Ciao, bella! (Part 4)

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Where did I leave off…ah, right where I left my heart - Venezia! Tuesday morning, we woke up bright & early again. Another gorgeous water taxi ride into town and, at my request, our director took us past the Bridge of Sighs.

Turns out the romantic lore about lovers kissing beneath the bridge at sunset is garbage made up by Americans, lol. Bummer! In reality the bridge transported prisoners to their death and, as a condemned man looked out over beautiful Venezia he would inevitably sigh his final goodbye. Trafalgar set up a tour & demonstration at THE Murano glass factory. It was incredible! In just a few minutes, a master glassblower turned a piping hot blob of glass into a beautiful pitcher. The leftover piece became a small cat figurine in less than 90 seconds!

We perused the shop, passing on the €500 punch bowl sets (thankfully we'll inherit one someday; my grandmother traveled to Venice in the 70s solely to purchase a red Murano glass punch set with gold accents - red glass & 14k gold paint being the most expensive choice of course). We picked up some little gifts like a frog for my MIL & some original Pandora beads for me :) 
After Murano, we had a few hours free time. We strolled around Piazza San Marco before settling in at one of the outside cafes for some afternoon cocktails. Perfection. 

Obviously being on vacation is relaxing, but AHH…there's something else to it. A calmer, more peaceful way about everything. The time we wasted doing nothing, people watching, laughing, stealing kisses - those are the memories I cherish. 
Alas, time to move again! We were on our way to Lake Garda, a resort town typically frequented by Italians themselves more so than foreigners. The liquid lunch put us right to sleep and when we woke up in at our villa in Garda…holy cow. It was BEAUTIFUL. The villas were built into the hillside overlooking the lake. Our room was the biggest we had anywhere in Italy, complete with a private patio above the rolling hills and water. The extravagance & beauty, and privacy, did not go to waste I assure you! ;)

A resort shuttle took us into town - freaking adorable. A stroll by the lake led us to a tiny restaurant with outdoor seating. This dining experience was one of the best of the trip! Our waiter asked us steak or fish. Steak, so he led us to a glass case where we picked out the cut of meat we wanted. It was cut & prepared in the outdoor grill while we watched sipping complimentary wine. Salad & veggies were served family-style and while we passed on dessert, complimentary digestifs were impossible to refuse. (Note: grappa is completely disgusting. Undrinkable.)

After exploring the town trying to walk off that dinner, we hit the hotel bar (of course) and retired to our private patio with a fresh bottle of prosecco. It was definitely the most relaxing night of the trip!