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Kate's Taste of Italy - Episode 1
Having never been to Venice, I was very excited to spend some time exploring before joining La Bella Vita for three days. I arrived on Saturday, a day before the cruise started and explored this amazing city with so many nooks and crannies and slim alleyways opening into beautiful squares – sorry, piazzas.
I had a lovely time exploring the streets and shops, but was glad to board the barge, if only to give my weary feet a rest! Upon arrival we were greeted by the crew and given a refreshing glass of Prosecco and some delicious nibbles while Isabella, our bubbly Cruise Leader, gave us a safety briefing and La Bella Vita gently glided away from the port.
As we cruised sedately along, Isabella talked us through a little of the history of Venice. We passed St Mark’s square and the Doge’s Palace, then tied up just a few minutes’ walk away at the Naval Museum. Before dinner, I went for a stroll to St Mark’s Square and the cathedral was lit beautifully – a perfect photo opportunity.
Then it was time to sample the first of many masterpieces prepared by our tiny, charming chef, Andrea. He may be small, but he really packs a punch when it comes to flavour! Some of his dishes during the cruise included black squid ink pasta, quail stuffed with garlic and herbs and ‘fish in a bag’ (much fancier than it sounds). His desserts were gorgeous and he even made an amazing chocolate and fresh berry cake for a guest’s 80th birthday. All were served to his captive audience with aplomb.
In fact all the crew on board were so lovely and nothing was too much trouble. Aurelio – a real gentleman with a wonderful moustache – was our wine waiter and cocktail-maker extraordinaire and he knew everyone’s names before we even stepped onboard! The hostesses were ever so helpful and again, always had a smile for us. Our Captain Diego really got across his excitement for the cruise to come and gave us a tour of the wheelhouse. It was larger than those on our other hotel barges, with so many tempting buttons and switches to play with (we had our hands clamped behind our backs in case the temptation became too much!)
Our first excursion in Venice was to the Naval Museum, where we learned from Isabella about the history of the Arsenale, fishing in Venice and all about the significance of the ‘ferro’ on the bow of every gondola. Then we had the choice of some free time in Venice, or exploring the Castello district and the San Pietro di Castello. One of our guests was an artist who absolutely loved the paintings and mosaics in the church.
Back on board, we were treated to some more of Andrea’s culinary creations, accompanied of course by some delicious wines, before an afternoon cruise across the Venetian lagoon to Pellestrina.
And this was the formula for the next two days I was onboard – fascinating tours to Chioggia with its lively fish market and to the Villa Widmann-Borletti for a wine tasting, and some lovely cruising through the nature reserve in the Po delta and along the river. Then, poor me, I had to leave for the UK, but I will be back to complete this cruise one day that’s for sure!
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