Venice, Perfect for a Long Awaited Meeting

MEMORIES OF VENICE 2015

San Marco By Susan Nelson

Hi everyone,

sorry for having been away for so long from the blog – but it is high season in Venice and thankfully I have been very very busy with cooking classes, food events and food tours! Oh boy, do I love my job!

Anyway, Autumn is here and, with it, a bit of more free (if we can call it as such) time to sit down and get the blog updated. Before I start writing something of mine, I would like to post another lovely post as part of the Memories of Venice collection.

This time it is up to Susan Nelson, an American Travel writer who fell in love with Italy whilst on holiday 12 years ago. We have been following each other on social medias for few years and I knew she had been recently visiting Venice, so it made total sense for me to ask her to share her memories!

Venice, Perfect for a Long Awaited Meeting

Venice! It has been too long since I set foot on Piazza San Marco. Like an old friend who has kept its charm, Venice entertains me once again with her familiar landmarks. I inhaled the late afternoon air with gusto as I stood before St. Marks Basilica.

The water vaporetto had delivered me and continued on down the canal as I pulled my suitcase across the piazza. Checking my map, I found the narrow pathway that would take me to my lodgings for three nights. San Giuseppe Guest house, a clean and welcoming convent.

I had gotten “delightfully lost” in Venice before, finding my room at 3 in the morning. Now for many of you this may sound scary, but Venice is far from that. I felt confident and adventurous. Some of the little pubs were still open and it was so much fun to peak inside and sample some cicchetti (small bite-size aperitif).

This trip was planned along with three fellow Italy bloggers. We had found each other on social network and quickly formed an inspiring little comraderie over the past few years. Although we had never met before, by coincidence all of us were scheduled to be in Venice for the same three days. Naturally, we planned a place and time to meet. I had anticipated this moment of first greetings and an evening spent together.

After I freshened up a bit, I ventured out onto the narrow streets and over winding canals of Venice. The plan was to meet at 6pm in Piazza San Marco in one particular corner. I was a bit early, so I passed slowly under the arcades along the edge of the piazza, admiring the restaurants and jewelry shops. Before long I heard a small voice call my name. I turned around and saw Ishita Sood, one of my fellow bloggers from India, gazing at me with a big smile. We hugged each other and babbled excited greetings at the same time. Then two more ladies joined the group: Margie Miklas from Florida, and Victoria DeMaio from California. We were a ball of hugs and laughter. I was the tallest, as you can see by my towering frame.

Victoria by Susan Nelson

Margie by Susan Nelson

Ishita by Susan Nelson

We eventually regained our composure and set out to find a particular restaurant that was recommended to Victoria. After a few wrong turns along narrow pathways, we found our destination in a quaint little piazza. We took an outdoor table in front of Al Colombo Osteria, our eatery of choice. A delicious prosecco arrived at our table with panache by our personable waiter. This moment called for a toast and the clink of glasses that lasted most of a minute. We were each surprised by the bonding that developed so quickly. This was rapidly becoming a unique sisterhood.
The warm Venetian evening wore on in pleasant and animated conversation. Our meal was delicious. Ishita brought out handmade gifts from India for each of us: lovely earrings and uniquely embroidered wallets.

After we had exhausted ourselves with chatter, we said our goodbyes until the morning and went our separate ways. The stars shone like a canopy over Piazza San Marco as I passed the ancient basilica and clock tower toward my little room in the convent. I wasn’t alone, and I felt completely safe. Others wandered under the late night sky, bedazzled by a swirling enchantment that only Venice can weave.

Thank you Monica Cesarato for inviting me to share a treasured memory of unforgettable Venice.

Susan Nelson is a a passionate writer about Italy. You can follow her on the major social medias: Facebook, Twitter and her personal blog Timeless Italy