July 28th
Ciaowdy from Venice! Without a doubt, Venice is one of the most well-known and beautiful Italian cities ever. Today was filled with laughter, good food, and time by the sea.
While yesterday was our last day in Florence, we had a long day ahead of us as we traveled to Venice. We started our last morning in Castiglion Fiorentino with a hearty breakfast and hurried onto our 8:30 train to Florence. An hour and a half later, we were in the main station in Florence. Before boarding our connecting train, the majority of us waddled to McDonalds to get a pre-departure snack.
The McDonald’s in Italy is a lot different than ones in the United States! Many students had a taste of home with McNuggets, big macs, and french fries. However, the most interesting part of the ordering experience was how accessible healthy options were. For example, there was no upcharge for a side salad, which ended up being larger than some of the sandwiches. There were also a good amount of creative options such as pesto burgers and mini calzones. McFlurries were a popular menu item, with Oreo and Pistachio being the most popular (Sophia would also like to shout out their Baci flavor – a luxury Italian chocolate). Quote TJ: “McDonald’s is basically a U.S. embassy; it’s a little taste of home.”
After a rushed early lunch, we all boarded our train to Venice. We spread some good ‘ol Aggie spirit and made friends with a couple of different passengers, from a young man from Germany, to a mother and daughter from Switzerland, to an entire car full of North Carolinians.It took a couple hours to pull into the St. Lucia station, but the sight of all the small islands that make up Venice were so unique. After hauling all of our luggage off of the train, we skated through the streets of Venice to our water taxi.
We all knew Venice had canals. We’ve known for years that Venice has had canals. However, photos and paintings cannot compare to stepping out from the station into the sunlight and seeing a wooden canal sparkling from the light of the summer sun. Venice is known as the Floating City, and for good reason. Venice encompasses over 100 small islands that are connected via canal. The island that our hotel is located on the Lido, a small strip of land popular for its breathtaking views of the Adriatic sea. We even saw what looked like a classic sea vessel, straight out of a pirate movie. The water taxi ride had some Aggies feeling sea sick, while others enjoyed views of the water.
After getting our Venetian sea legs, we headed out to settle in to our hotel that we’ll be in for the next few nights as we explore the Lido and Venice. After dropping off our luggage at our hotel (with an old-fashioned wire cage elevator – is it creepy or cool? We’ll never know!), we all split into several groups. One group of students headed straight for the beach, while other groups explored the nearby area, taking in the colorful buildings, picturesque shops, and shining canals. One thing is for sure; Venice is the perfect place for photos!
However, there was more than just views. One group of Aggies joined in on a game of Horse at a small public park, which also had musical “instruments” for all to play (who knew that we were such aspiring musicians?). There was also an outdoor arcade close to the hotel with nostalgic games like air hockey, dance machines, and strangely, a Guardians of the Galaxy-themed pinball machine. Many shops and markets lined the main road, and some Aggies used this to their advantage to grab a quick snack. Eating fresh strawberries together in the sun definitely feels like a summer movie moment.
Instead of having dinner at the hotel like we did in Assisi and Castiglion Fiorentino, we had dinner at Ai Do Mati, a restaurant right next to our hotel. A change everyone enjoyed is that we were able to sit on the patio. Not only was the food great; the atmosphere was immaculate. Jazz music was playing, a cool breeze with the essence of seaspray glided along the streets after our meal. Some students even felt inclined to dance in the streets due to the overwhelming feeling of delight.
At this point the group split up again. Some went to explore the Lido, while others went to the beach after dinner. Those that went to the beach swam, talked, collected seashells, and even met a little crab. Some others admired the sunset by the sea, while yet more Aggies spent more time and had fun in the illuminated night-time city area.
We hope that we could share a little bit of Venetian magic with you tonight. We’re looking forward to finishing our trip strong! Ciao ciao and fino a domani!
Nadia Esparza ‘27 & Mari Wilcock ‘27
