Venice (or Venezia, as the locals call it) is a legendary city where the 14th century came and literally never left. It has been described as the most beautiful city in the world, with its treasure trove of art, architecture, and political and military history.

Where I Stayed and How I Got Around in Venice

I stayed for four full days and three nights, which felt like enough to visit Venice. One thing to consider is that many of the museums and attractions I was interested in are closed on Mondays.

For the museums, I purchased the Venezia Unica All-City pass for about €50, which grants access to 13 museums throughout Venice, and many more attractions. It pays for itself quite quickly and gives the best bang for your buck. However, it doesn’t work for all museums in Venice, such as the Gallerie dell’Academia art museum or the Biennale exhibit; you have to buy those separately. It’s also a separate pass from the vaporetto, or water bus.

Venice is a pedestrian-only town that’s a cluster of little islands separated by canals and connected with bridges. I mostly walked around, although having a 72-hour vaporetto pass was useful. Venice is a labyrinth of walkways, so my phone with Google Maps and GPS came in very handy—especially when I inevitably got lost.

I scored this lovely room by Saint Mark’s Piazza. This traditional room features bright orange brocade wallpaper and exposed-beam ceilings, retaining its old-world charm. Usually I prefer hostels to stay within budget, but…this is Venice. This was the perfect yet affordable place to stay.

Venice is very crowded during the day! There are often pedestrian traffic jams in the narrow alleys. As an introvert, crowds can feel overwhelming at times. So I would wake up every day before sunrise to enjoy a little quiet time before the morning rush. Piazza San Marco is tranquil as the sun comes up, as the street workers sweep the city walkways.

My Favorite Places in Venice

Here are some of my favorite places in Venice.

Libreria Acqua Alta

Libreria Acqua Alta is a cozy vintage bookstore, and a must for any book or cat lover. Upon entering, you can smell the musty old pages; the bookshop has sustained years of flooding. This gem is full of personality and features the iconic stairs that are made of older, damaged books. You can find many second-hand or out-of-print books here. Five cats also live in the establishment, which adds to the shop’s charm.

La Tecia Vegana

Venice isn’t really known for vegan food, and it’s been slim pickings. But there’s one vegan restaurant on the northwestern part of the city called La Tecia Vegana.

La Tecia Vegana offers a multi-course Italian meal: starters, first course, main course, sides, and dessert. The portions are just a little smaller so that you can pick and choose your courses for the full meal. Or you can just have one and call it good.

I picked the seitan and mushroom black and white ravioli as the first course, and roasted seitan with whole wheat and dried fruit as the main course. I paused between bites to notice the various flavors: oregano, onion, garlic, the slight nuttiness of olive oil, and the sweet dried fruit contrasting the savory gravy of the seitan roast.

Museums in Venice

Since Venice is full of history and wonder, the museums throughout the city showcase great works throughout time.

Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale)

Doge’s Palace is the opulent 14th-century Gothic palace that was the heart of political life and the seat of power of Venice. It’s where the duke—the supreme leader of the city back then—would reside. You can tour through the various chambers that display large-scale paintings on ceilings and walls, plus the creepy prison underground.

Gallerie dell’Academia

The Gallerie dell’Academia is an art gallery that displays art before the 19th century. It’s housed in a former art academy that taught figure, portrait, landscape, and sculpture. Today, it’s focused on preserving and exhibiting artwork.

Oddly enough, it’s where Leonardo di Vinci’s famous work, Vitruvian Man, lives. But it’s rarely displayed to the public, since the work, which is on paper, is fragile and sensitive to light.

Ca’Rezzonico

The ornate Ca’Rezzonico museum shows fine art and furniture of 18th-century rococo Venice, such as oil portraits of aristocratic society to colorful Murano-made glass chandeliers. I thought all of it was so beautiful. You get a glimpse of what aristocratic Venetian life was like during that time.

Burano

As the vaporetto pulls up to the docking station in Burano, the bright, multi-colored houses emerge from the horizon, greeting you. Burano is a small fishing island that is best known for its colorful homes and lacework. Like Venice, it’s made of tiny islands with bridges and canals. There’s even an entire lace museum dedicated to the craft. But lace-making dwindled because it’s so expensive and time-consuming. As an aside, the other island, Murano, is best known for its glass-blowing.

I took the hour-long Vaporetto ride to Burano. This island, with its 2,400 residents, is small enough to walk the circumference in an hour. I wonder what it’s like growing up on an island that small?

