Creative Travel Writing

By Lily Hearn and Kylie Short | Edited by Mackenzie Konjoyan

Around midnight on a warm Roman evening in early November, we embarked on an overnight bus to the region of Veneto. Seated in the upper level of the Itabus, our fellow passengers lulled in and out of sleep as we stopped along the journey in cities such as Florence and Bologna. Seven hours later and with very little sleep, we eventually arrived in Mestre. Mestre is the mainland area that must be passed through to get to Venice by way of the Ponte della Libertà.  

We stayed in an AirBnB in Favaro, Mestre, and whilst waiting for the host to arrive, met a kind neighbor who opened the door to the apartment building along with her pet dog, a golden cocker spaniel named Babà, affectionately named after the sweet dessert. The hostess arrived shortly after to give us the keys and she thoroughly explained all we needed to know about staying in Venice through a mixture of Spanish, Italian, and English. She kindly made us coffee and allowed us to rest while she tidied the flat.  

We napped for most of Friday, until waking in the late afternoon. Strolling around the windy town, we looked for a place to eat but had little luck. Though, on our way, we saw gaggles of children, carrying backpacks and their parents and grandparents leaving school and heading home. Eventually we found a supermarket where we bought smiley fries, half a dozen apples, Veneto grown potatoes, a package of Big Frut candy and croissants; the interesting diet of two young travelers. We retired to the flat and ate a small dinner, along with a stint of watching Italian news channels and Adventure Time. 

We wouldn’t venture onto the island of Venice until Saturday morning. We walked to the bus stop and took the bus line 19 straight into the city where we were dropped off near the Canal Grande, the largest canal in the city. It was here that we met with Virginia Reim, an Italian high school student who studied abroad last year in our home state of Delaware. Virginia was excited to show us around her beautiful home city, as she once toured our home’s coastal cities. Happy to have a familiar tour guide, we followed her around the Venetian gothic architecture and osterias. First, Virginia brought us to the beautiful Ponte degli Scalzi, where we were able to map out the direction we’d take for the day.  

Despite the severe weather advisory for the weekend, our trip to Venice was met with sunny skies and moderate temperatures that a light jacket would suffice for. Excited to show us the beautiful view from the rooftop of a shopping center, Virginia raced us up the escalators to guide us to the breathtaking sight. Sadly, it was booked for the day, so we had to call upon our imagination to provide us with what it might have looked like. That misfortune did not stop us from adventuring on, we entered the escalator and continued to pursue Venice after snapping a few photos. After walking for an hour and only having a croissant in our stomachs, we stopped to get a bite to eat, as well as an aperol spritz. Originating from Venice, the drinks were amazing and the mozzarella treats we got were also decadent. While sitting down to enjoy these treats, we were greeted by a fluffy, local dog who frequents the area. Following a few pets and our last bites, we continued to march onward. Realizing our stomachs were still growling, we began to find a place to have an authentic lunch. After thirty minutes of scouring and checking online reviews, we found a cozy restaurant to stop and satiate our hunger. After Virginia got a good chuckle from our orders, we received our massive plates of spaghetti al pomodoro San Marzano. Lily was conservative with her cheese desires, however, Kylie was quick to ask for extra.  

After lunch, we stumbled upon a welcoming stationary shop called Scriba, which sold a variety of handcrafted pens and beautiful journals. We asked the owner, Giuseppe Ferlito, to describe the city of Venice in one word. Excited to answer, Ferlito exclaimed that Venice is “fantastic!” We couldn’t agree more. After walking around the store, Kylie got a new staple stamp for her collection. It came with a lavender wax stick and was embellished with a simple bumble bee. With hopes of seeing some of the shop’s cats, we made our way to the underwater book shop; Librairie Acqua Alta. Unfortunately, we did not see any cats, however, we did get to step into the Hobbit-like world of this crowded bookshop. After making a loop in the store, we left with postcards, stickers, and match-boxes, but no books.  

