Hofstra Odyssey

Venezia

Well after approximately 26 hours in transit, we arrived in Preganziol, back in Italy, which served as a base of operations for our daytrip to Venice. While amazing and grandiose in every sense of the words, Venice is not exactly a large city, and so, our excursion lasted only about six hours. After a forty five minute drive and a twenty five minute water taxi down the Grand Canal, we reached Saint Mark’s Square and the magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica, both of which are major tourist destinations for the city. Due to inclement weather, we were unable to experience the stereotypical Gondola Ride. However, we were fortunate enough to see a large amount of the city by foot, immersing ourselves once more in Italian culture.

The city of Venice is actually a combination of 118 small islands that are linked by a series of canals. The city was founded in 421, and it is a UNESCO world heritage sight. It is a center of art, food, culture, fashion and shopping, and is widely known for its production of glass of all sorts, colors and shapes. Venice is the sight of the Italian Carnivale celebration as well. Unfortunately, “The Floating City” is speculated to only be floating for a finite time, as the city is slowly sinking; the sinking has slowed greatly since the 1960s and solutions are constantly being searched for to slow and potentially halt the progress. Nonetheless, based on our experience here, it is highly recommended that you get here while you can!