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Al Ponte Antico Photos

Al Ponte Antico Hotel

Trip Over to Venice

Arriving in Venice at around noon after a 3 hour drive from Como with Milan from Como Limousines, Milan showed us to a water taxi and our Venetian adventure began, it was hard to know whether to just look and take it all in or keep taking photos of this magnificent old city.

As we navigated the Grand Canal I caught sight of the Rialto Bridge in the distance, so knew we were nearly at the Al Ponte Antico Hotel, it came very highly recommended by friends in Sydney who had recently stayed there.

Oliver came out to meet us as our water taxi pulled up, it was like walking into another world as we entered this beautifully renovated palace from the 1500s through the centuries old gates. He took us upstairs and served coffee on the terrace where again we sat agog at the view of the Grand Canal, as we took in how this city of no roads goes about its day. Matteo, the most charming, calm, eloquent, gracious and sartorial elegant gentleman you could ever hope to meet, the owner of the hotel came out to introduce himself to us. He told us a bit about Venice and very proudly, (and rightly so), all about the hotel and the restoration he had done to bring it from the crumbling old palace he bought to the fine example of traditional Venetian interior design it now is.

Matteo then left us back with Oliver who recommended we go and have lunch at La Cantina, while our rooms were made ready. He gave us a map, and told us, “Getting lost in Venice is what everyone does, so don’t worry, it’s really just exploring.” It all looked fairly straight forward on the map, and we went out and promptly got lost! Eventually getting back on track after many more deviations for more photos, we had a very enjoyable lunch, sitting outside looking over Strada Nova watching the people go by. Looking at the map to find our way back to the hotel, I can’t believe we got lost, it’s almost a straight line!!

Oliver had finished his shift by the time we returned, we were welcomed back by Alex who showed us to our rooms – absolute heaven, I never wanted to leave, the furniture, the Murano Glass Chandeliers, the fabric wall coverings with corded edges – I couldn’t stop walking around the room admiring everything.




Breakfast is cooked every morning by Matteo, he whips up eggs and pancakes however you like them and there is the buffet selection (sorry, my photo shows empty plates – but that happens when the food is that good!) of juices, cold meats, fruit and pastries. Coffee is made in the vintage espresso machine and served on the terrace. At this point I very quickly realised that to see Venice I could just stay on the terrace all day watching the Grand Canal and how it is the life force of Venice. Water taxis, gondolas, ferries, barges delivering building materials and produce, barges taking garbage away, water ambulances, water fire engines, water police, water council rangers – everything we have on the roads, they have on the water. As you can see from my many photos taken from the terrace, even though the background is the same, the water traffic is always changing.

The Rialto Bridge was not looking its best as it was undergoing a major restoration while we were there, courtesy of the Diesel Fashion House, but Venice needs constant maintenance and the fashion industry often steps in providing the funds to see that this happens, all over Italy. I have heard criticism of these fashion houses for putting up advertising during the restoration and leaving a small sign afterwards. Personally, I can’t praise the Diesel enough for putting up the money, without them the alternative would be to let history crumble away leaving nothing for future generations to admire, they deserve to use the advertising space, they’re paying an absolute fortune for saving these monuments for all of us.

Alex and Oliver were never short of dinner recommendations, everything from modern pizza restaurants, to traditional home style Venetian food. They are full of information about where to go and what to see, when there will be less crowds, they are both born and bred Venetians and it is lovely chatting with them about Venice in their childhood, compared to now. There is a lot more to Venice than the Grand Canal and Piazza San Marco.

One of the most impressive things at the hotel was all the staff always call you by name, without waiting to be introduced. We did find out their secret when we returned late one night and Thomas, the night watchman, who we had not met before, greeted us with a hearty, “Good evening Lyn and Christine, have you had a good dinner?” How did he know our names and that we had been out for dinner? We got chatting with him and he revealed that when we give a photocopy of our passports on arrival, they copy the photo to leave at the front desk and put any relevant notes with it so the change of shift staff are aware of anything they need to know. Perfect, it adds an extra touch to the customer service and is very much appreciated.

Matteo had told us about other hotels that he and his family own, one other in Venice, one where he comes from on the coast north of Venice and a new one he is renovating in Tuscany. I’m sure all Peruch Boutique Hotels will be as fabulous as Al Ponte Antico.

