Photo: Winding canal San Polo

Tues Sep 15 Today we toured the Jewish Ghetto which was in our neighborhood. The guide took us through two rather elaborate synagogues. One was Levantine (Greek/Turkish) and the other one was Spanish…both Sephardic. What a different experience from yesterday! There were only 5 of us on the tour and the walk to the Ghetto was nice. Not a lot of people like at St. Mark’s Square! I enjoyed the walks through the narrow alleys and over the charming little bridges. The guide explained the derivation of the term, ghetto. Apparently, it came from an old Venetian dialect and meant “foundry.” There had indeed been foundries in the neighborhood. The history of the Jewish experience in Venice was fascinating: many restrictions including where they could live, work, etc. But this was considerably more liberal than in most of Eastern Europe where Jews were persecuted. After the tour, we went to the “Secret Garden” nearby which was owned by the synagogue; it was tucked into a small alley..lovely.

We did a bit of shopping. Desiree wanted to buy some Murano glass as presents. We had decided to go to La Zucca, a mostly vegetarian restaurant that Antonella had recommended. It was in the San Polo district – not too far away. It was delicious: I had a pumpkin flan as the main course, with a side of fresh sauteed broccoli! Yummy. Another excellent choice. After lunch, Desiree wanted to do a bit more shopping and I decided to visit the nearby Basilica S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Good choice. Not many people and I like it better than St. Mark’s. A less elaborate church…and it had two Titians! Gelato on the way home! I did go via the Rialto Bridge – ugh more crowds. Poor Venice. It is lovely and so unique in its watery location, but too many people. I sympathize with the revolt of “over-tourism.” It is too small for so many people. It must be worse in July and August – plus HOT. Glad we are in a quiet place for our stay.

Another peaceful evening at the apartment. Have to catch a 5:30am boat in the morning to the airport – homeward bound! Fabulous trip.