Venice
This is the final part of my Italy travel blog on Venice. Here are the links to my earlier articles:
1. Milan & Como
3. Bologna
4. Arezzo
5. Florence
Get Bernard Yeo’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Why Venice? After Italy, I had to fly to UK to watch two games at Liverpool. There was no flight to Liverpool or Manchester from Florence, my last stop before Venice. As it turned out, there was a Venice à Manchester flight, so I stayed in Venice for one night (9 Apr 2026) for that reason.
Hotel Olimpia Venice, my choice of accommodation. was cosy and near the train station and bus-station (important for my travel to Marco Polo Airport the next day). We also got a good view of the river, away from the hustle bustle of the tourist areas.
Before this trip, my only connection with the city is “Merchant of Venice”. It is consisted of islands and hence you can only travel around by foot or boat.
I was offered a gondola ride by the hotel but I declined to pay for it. Nevertheless, I don’t begrudge those who paid for the experience.
In that afternoon, I walked and walked and walked. You walked through an alley and then realised it was a dead end. And then you walked back to another alley. And again.
But I was treated with the serenity in my exploratory walk. You won’t hit the droves of tourists until you reach the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square.
And we passed by a handful of churches.
We then hit the tourist spots, first Rialto Bridge. It is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It also earns the nickname “Shylock’s Bridge”, as it is believed that was where Shylock first met Antonio in “The Merchant of Venice”.
I am quite impressed with St Mark’s Square for the monuments, views from the canal, pigeons and the vibes!
The finale was a meeting with Mattia, who spent a student exchange in NYP and that’s how he knew Rowan. Mattia hailed from nearby Padua and took a short train ride to Venice.
Mattia recommended this wonderful restaurant at Antica Trattoria Poste Vecie. Food and service was excellent and it was a good way to round off our whirlwind stay in Venice.
Next stop: Liverpool (via Manchester) !!
