Following the tour started in Part 1:

I mean, wow! what talent and what a setting! Ah, Florence, ti amo!

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a young American art museum curator was sent to Venice to bring home to Boston an important 19th century American painting that had been loaned to the Venetian Biennale. She could not believe her good fortune! The Italian government, being the Italian government, arranged for her lodging in a very disorganized fashion, which was to her added good fortune. They miscalculated when she would be needed in Venice and thus she was put up for a week at no expense to her or her museum, the MFA, Boston at the exclusive Hotel Danieli.

She had a beautiful room with a small balcony and French doors that opened onto the Grand Canal. She called this location home for a week while she explored Venice while waiting to be called to the Biennale to supervise the packing up of her painting.

During this week, she gazed across the Grand Canal at one of the most beautiful churches she had ever seen: the Santa Maria della Salute, with its large scroll-like volutes around the dome. She knew she would never forget the look of this church, and indeed she has not.

It was not until many decades later, however, that she ever went inside the lovely apparition, which seemed to float–though it was made of stone–above the water. This week, she/I had that chance!

I had to take a traghetto to get across the Canal (it was the best 2 Euro I spent during my time in Venice!):

As much time as I have spent in Italy, and as many times as I have been in Venice, it was not until last week that I finally entered the truly astounding Doge’s Palace. It is so overwhelming to visit that I’m going to break these photos into many groups.

Below: the first few pictures are of the lovely loggia on the ground floor of the exterior of the palazzo. If you’ve been to Venice, you’ve seen this loggia.

Once you have purchased your ticket for 25 Euro, you are allowed to enter this inner courtyard which, if you didn’t know better, looks like the exterior loggia! It is every bit as ornate.

With the next photo, I have entered the palazzo and climbed the stairs to the piano nobile (2nd floor to Americans). The light was all wrong for the photo below, but the view is the Venetian lagoon. It is breathtaking!

Below: looking down at the inner courtyard from the piano nobile.

There are many pretty places to choose from, but I enjoyed these 2 on one recent spring day.

There’s a new branch store of the Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella on Via Tornabuoni. It is beautifully appointed!

And then there is my favorite bakery, coffee bar, lunch and dinner bistro in the heart of Florence, the Cantinetta dei Verrazzano. It is my go-to place for the seasonal treat of spremuta di melograno, or freshly pressed pomegranate juice. I had some yesterday! I enjoyed the lovely appointments within the Cantinetta as much as the juice.

A friend found these narcissus and daffodils growing wild in a his field. Che bello! Welcome to spring in Tuscany!

Carnivale has suffered from Covid just like the Palio in Siena and so many other events all around the world. However, even though we are still under some Covid restrictions this year, it is 100% better than the last 2 years, when we were locked down. I could still travel to Venice! Woo hoo!

These wonderful miscellaneous sights just keep going and going in Venice. Just like the shopping!

One of the things I most enjoy about traveling around Italy is seeing how each town or city honors its war dead. Most people just stroll by, never noticing the memorials. I always see them.

It’s easy to get lost in Venice. But, you find interesting things to see and photograph down every Calle:

The food of Venice is spectacular:

I noticed this small restaurant in the Dosoduro sestieri and saw it was filled with locals and especially with gondoliers. I figured if it was good enough for them, it would more than suffice for me. I was not wrong. The lightly coated and fried seafood was exquisite.