There are many ways to enjoy Venice. You can visit the major landmarks — e.g., St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto bridge, Academia, etc., which is a completely legitimate way to tour the city since these places are popular for a reason and do have their merit. Or you can disobey the landmark signs, avoid the posted routes, and make your own discoveries. (80% of the Venice is, in fact, not touristy, but the majority of tourists never notice.) For Drew and me, we preferred a third option: Semi-aided exploration supplemented by a couple of landmark attractions.

Our only full day in Venice started with a Venetian rowing lesson with Row Venice in the quiet Cannaregio (Royal Canal) district of the city. Our instructor Jane, an English woman by way of Australia and Venice, introduced us to the batelina, an older, more sturdy and spacious flat boat that is now more rare than any endangered animal species. We practiced a few rounds of the basic rowing stroke in the batelina while it was still moored in the dock, before gliding down the calm and narrow Canal.

Here’s Jane working with Drew on his basic stroke. Rowing the oar requires a bit of concentration as well as coordination of the eyes, arms and legs to help fine-tune the position of the paddle as it enters, glides through, and exits the water.

Once we proved that we can both manage the oar without crashing the boat, we rode out into the open lagoon to practice rowing from the stern of the boat, like a gondolier! And here’s Drew, looking like a legit gondolier minus the outfit. Just don’t ask him to serenade.

We spent the late afternoon touring St. Mark’s Basilica. First built in 828 and reconstructed throughout the subsequent centuries, it is where the remains of St. Mark is said to be buried. The exterior facade of the cathedral was impressive and featured richly detailed sculptures and mosaic of select biblical figures and stories. Inside of the Basilica covered by luminescent gold and colored mosaic and marbled floor is equally breath-taking. No wonder it has attracted admirers from both near and afar. (Unfortunately, no photography is allowed inside the Basilica, so I only have photos of the exterior.)

We’ve been told by many people that Venice is crowded and overly commercialized, while this may be true, we’ve found that it only applies to a limited areas. We were also pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to escape the crowds; many times we found ourselves completely alone by simply taking a side street instead of following one of the posted routes (sometimes by choice, sometimes not!). And by doing so, we experienced a quieter, more reflective side of Venice. Our only regret is not having more time in this city, but we are hopeful that it won’t be our last.