I spent a couple hours walking around Burano and admiring the multi-colored houses. The patches of grassy areas looking out towards the lagoon, the leaning clock tower, and little shops offering small lace artwork moved me. Then I visited the lace museum. For food, there weren’t many vegan options available, but I did find a shop called Dai Fradei that offers vegan gelato.

Biennale Art Exhibit in Venice

La Biennale is an enormous international art and cultural exhibition hosted in Venice every year. This year’s theme was “The Milk of Dreams,” an interplay between imagination and the human condition asking intriguing questions of how we as a world can coexist and depend on one another—especially when navigating the pandemic, social and political tensions, and the threat of climate change.

The exhibit is set in the buildings within the Arsenale and Biennale Gardens, a 10-minute walk apart—making this is an all-day affair. The whole show was incredible. Here are some of my favorite works.

Leaving Venice

Somewhere I read that Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The real setting is more elegant than what the photos can ever show. Every little detail and corner offers beauty, intrigue, and a story. On my last day, I took one more look around, searing the details into my memory.

This is a unique city that I will never forget.

Ciao! Rome is my first stop in Italy of this 2022 Eurotrip. Here’s a fun fact about me: I am one-quarter Italian, and I’ve always wanted to visit the last country of my heritage. The love for food, art, and living la dolce vita (the sweet life) runs deep in my family—it’s in my blood. As a food-motivated creative person, I have picked the right place.

Rome is one of the birthplaces of Western civilization. It’s the epicenter of great food, art, architecture, engineering, wine (if you drink alcohol), and romance. My background is in fine art, and many art history classes have drilled iconic buildings such as the Colosseum and Pantheon into our psyches. It has been a surreal experience to see all of these art history lessons come to life!

Main Attractions in Rome

These are several attractions that I’ve visited. I highly recommend:

• Purchasing tickets online in advance to avoid waiting in line for hours
• Bringing a water bottle to fill up. It gets warmer this time of year, and there are fountains throughout the city
• Wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, because you’ll be walking a lot
• Visiting some attractions early if you want to avoid crowds

Colosseum

The iconic Colosseum is the largest and oldest amphitheater in the world. It was mainly used as a battleground for gladiator matches, where the opponents fight to the death. Being inside one of the greatest buildings felt like I was in a history book.

After my visit to the Colosseum, I visited the expansive ancient ruins of Palatine Hill, the legendary site where the city was founded. You’ll find the remnants of temples, Roman imperial palaces, and baths. It really felt like going back 3,000 years.

Vatican City

Vatican City is technically its own country with its own passport, post office, and even football team that’s separate from Italy. But you don’t need a passport to go in. The country is a religious site and is ruled by the Pope of the Catholic Church.

You should set aside a full day to visit the Vatican. The Vatican Museums alone cover about eight miles. That’s a lot of ground to cover! It’s possible to see the important stuff in a day, but you might need two days if you really want to take everything in.

For me, the most important thing at the Vatican was seeing the grand frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo, one of the greatest Renaissance artists, painted the Biblical story. One of the most famous pieces is the “Creation of Adam,” a fresco that we’ve seen time and time again in those art history classes. Now I got to see it with my own eyes!

Fresco is an unforgiving material to work with. It involves painting with pigmented plaster, and the artist must work quickly before it dries and becomes part of the wall. So, seeing an entire vaulted chapel’s ceiling painted with Biblical imagery astounded me, leaving me in wonder of how humanity is capable of creating such masterpieces that stand the test of time.

Afterwards, I went inside St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world and is one of the greatest works of Renaissance architecture by Michelangelo. It’s considered one of the holiest Catholic places. It also holds the tomb of St. Peter, who is the head of Jesus’s 12 disciples and the first Pope. Even though I’m a non-believer, I was in awe of the interior. It took 150 years and an incalculable cost to build a church so magnificent.

Trevi Fountain

The baroque 18th-century Trevi Fountain is one of the famous fountains in the world. The dramatic stone sculptures interplay with the flowing water. The Roman aqueducts carry water to the fountain to this day. The Trevi Fountain is very well maintained. Because it’s so popular, I recommend going early to beat the rush. Don’t forget to toss a coin into the fountain, and remember: if it’s not baroque, then don’t fix it. 😉

Pantheon

The Pantheon is nearby. You can visit the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps in one go, since they’re close to each other. I was randomly walking through the cobblestone streets, turned a corner, and there it was!

The Pantheon was originally a Roman temple, before it was converted to a Catholic Church in the year 609 A.D. The columned portico has deeply influenced Western architecture, as seen in universities, banks, public libraries, and government buildings. I am in love with this magnificent building.

