Garden Tour - Royal Gardens, Venice

 

This image delights me; I have it on my laptop homepage so I can visit this spot whenever I walk to or through my dining room 'office.' It's especially pleasing now, as I have just made plans to return to Venice, albeit briefly, this spring. This visit will be at the end of a two week tour of some of the best of Croatia and Slovenia (sounding like Rick Steves there.)

The tour is the 'consolation prize' after the cancellation of another solo week in  Florence, tacked onto the end of a two week hosted tour of the Italian Riviera . The tour was cancelled because of insufficient bookings - what's wrong with these people? 

Do I look disappointed to you? I'm told I have delights in store. I'm working on Croatian pronounciation at the moment. Studied Russian in high school, and although I likely won't bring up the subject, a number of the words sound somewhat similar. (To avoid any such gaffes, I'm reading a history of Croatia at the moment.)

But this peaceful photo (I can add the soundtrack from memory) of gondolas bobbing obediently along the Grand Canal pleases me not because of the obvious delights of Venice, but because I am about to enter the Royal Gardens. As garden expert Monty Don points out, it's a delightful and unusual garden, just down the canal from Piazza san Marco. 

Sure, I will enjoy seeing yet again the iconic bridges and canals, the incomparable St. Mark's and Doge's Palace, the enticing calle and hidden squares. I will enjoy an espresso and tiny sweet in a cafe on the piazza. I might even browse some San Marino glass (but without travel friends Mary and Sandra, I may not succumb). 

But once 'free time' begins, after the obligatory and informative guided tour, I will head to the garden. To the Royal Gardens, a quickstep from St. Mark's Square. I did not give this oasis the proper attention last visit, skirting around its perimeter, unaware that it was indeed a public garden.

But armed with this intelligence, an episode on Adriatic Gardens hosted by Monty Don (one of those little-screen experiences we could always agree upon), I shall return to give the Giardini Royale the attention it deserves. 

Here are some of the moments I did bring home with me.

Distracted by the postcard racks, and puzzling over the boat schedules, I failed to venture into the Royal Gardens' lush acre. Honestly thought it was attached to the imposing buildings beyond.

Missing a garden is unusual for me/us as we/I always head to the gardens when visiting new and old, cities. Need those phytoncides. And something lovely and green and cooling to immerse onself in. 

More on gardens is inevitable. I've just been revisiting my Boboli Gardens photos.