Upon leaving the book shop, we began walking to the Doge’s Ppalace. Once we reached the gorgeous piazza, we were enamored by the beautiful structures and massive columns. We had to stop and take a few photos to show our family back home the marvelous architecture we were surrounded by. As we were leaving the square, we walked by delicious smelling bakeries and gelaterias. Naturally, this made us hungry for a sweet-treat, so we began to scout one out as we walked to the Peggy Guggenheim art exhibit. After passing by Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, we came across a small hole-in-the-wall bakery. Lily got a cream-filled something, Virginia got a pistachio cannoli, and Kylie was still full from the extra cheese, so she got an orange juice.  

Once we finished our treats, we stumbled upon a bohemian jewelry stand and decided to take a look. Desiring a friendship bracelet, we picked out two matching boho pull bracelets both adorned with different yet equally beautiful stones, like us. Eventually, after a long day of walking, we grew tired and made the call to head back to the apartment. Being college students, we also had work waiting for us to complete. Once we got back, we began to work on the pile of homework we had. After we both put a small dent in our piles, we made bowls of yummy ricotta and spinach tortellini. Despite having just eaten, we put on music and began to give a show to the flies on the wall. After much dancing and singing, we decided it was time to shower and settle down for bed.  

As we snuggled into bed, watching Adventure Time again, we fell swiftly to sleep. The next morning, we stayed in bed until nine and did not make our way back into Venice until one in the afternoon because of our late train that night. When the morning passed and we decided it was time to head back to the island, we put on our skirts and matching smiles then took on the island for day two. Escaping the bustling Venice streets, we tucked into the quiet residential areas to explore. We came across a vintage venetian mask shop with a wonderful lady working it. Accidentally, Lily drops a mask and contemplates her existence for the consecutive three minutes. Luckily, the mask was fine and we made out with two cute decorative pieces to take back home. It wasn’t long before the smell of food caught our attention and like animals, we followed it. Reaching a small pizza joint with “2,50 pizza” plastered on the window, we entered to realize it meant per slice. However, it did not stop us from purchasing a full pizza and filling our stomachs. 

 Conveniently right next to the pizza shop, was a book shop. As avid readers, we rushed into the store to admire book covers because our suitcases cannot sustain anymore books. After browsing the store, Kylie picked up Virginia Woolf’s Orlando and sat down on the couch. Joining her, Lily grabbed a book of Venice history and began to read. Shortly after, another lady took up the last sofa square and read with us. Once thirty minutes had passed and the novelty went away, we left the store and headed straight for a dead end. After giggling at the dead end and imagining us falling into the water, we turned around. Shortly after walking, we reached a bakery called Majer, and as you get to know us in this article, you know that we had to stop. Reverting back to our childhood selves, we chowed down on two massive chocolate chip cookies. Tucking away an eighth of her cookie, Kylie began to drop the crumbs for nearby pigeons; probably annoying the locals.  

After a couple hours of walking around and venturing into whatever drew our attention, we stopped in the local park. Completely enthralled to see swings, Kylie hopped on after ensuring that there weren’t any children around who would also want to swing. Having spent most of the day walking and talking, we decided that we should go back to the apartment and collect our things because we had to catch a train later on. As we waited for the bus, we cringed-out the locals with a much needed dance session in the taxi line because why not? We then made it back to the apartment to rest. Needing to finish the food that we had purchased the first night, we cooked the rest of the smiley fries, finished the apples for dinner, and cooked enough mashed potatoes that could have sustained us for three following days. After resting for a few, we decided it was time to put on our travel fits, strap on our backpacks, and head back to the island to wait for our train.  

Receiving an alarming email, we started to worry whether or not we would make it back to Rome. Our train was canceled and the new train we were told to board was not showing on the itinerary in the station. Deciding to avoid our problems, we walk the island for one last time and grab gelato. This was not an ordinary gelato stop either, this place fashioned your gelato into a simple flower; making it that much more enjoyable. After superficially calming our minds, we headed back to the station to wait for the train we assumed we should take. Once we got our platform, we waited on the bench while laughing and cracking jokes about being stuck in Venice. Luckily, we boarded train number 356754 and had no issues other than a few added hours to the ride. Falling in and out of sleep on the train ride, we eventually made it back to Rome. Happy to be back in our safe space, but sad to leave the beautiful city, we walked back to our apartment to sleep for the next 12 hours.