Our Start in Venezia/Mestre

We had a relatively uneventful trip from Calgary through Gatwick to Venice.  It’s always nice to see the bike come on to the luggage carousel without damage.  We chose to stay in Mestre rather than Venice as it’s less crowded and close to the airport, important considerations when travelling with a big bike.  

We spent our first day here walking around Venice, ony a short bus ride from Mestre.  We followed a self guided walking tour via an app called GPSmycity which is quite good. You go at your own pace and delve deeper when you want to.  We have both been to Venice a few times now but still are impressed by this unique city where there are only boats and walkers, no cars or bikes.  It makes strolling along the narrow streets very relaxing except for the fact that it’s like being in a maze and easy to get lost. 

We chose to focus on a cathedral other than St. Mark’s: Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This cathedral is much less visited by tourists, no line ups, yet equally impressive as it contains famous works of art by Titian in particular, and others such as Bellini and Vivarini.  Most notable of these works is Titian’s Assumption of the Madonna which is a large painting at the high altar that was considered very innovative for it’s time in the 16th century due to the emotions displayed by the characters.  The painting has had to be moved several times during various wars including the 1st and 2nd World Wars to keep it safe.  The cathedral is also where Titian was buried after he died of the plague at age 90 in 1576 and there is a large 19th century monument erected in his honour.  Otherwise we wandered through the city, some very crowded areas around St.Mark’s square, and admired the shops with the venetian masks as well as the very shishi designer shops.  The gondolas and other service boats (police, ambulance, garbage, taxis) used along the canals are so intriguing to watch, such an interesting way of life.

The next day we built the bike in the morning then went out for an afternoon test ride.  On the advice of an architect friend we rode to the Villa Foscari (also called La Malcontenta) which is one of many Palladio Villas in the Veneto area.  Andrea Palladio was a famous renaissance architect from the 16th century who was known for his country houses and villas mostly but also designed palaces and churches. These 24 villas are all Unesco World Heritage sites and are found all over the Veneto area, most of them around Vicenza. His works are considered quintessential high renaissance works displaying calm and harmony.

Mestre appears quite bike friendly with many cycle paths to ride on.  Our old bike is working well and ready for a big tour over the next 6 weeks, hopefully also its operators are up for the challenge.