On Tuesday we decided we would go to Burano (the lace making island).  In our standard fashion, we did not leave for there until after 3 PM.  By the time we took two vaporettos and crossed the lagoon, it was 4:30.  Oh great, I thought, it won’t be crowded because it is late.  WRONG!  The place was jumping with people eating early dinners, having drinks and coffees, or just shopping and sightseeing.  Having been to Burano many times, we knew how to get off the beaten track and find some quiet spaces.  We wandered around some streets and alleys we knew and some we didn’t, got pastries for the next morning, stopped and sat outside a bar, having a spritz and people (and dog) watching, and were back on the vaporetto by 6:15.  We got back to the apartment by 7:30 PM.  The whole purpose of going was not to sightsee, but to enjoy the weather and to be on the water, and in this we succeeded.

 

After spending about 15 minutes at the apartment, we were off to meet our friend Monica for wine and cichetti. She took us to a place near Campo San Bartolo that was new to us called La Tana dell’Orso (The Bear’s Den) . We had great cichetti and a lot of conversation, but you will just have to take our word for it because we took no pictures.

Wednesday we decided we were going to go to Quattro Feri for dinner again, so Alan walked over there and made reservations. On the way back, he stopped at Al Vecio Marangon to make lunch reservations for Thursday as that is where Paul and Christy wanted to meet us. We made sandwiches, had lunch, and then set out to visit some of the free Biennale exhibits around our area. The first one we went to was just past the Accademia, and was sculptures by Paolo Amico art by Daniele Basso. Basso’s work was all done with ball-point pens.

We left there and headed toward the Guggenheim museum, but then headed down Fondamenta Bragadin which we had never seen.

We got to the Zattere, stopped in at the Angola exhibit. We have no pictures because it was five films playing simultaneously. Then on down the Zattere, getting a stunning view of the Redentore Church by Palladio and stopping at the Grenada exhibit.

We then cut down a narrow street, explored another area we had never seen and wound up across the small canal from the Guggenheim Museum. We trekked through Campo San Vio and then back to the apartment where we waited for our 8 PM reservation at Quattro Feri. Again, no pictures but we had a misto di pesce (mixed fish plate) to start with, a smoked burrata salad, and then shrimp and artichokes on pasta for two, ending up with an amazing chocolate torte, all accompanied by wine, of course.

This morning we were up early and met Christy and Paul at Al Vecio Marangon. We were the first ones there, thank goodness, as it is very small and fills up fast. I had a carpaccio of smoked tuna and a caprese salad. Alan had artichoke hearts and then ravioli filled with branzino and with a sauce of fresh porcini mushrooms. Paul and Christy were celebrating their 47^th anniversary today, so the staff sent out an appetizer of baccala bruschetti.   Paul had sepia nero on pasta and Christy had osso buco. We stayed there for over two hours and then they came back to the apartment to see it.

Tonight, Alan is going to a Jazz concert on San Servolo. It starts at nine, so I opted out and will stay here and read. More tomorrow.