Book a tour on your Trip Over to Venice

Itinerary for Trip Over to Italy – Milan, Como and Venice

Qantas flight (Emirates code share) to Milan (Malpensa) from Sydney via Dubai
Stayed in Milan, Airbnb, for a week before going to Como
Picked up in Milan by Como Limousines and driven to Como
Stayed in Como, Airbnb, for 3 weeks
Picked up in Como by Como Limousines and driven to Venice
In Venice, water taxi to Al Ponte Antico Hotel for 3 nights and water taxi back
Picked up in Venice by Como Limousines and driven back to Como
Picked up in Como by Como Limousines and driven back to Milan (Malpensa) Airport
Qantas flight (Emirates code share) to Sydney via Dubai

Flying into London, it's been a while since I have flown in during daylight hours, without low cloud or fog to get a few pics from the air!! It would have been better with full sun 🌞 maybe next time....so lovely to walk through St James's Park🥰🌺🥂#London #Thames #riverthames #buckinghampalace🇬🇧 #kensingtonpalace #stjamespark #stjamesspalace #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #solotravelinlondon
The things you see just ambling around Valletta, sometimes I take the long route around to avoid more really steep and uneven steps, but this always leads to finding more things to see..#valletta #vallettamalta #vallettastreets #malta #maltalife #streetsofvalletta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
It was hot, then it got very humid, lots of cloud.....maybe rain later, but there was a nice breeze on the harbour. I'm ready for summer to end....#sydneyharbour #sydneylife #sydneyharbourwalks #lookingforthebreeze #cremornepoint #sydneylocal #sydneyoperhouse #sailingonsydneyharbour #nativeaustralianflowers
Such a beautiful weekend in Sydney, the weather is just perfect!! The sun glistening on the water around Cremorne Point!! 🌞😍..#cremornepoint #sydneyharbour #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneylife #sydneylocal #Sydney #sydneyaustralia #sailingonsydneyharbour #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #rockformations #sunglisteningonthewater
I went all over the place today, 23,000 steps!! Walked down through St James's Park to the Jewel Tower behind Westminster Abbey, then caught the tube to Canary Wharf to look at the Whale made from waste. Then Elizabeth line to Paddington for lunch. Walked from there to Regent's Park, then down through Marylebone and Mayfair, and as it was now such a lovely sunny evening, I walked around St James's Park again.....now having a glass of wine looking over Green Park🥂💖#Paddington #paddingtonbear #jeweltower #canarywharf #regentspark #stjamessPark #solotravel #seeeverythingdoeverything#solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme
Taormina has to be one of the prettiest towns, there is a festival on that seems to involve a lot of flowers, and there are a few thousand more people here than I was hoping for, but we all seem to be getting along!!.#taormina #taorminasicily #visitsicily #flowers #italianhistory #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Right in the centre of Taormina is this over grown 2000 year old Roman Baths, inhabited by stray cats. There is a sign pointing to it, but it's a bit of a mess.....then on the other side of the square is an old Roman theatre, also dating back to the 1st century..#romanbaths #romantheatre #taormina #taorminasicily #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotravelinsicily
A short train trip from Syracuse, then a walk up the hill to Noto. A town with more churches per square inch than I've ever seen!!!!.#noto #notosicily #sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly
Different story today, they forecast sun and it happened 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 finally!! #stleonardspark #northsydney #blueskyandsunshine☀️ #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneyweekend
The walled city of Mdina, the old capital of Malta, sitting high up on the hill looking out over the country.It was a bit like arriving in Disneyland at first, actors dressed up as whatever they thought medieval Maltese dressed like and whipping people in stocks, while the horse carriage drivers touted for business, but once you get through all that, it was very beautiful..#mdina #mdinamalta #mdinathesilentcity #mdinastreets #maltalife #malta #solotravel#solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #exploretheworld
It was incredibly hot and humid, then wild winds hammered the trees, then thunder and lightening , then it poured.........#storm #sydneystorm #thunderandlightening #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #thunderstorms #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia
I started the day by walking a couple of kms up the coast, then came back and walked all around the edge of Ortigia visiting castles and forts along the way. At least Syracuse and Ortigia are relatively flat!!! .#syracuse #ortigia #ortigiaisland #ortigiasiracusa #italianhistory #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #madeinitaly #traveladdict #italytrip
St Thomas' Bay in Marsaskala out on the east coast of Malta is really pretty, I walked all around the harbour and came across St Thomas' Tower built in the early 1600s to repel the invading Ottomans, they were sent packing once they saw what the Maltese were made of!! There were salt Pans along the way, and as usual for Malta, a lookout bunker on every headland..#marsaskala #stthomasbaymalta #stthomastower #maltascats #exploremalta #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #traveltomalta #visitmalta
