After breakfast at Heathrow we boarded the plane to Venice. Two hours later we touched down and found Cheryl and Giulio, good friends from graduate school days, waiting to greet us. It was wonderful to see them again and comforting to know that we had a personal escort into Venice. Giulio grew up in Venice and knows the city well.
Once we unloaded our luggage we headed off for a late lunch at La Patatina in the San Polo district. It is small restaurant featuring typical Venetian cuisine, with a special emphasis on fish dishes. At least that’s what their business card told us. Being Venetian neophytes we were in no position to argue otherwise, and certainly no reason to complain. The food was great.
View of Grand Canal from the living room window. The smaller San Polo Canal joins the Grand Canal.
Giulio’s grandfather built the apartment in 1958. It is located on the San Polo Canal, a smaller canal that joins the Grand Canal. From the living room window you can watch various boats and gondolas as they make their way along the grand canal.
The apartment has classic terrazzo floors. Terrazzo was invented in Venice. Venetians builders used marble chips, a readily available waste product from other construction sites, as a low cost flooring material.
Terrazzo floors