19/06/2021 - Chioggia & Venice

At 7 a.m., the alarm clock rang. Then we drove to Chioggia, which is a seaport in the Italian region of Veneto. Here is the largest and most important fishery port in Italy. And with so much fresh fish, we wanted to visit the large fish market. We were there early, but the search for a parking space was quite difficult. Eventually, we parked the car and walked through the streets until we arrived at the fish market. The lively market has about 30 stalls and sells all kinds of fish. The variety of offerings smells like sea air and looks fantastic. We bought some delicacies, strolled through Little Venice, as the city is also called, had an espresso, and watched the hustle and bustle of the city. It was slowly getting warmer. So, it was time to put the fresh delicacies in the refrigerator. Back at our accommodation, we started chopping garlic and cutting chili peppers. The scallops were removed from their shells and the shrimp were peeled. We mixed delicious marinades, put some of the ingredients in them, and refrigerated them. We got back in the car and drove to Venice, which is about 1 hour away. We parked in the last available parking space and then walked through the car-free city. The lagoon city of Venice was built on more than 120 former marshy islands, connected by over 400 bridges. There are only a few roads and almost exclusively canals, about 160, as transportation routes. We walked through the streets, crossed countless bridges, visited the main attractions such as St. Mark's Square with St. Mark's Basilica and Campanile, and the Doge's Palace. We saw many lovers in gondolas, boats, and water taxis, sailing through the Grand Canal while we stood on the famous Rialto Bridge. But we also walked along the paths less traveled and discovered beautiful corners of the city together.