The Rialto market is one of Venice’s most well-known sites. Go early in the morning (8A-ish) so you get the full experience of fresh fish and seafood, tons of fruits and vegetables and the vendors hawking their wares. We made the mistake of going later in the day when we went the first time, and we were greeted by sad leftover fish parts and plenty of produce that had seen better days.
Early morning is a better experience (visually, if not nasally) and provides for better pictures. Duck into a neighborhood café and get a coffee or Prosecco (or if you’re my travel partner, both) and enjoy the morning sounds of a city waking up. After wandering through the market for a little while, head across the bridge and find another place for something to munch on. Spend a little time walking through the neighborhoods as you meander south towards St Mark’s Square (Piazza Sammarco on your map, which translates to Sammarco’s pizza). Spend the afternoon in the square, people watching, enjoying overpriced gelato, and enjoying the scenery. You can go into the basilica if you want, but that’s not my style, so I didn’t go in. In hindsight, for the interest of this post, I probably should have. I’ll tell you what; do a quick Google search for St Mark’s Basilica, read what other people wrote, and pretend you read it here. You get the information you want, and I don’t have to waste time in a cathedral that would probably set me on fire if they knew my religious bias. It’s a win-win.