The inside is under an unreinforced concrete dome with the open oculus at the center: an open hole that lets in natural light. The interior is designed so that it could fit a perfect sphere—which is engineering at its finest. It blows me away that all of this was constructed without modern technology.

Spanish Steps

The 135 Spanish Steps starts at the Piazza di Spagna at the base and goes up to the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. In the Spring, they are covered with potted azaleas.

Just like the Trevi Fountain, if you want to have it almost to yourself, visit around 7:30 a.m.

Things to do in Rome

As always, great vegan food, art, and cats always call to me. Here are some noteworthy places.

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary is an outdoor cat sanctuary among the ancient Roman Torre Argentina ruins—where Julius Caesar is thought to be assassinated.

All of the cats in this sanctuary have been abandoned. While many of these cats are missing eyes, ears, and limbs, they are well-fed and taken care of. All of the cats have been sterilized and vaccinated, and most of them can be adopted. The cats roam freely among the ruins, living their best lives. They chase birds, nap peacefully inside flower pots, and purr happily from pets and attention.

It’s free to visit, although consider making a donation so that Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary can continue to do good work to help these cats.

Romeow Cat Bistrot

I had the most exquisite meal at Romeow Cat Bistro, a vegan restaurant where you can dine with cats. Several cats live in this establishment, and they roam around while guests eat. This is a place where you really slow down and immerse yourself in the present.

Inside, the artwork by Sara Paglia graces the trendy interior. Cat beds are in corners, and some cats amble from one part of the dining room to the next.

A proper Italian meal is much more relaxed and lengthy than an American meal. Lunch is often considered the most important meal of the day, and it usually lasts for an hour or two. Italians often have a very light breakfast, so they come hungry for lunch time–and for good reason. Because this multi-course meal will fill you up.

The starter was a savory ball that reminded me of a cornbread ball, or a hushpuppy. The yellow cream reminded me of a vegan Hollandaise sauce.

The first course was spaghetti in a macadamia nut cream sauce with wild pepper. I rolled several noodles around my fork and ate slowly, the noting the texture and flavor of the spaghetti. It had a hint of garlic, an important ingredient in Italian cuisine. The wild pear compote had a hint of bergamot orange powder. To me, the pear compote tamed the garlic aftertaste, balancing out the savory flavors of the pasta.

The main course was an Italian-Japanese fusion: a bed of marinara jackfruit wrapped in a nori strip, with seaweed on top, surrounded by four breaded sweet potato slices and pesto sauce. The delicate savory flavor of this course married into the stringy texture of the hearty jackfruit in the tomato marinara.

During the main course, this white cat jumped onto my table! I felt honored, since mine was the only one where a cat blessed me with their presence like that. The server gently shooed him off, but I would have let him stay.

Dessert, the final course, was a matcha parfait with a raspberry sauce, an almond sablé (cookie), and a pistachio tuile (wafer), and garnished with fresh raspberries. I loved the brilliant green parfait contrasting with the red raspberries. The soft parfait was the consistency of gelato, but less cold and more dense. The creaminess offered a contrast to the crunchy tuile and sablé.

I loved everything: the food, the cats, the interior, all of it! Life is too short to not slow down every once in a while and soak up what you enjoy the most.

You must make a reservation for lunch and dinner to eat at Romeow Cat Bistrot. They are closed during certain hours of the day as well, so make sure to review the hours before contacting them.

Dorothy Circus Gallery

Dorothy Circus Gallery is a beacon of pop surrealism art in Rome, a visionary and magical experience in an inviting room with red velvet walls, the color symbolizing life and birth. Pop surrealism is a genre of contemporary art. The otherworldly details provoke curiosity and a shared sense of wonder through dreamlike imagery. Artists include Camille Rose Garcia, Camilla D’Errico, and Hikari Shimoda.

Dorothy Circus Gallery also has another location in London, which I have visited.

Ciao, Rome!

Rome has been such a charming city, offering plenty of places to nerd out and immerse myself in history. This is a city that I would love to revisit in the future. The architecture, ruins, food, art, cats, and everything in between stem from passion from the artists, architects, chefs, and engineers who create them, whether in ancient times or modern day.

I’ve been loving Italy so far. The way Italians speak, with their rhythmic vocalizations, sounds like poetry–even if they are talking about mundane things. The more relaxed attitude towards having meals is winning me over. Also, Rome loves their cats. My next stop is in Venice, and I’m so excited to explore the area. It looks different from Rome, and I’ll report my findings. Ciao!