns, as you won’t spend much time there; once we settled and unpacked, we hurried out and it felt like we hardly returned until our departure day, which came quicker than anticipated.
As a newcomer to Venice, I assumed I’d need roughly five days to explore the city, but thankfully my sister advised me otherwise at the last moment, and I adjusted our stay to just four days—turns out that was still a bit excessive…
On our first night, as an eager traveler excited to experience every tourist attraction my chosen city had to offer, I naturally booked a gondola ride to the restaurant, and not just any restaurant, it had to be THE restaurant—Da Ivo.
The oldest and most renowned dining establishment in Venice, accessible, of course, via the infamous Venetian gondolas gliding through the less-than-pleasant, rat-ridden canals. We didn’t actually spot any rats, but that’s the local lore. When I travel, I prefer local cuisine as it offers a deeper insight into the foreign culture. Even though beef carpaccio was invented in Venice by Signor Cipriani, the local fare better reflects the city’s coastal location. Venetians prefer seafood, including squid ink pasta and risotto, sardines, and shellfish dishes like spaghetti alle vongole, which technically didn’t originate in Venice yet is highly regarded. Among other traditional Italian dishes widely available in Venice is, of course, liver, lauded far and wide as one of their specialties, historically reserved for the Venetian elite. Although I would typically relish a plate of seafood and squid ink pasta with clams—my childhood favorite—the odors of Venice deterred me from consuming anything aquatic, so I opted for the less conventional but utterly delightful offerings that the Italians graciously presented: stuffed zucchini flowers, beef carpaccio, and truffle pasta, all thanks to the exquisite cuisine at Da Ivo restaurant. It marked our first and most incredible dining experience in Venice, and little did we know it would also be our last exceptional one.
Upon exiting the restaurant, we discovered that the city was truly a labyrinth—an unsettling realization for anyone prone to claustrophobia. Navigating our way was incredibly challenging; thankfully, it was very late, and the streets were deserted, as even a person without any hint of claustrophobia could find themselves feeling trapped in a maze. That sensation became even more pronounced the following day during a walking city tour with a guide—in the sweltering heat, the maze seemed tighter, and I felt that with every step.
