June 1: Venezia (day 4)

We checked out of the hotel in the Lido, and hopped a ferry to the train station, where we checked our bags. We were hoping to do some unencumbered sightseeing before heading off to Ferrara.

The ferry ride was beautiful; it was another beautiful day! We dropped off our bags, and we finally went to do some sightseeing in Venezia proper.

I had ordered the sights I wanted to see. I had not seen the Basilica last time, a building in Piazza San Marco next to the Doge's Palace. It's filled with beautiful mosaics. So we went to see this. We spent a long time in the Basilica, marveling at the artwork, climbing to the top and getting an incredible view of the square from it. The top of the building is adorned in intricate sculpture; it's really quite incredible.

By the time we finished with the Basilica, it was mid-afternoon, and we decided it was time to leave Venezia. It's always problematic to travel on a Friday, and as we had a lot of luggage with us, we didn't want to leave things to chance.

So, we headed to the train station, collected our four pieces of luggage, and muscled them onto our awaiting train to Ferrara.

Once in Ferrara, we hired a taxi to take us to Luca's house, even though his house is fairly close to the train station. We let ourselves in, deposited our luggage, and waited for Luca to arrive.

Luca came home from work around 8:30, and we all went out for a quick dinner before retiring for the night.

A new chapter in our voyage is about to begin!