• 2 – 6 Sep, 2024 – SOLD OUT

Laura Thayer

Day 1 : Benvenuta a Venezia!

Arrive in Venice on your own time and make your way to the hotel from the airport or train station.

We will provide a travel sheet explaining the options for arrival. Our hotel is a mere 5 minute minute walk from St. Mark’s Square and the vaporetto stop at the Rialto Bridge.

If you have time, explore some of Venice before our Welcome Cocktail reception at the hotel followed by a classic elegant dinner at a Venetian canal-front restaurant.

Inclusions: Welcome reception drinks and canal-side dinner. Overnight at Hotel Palazzo Vitturi.

Day 2 : Classic Venice

Today we will visit the most iconic and popular parts of the City of Canals and understand why it is such a beloved and popular place to visit by the hands of a local female guide.

We will cross several of the bridges (there are well over 400 in the city!) and marvel at the many picturesque and photogenic spots as we learn more about the city’s past.

We will walk past the famous Rialto Market, take a Tragghetto (ferry) to cross the Grand Canal, and visit the city’s most photographed location, St Mark’s Square and Basilica.

Piazza San Marco is the meeting place in Venice and it is dominated by the Basilica of the same name and the Campanile, or Clock Tower, which has become such a symbol of the city.

The entire complex of St. Mark was built between the 14th and 16th centuries and it includes grand buildings, offices, shops, cafes, churches, a clock tower, smaller squares, sculptures and more.

At that time, Venice’s merchant power ruled over much of the Adriatic Sea and it was this prosperity which brought wealth to the city. Along with it came famous artists, sculptors and their patrons.

Lunch will be en route at a local, family-owned, traditional restaurant serving Venetian recipes with a twist. You’ll be able to order freely, but don’t eat too much because we will sit down for a hot chocolate, tea or coffee at the oldest cafe in the world, Caffe Florian.

Caffe Florian opened its doors in 1720 and is housed in the arches of Procuratie Nuove, right on St. Mark’s Square. We will enjoy the views and the vibe of the ancient square, always buzzing with people, as we indulge in a hot chocolate from their wide range of options.

There will be a bit of free time in the afternoon if you want to try your luck at not getting lost in Venice’s labyrinth of canals (highly recommend it!) without using Google maps. If all else fails, just get directions to the Rialto Bridge and find your way from there.

For dinner, we will head to a tucked away cozy restaurant that feels like a real gem for a traditional Venetian dinner.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, walking tour of Venice, afternoon tea at Caffe Florian and dinner at a tucked away classic restaurant.

Day 3 : Colorful Murano, Burano and winery lunch

After breakfast at the hotel we will take a ferry or private boat to Murano, the group of 7 colorful islands linked by pedestrian bridges located in the Venice lagoon and best known for their glass blowing tradition.

Murano’s tradition goes back to the end of the 13th century when glassmakers were forced to move out of Venice because of the fear that fire would burn down the wooden city.

Local artisans prospered and exports increased, bringing more wealth to the islands and benefits to the local producers who started marrying off aristocratic Venetian families.

At one point, the island was the main producer of glass in Europe and became famous for its chandeliers. Murano held the monopoly in glass manufacturing in Europe until the 16th century when local producers started to share their glass-making secrets.

Workshops and artisans still exist today and you can buy small items such as beads, wine bottle stoppers, key chains and more, as souvenirs. Make sure they are properly marked as made locally and have the trademark that guarantees their quality.

After the workshop, we will take our private boat to the rainbow island of Burano nearby.

We will have some free time here to take photos and wander before taking the boat over to Venice’s only winery for an introduction and wine-pairing degustation lunch.

Did you know that St. Mark’s Square used to be covered in vines before today’s square and buildings were constructed?

Venice’s wine making history goes back many centuries yet remains a lesser known secret. In truth, most of the vines were killed in the great flood of 1966 and very few survived, but those which did were the basis for a winery that is bringing back this tradition.

Vines grow against all odds on the island and lagoon and manage to survive impossible terrains, salty water and unusual weather conditions making them unique and not comparable to anything you may have tasted before.

We will learn more about this before sitting down for a degustation lunch at Osteria coupled with a wine pairing, bliss!

After lunch, we will walk over the footbridge to Burano, well known for its colorful canal facing houses which are painted in bright colors as per an old color system set by the Government.

You will have free time to wander the streets of Burano before we take our private boat back to Venice enjoying the breeze and the happenings on the lagoon and canals. You will have some free time to shop or wander before we meet again.

In the evening we will join in on a traditional Venetian experience: cicchetti. Similar to the Spanish tapas or pinchos specifically popular in the north of Spain, ciccetti is part of Italy’s aperitivo culture.

We will start with a drink, a small bite (cicchetto) and a brief explanation of the concept of cicchetti at a hub of such bars followed by free time to explore on your own.

We will provide a map and info sheet you will use to pick your next stop and go bar hopping.

Bars are tiny so you may be standing around as you enjoy a drink and small bite then head to the next stop on your own or with a couple of your new found friends.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, private boat transfer from Venice to Murano, Murano to Burano and back to Venice. Glass blowing workshop with Agnese. Private degustation and wine pairing lunch, a drink and first cicchetto in the evening.

Day 4 and 5 : Mask making and gondola ride 

After breakfast, we will head out to take part in a cool and unique activity that is such an important art of Venice: mask making.

With our expert female mask-maker, we will learn the techniques and skill required to make and decorate one then make our very own to take home, what better souvenir than the one you made!

The workshop we will be visiting in this cultural experience is the one who made the masks for Kubrick’s movie Eyes Wide Shut featuring the then-couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

Fun fact: Eyes Wide Shut holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continual movie shooting at 15 months.

Masks make an appearance in Venice every winter time during the Carnevale but are on sale year round everywhere in the city.

The tradition dates back several hundreds of years but was outlawed in the 18th century. It returned in 1979 thanks to a Government initiative and today, they are possibly one of the most popular souvenirs to take home along with Murano glass pieces.

Instead of buying one, we will get to make and decorate our own with the guidance of an expert. Your next costume party will have a whole new meaning with your very own mask.

We will enjoy some free time at lunch and then gather for a leisurely and ever so Instagrammable gondola ride along the canals of the city.

Gondolas are narrow flat-bottom boats that fill the canals of Venice and are steered by gondoliers who are often heard singing or playing an instrument for an additional fee.

Historically, they were the main mode of transportation in the city, before boats and vaporettos replaced them, and today they remain a picturesque way to get around key parts of the city, like crossing the Grand Canal, and a favorite activity by visitors.

Our farewell pre-drink sunset drink will be enjoyed at a rooftop bar with views over the Grand Canal. As the sun sets behind the city’s aristocratic buildings, we will reflect on the great time together and the new friendships built and learn more about what it is like being the first and only female gondoliera.

We will have time before dinner to freshen up and will meet again at a canal-side fine dining restaurant for our farewell gourmet dinner with wine pairing.

On day 5, enjoy breakfast at leisure at the hotel and check out in the morning for onward travels.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, mask making demo and make your own workshop, gondola ride with female gondoliera, pre-dinner sunset drinks, wine pairing fine dining gourmet dinner.