Outfit Details:

Claudie Pierlot Sweater, SAU Dress, Ann Taylor Flats, Gucci Bag

Venice, Italy is one of those places that I’ve heard a lot of mixed reviews about. A few people have told me that it’s the most romantic city they’ve ever been to while some others have said to skip it and they probably wouldn’t go back. So, it’s never really made it to the top of my travel list. It did, however, make sense for our road trip in Italy to start in Venice (we initially wanted to take the Venice Simplon Orient Express from London to Venice, but the train schedule didn’t work with ours). I didn’t really know what to expect before we arrived, so I didn’t set my expectations too high, but the minute we got on our water taxi to the hotel, I knew this place was special.

The contrast of the aged buildings with the deep turquoise canals creates an incredible sight. All of the gondoliers wear striped sweaters and some even don a boater hat. We never ended up actually going on a gondola ride, I preferred them much better from afar, but it seems like a great way to easily float through the city.

We spent a good amount of time just wandering along the canals, getting lost at dead ends and stopping at little cafes for espresso and cookies. Our hotel, The Bauer Venice, was situated right along The Grand Canal, so we had a beautiful view of Giudecca Island and were a short walk from Piazza San Marco. Even though it is still low season, the city was still filled with tourists (I can only imagine it in summer!). We had day plans of heading out to the Island of Burano, so we finished our morning exploring around Venice to catch our boat.

We all shot straight up in the boat when we spotted the Island of Burano. It’s not easy to miss with it’s rainbow rows of houses. Once we pulled up, we quickly climbed out and couldn’t put our cameras down. To make things even better, the morning haze had blown away and left a perfectly blue sky and warm sun. We began to make our way through the little town that was far less crowded than the one we had just come from.

I roamed around the city in this light blue cotton dress and striped sweater. I love a midi dress, they’re perfect for almost any and all occasions. This one has the most flattering shape, fitted perfectly around the body with a full skirt that falls just right. I wore these gingham Ann Taylor flats, which were still comfortable after a full day of being on my feet.

We stopped at Trattoria al Gatto Nero for a leisurely (almost) three hour lunch. We ordered almost all of the seafood on the menu, a bottle of the palest pink rosé and couldn’t resist multiple rounds of tiramisu when they brought out the dessert menu. The restaurant sits right in the middle of the island, with outdoor seating along the water. I would highly recommend this place if you’re visiting, plus the staff were absolutely wonderful!

After lunch, we got on our boat and headed back to Venice in the early evening light. What a day it had been!