It was the last day of our honeymoon…again. But this time it was for real. We had most of the day in Venice and then we would need to head back to Milan for the night to catch our flight early the next morning. And, you know us. We were going to make the most out of our last day. We packed it full of sightseeing, food, and exploring. 

First up was St. Mark’s Campanile which is the bell tower in front of St. Mark’s Basilica. It is probably the most recognizable landmark in the city and the only landmark I could have picked out before visiting the city. We went first thing in the morning and the lines ended up being not bad at all. Maybe 15 minutes tops and then we were on an elevator going to the top. The 360 degree views were absolutely incredible. As far as the eye could see, there was a sea of brownish-red roofs and canals cutting through the city with all sorts of boat traffic. We definitely spent longer than anticipated at the top soaking it all in. 

Since St. Mark’s Campanile is right next to the Saint Mark’s Basilica, we obviously went there next. By this point, there was a huge line at the main door. We were on a tight schedule though, so Nisheet did some quick thinking and hopped online and bought two skip-the-line tickets. Totally worth the extra 3 euros. Winning!!

The Byzantine architecture basilica was immaculate inside with the ceiling comprising of gold mosaics that took centuries to complete.  The mosaics were stunning with the light reflecting off of them no matter what angle you looked at it. The tiled floors were equally as impressive due to the wave like unevenness caused due to the city sinking each and every day. 

After exploring the main level of the basilica, we paid a few extra dollars to go upstairs to the museum. There were lots of cool paintings and works of art, but the best part was getting to see the Horses of Saint Mark. There are replicas outside on the top of the basilica, but the real ones from the 13th century are inside the museum.  The horses travelled all around Europe and the Middle East as the powers changed. For a long time they were in Constantinople, and then during the Crusades, they were stolen and sent to Venice. Napoleon Had them taken to Paris in the late 1700s, and then they were finally returned to Venice in the 1800s. Supposedly, at one point, they had ruby eyes that glowed like fire. Such a fascinating history and we felt pretty lucky to be looking right at them! 

By this point, we had expended our energy and were ready for lunch. So, we headed to the oldest wine bar in Venice, Cantina Do Mori, for some Cicchetti. Cicchetti is basically the Venetian style of tapas. We had little sandwiches, meats, olives, cheese, and seafood. And, most importantly, they had smooth local house red wine to go with the bites. 

After we were re-energized, we hit the streets again. We were tired of the mobs of tourists, so we spent most of the afternoon walking through the side streets. Before we left Venice, we had one more tourist spot though. The Ponte dell’Accademia. It is a beautiful wooden bridge and is one of four that spans the entire width of the Grand Canal. I thought it would be packed with people, but surprisingly it appeared to be a hidden gem. 

From there, it was a quick walk to the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. We sat at the steps of the basilica and sipped on some local red wine while absorbing the last hours of our time in Venice. And then we caught a water bus back to the train station. It gave us a completely different vantage point of the city (like the one below of the Rialto bridge from below and the sunset). Highly recommended!!

We got to the train station just in time to jump on the train before it left, and then we got back to our Milan hotel just in time to catch a few z’s before our flight the next morning. 

After spending time in Cinque Terre, Florence, Milan, and Venice we had finally wrapped up our wonderful honeymoon in spectacular Italy. With all of the incredible sights that we saw, the delicious food that we ate, the smooth wine that we drank, and the rich gelato that we tasted, we couldn’t have wished for a more delightful and incredible honeymoon. 

Ciao Italy! We will be back very soon!