On the third day of our trip we decided to explore a part Venice, our hotel manager recommend to us, that tourists normally don’t get to.

Starting from San Marco, we followed the ocean on foot East to Castello (the largest sestiere in Venice).

The farther we got from San Marco the more quiet and laid back Venice became. Beautifully picturesque, the colorful buildings, small shops, lush parks, and canals were inviting and intriguing. The majority of tourists don’t wander far from San Marco so Castello is a great place for an authentic Venice experience where you will find out how the locals live.

Castello was the perfect calm area for us to wander around the streets and forget about time. We only came across a few locals draping their laundry over clotheslines to dry or having a good time in small bars and restaurants hidden away in quaint neighborhoods.

The streets and squares of Castello were very quiet until we came across the street Via Giusseppe Garibaldi. There were definitely tourists on the street but the locals still outnumbered them. Garibaldi was the widest street we had come across in Venice and quickly became our favorite. We later learned that it’s actually a filled-in canal.

It was lined with reasonably priced shops, bars, and restaurants keeping the locals in mind (most being dog friendly). We stopped at a small deli for an open faced sandwich and then a cafe for a gelato for me, and an espresso for him (both were cheap and delicious). I think it was the best area for outside dining if you really want to enjoy the weather and people watch in a unique atmosphere, with your dog.

At the end of day we followed the ocean back west to our hotel because we loved the view.

The walk was quiet and calm until we came across San Marco again.

As we came across the bridge Ponte Della Paglia we noticed hoards of people taking pictures. as we waited our turn to see what all the fuss was about I remembered seeing this view of another bridge, Ponte Dei Sosprio, all over Instagram. We quickly took the picture in one shot so we could get out of people’s way, never to return again. As you can see in the above pic, Coco wasn’t exactly thrilled.

Before we headed to our hotel to rest before dinner we took Coco to see the Gondolas again. He seemed fascinated in them after his first ride on one.