Through Verona to Venezia

The morning was bright and clear as we drove out of Baveno and on to the Autostrada heading east. We skirted Milan but we will be back ther e after this tour ends. Brief views of the Alps showed snow capped peaks. Many industries are located along the autostrada even apparently outside any built up communities.
Our first main stop was Verona, the legendary home of Juliet and Romeo. We viewed the balcony which has been attributed to Shakespeare's story, this place attracts thousands of tourists, many women going up to the balcony to pretend they are Juliet. When we got that out of the way we went in search of food in the town square.
Verona boasts a building much like the colosseum in Rome only smaller but still in use, unfortunately the queues to enter we're too long and time was too short for us to have a good look at it.
The local football team (soccer) were playing away that day and they had a large screen set up in the square where the fans gathered to watch and encourage their team. Apparently the Verona fans are banned from attending matches in person as they have been behaving badly, this must affect the teams income from matches as they would miss out on attendance fees.
Leaving fair Verona it was on to Venice.
Arriving late in the afternoon we settled into our hotel, which is on the grand canal and our room is on the side overlooking a piazza, from our balcony we have a view of the grand canal.Glen and I along with another couple from Newcastle went to an adjacent restaurant for dinner where we both had a Calzone. Glen and I expected this to be an ordinary pizza, but it was folded over and looked like a large Cornish pastie, it was delicious. You know that weight we both lost before we came away, well..........
After dinner we hopped on to water taxis and headed along the grand canal to St Marks square. This is a main meeting place for Venice and you may have seen pictures of it when it floods. Insight provided us with a drink and we both had yummy hot chocolate, that is real chocolate, thick and syrupy. Sitting there the crowds were serenaded by a couple of quartets providing a very pleasant ambience. Then it was back to the hotel for the night.