Today I set off on the #51 bus from Valletta to Mtarfa in central Malta, in search of the hospital my brother and I were born in. I had read is was now a college, but it seems to be all closed up behind locked gates. I climbed up on walls so I could get a photo of those magic words above the entrance, "David Bruce Royal Naval Hospital". A few days ago I found the house we lived in in Tarxien, not far from Valletta. We moved back to England when I was 6 weeks old, so memories are a bit sketchy!! .#malta #whereiwasborn #myfirsthome #mrarfa #royalnavalhospital #maltalife #neverstopexploring #backwhereitallbegan ##solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes ##traveltheworldwithme
On the walk around Cremorne Point cooling off after a hot day, beautiful gardens along the way...#cremornepoint #sydneyweekend #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneybythesea #sydneyaustralia #sydneynorthshore #sydneylocal #sydneyharbour #explorethecityyoulivein #sydneylocal #pinkflowers #boatsboatsboats #wildflowers #neverstopexploring #traveltheworldwithme
Blue sky and sunshine, then 24 hours later all hell had broken loose. We had a massive storm, followed by lots of rain.......#stleonardspark #northsydney #blueskyandsunshine #raindrops #gumtree #walkinthepark #sydneylocal #sydneylife #sydneystorm #sydneyaustralia
Around 45 minutes on the train from Palermo, Cefalu is a pretty seaside resort town with old historic buildings, like the duomo that opened in 1240. The beaches are sandy here so in peak summer they must be packed. I wanted to walk up to the top of the rocky backdrop, but I got to the half way point and someone told me there were another 275 uneven steps to climb up from there, so I opted out, my knees were already feeling it!!.#cefalù #cefalubeach #cefalusicily #cefaluduomo #visitsicily #solotravel#solotrip #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring
My last evening in Syracuse, it has been a really lovely place to explore. Making my way up the east coast of Sicily, I'm off to Taormina today. .#syracuse #syracusesicily #syracusesicilystreets #solotravel #solotravelinitaly #solotravelinsicily #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #madeinitaly #traveladdict
A few flowers on trees and hanging over people's fences on the local streets...#neutralbay #neutralbaylocal #neutralbayliving #sydneysnorthshore #orangeflowers #pinkflowers #streetsofsydney #sydneystyle #sydneystyle #sydneynativeplants #sydneyaustralia #sydneystreets #sydneywalks #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
The never ending parade in Taormina continues......#taorminasicily #taormina #sicilytravel #sicilytourism #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #solotrip
Up in the north western corner of Sicily, I visited an area called Segesta to see a temple built in 400BC, a Greek/Roman theatre (they're still working on the finer points of its beginnings!). Then to Trapani to see the salt pans, apparently they usually have pink flamingos, but it was too windy for them....We then went up to the medieval walled city or Erice, the views over the whole area from this vantage point being 800mtrs above sea level were incredible. There is a castle up there from the 1100s and all the other churches, walls, etc from the 1400s.#trapani #segesta #erice #Sicily #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #neverstopexploring #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
A big day of wandering all over Palermo. It's a grubby, gritty city, everything needs a good wash, but you get over that pretty quickly!! Easy to get around on buses and walking, the Ballaro Markets are quite an experience, all the vendors shouting, very crowded, seafood sitting out in the sun, cooking various gizzards to put on bread rolls (no thanks!!) Then I escaped to the calm of the botanical gardens....#Palermo #palermosicily #ballaromarket #mercatoballarò #botanicgardens #sicilytravel #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme
Manoel Island, just next to Valletta in Malta, was the Royal Navy Base prior to 1964. Fort Manoel is apparently being renovated to make it safe to visit. But all the other buildings that were used by the Navy have just been left to fall apart. It is the strangest place, all the buildings would have been functional, but have just left derelict for the past 60 years..#manoelisland #Malta #derelictbuildings #valletta #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Sydney is Christmas ready, the QVB has the tree up. All the shopping centres have hauled the decorations out of storage and put them up, same as usual....they all need to swap decorations to give some variety 🎄🎄🎄#christmas #christmastree #qvb #qvbsydney #sydneychristmas #christmasdecorations #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneylocal #sydneyarchitecture #decorationsup #shoppinginsydney #myhometown #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #seeeverythingdoeverything
Flowers exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea..#flowers @saatchi_gallery #kingsroadchelsea #London #londonart #londonstyle #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotrip #solotravel #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict
Easter Sunday in Palermo, not a chocolate Easter egg to be found!! I caught a bus up to Monreale as I had been told the gold mosaics in the duomo were amazing. I think a catholic church service for Easter is not the place an atheist should be! Even if the building was amazing, dating back to the 1100s. I just can't agree with them asking the poorest people to donate money to the wealthiest organisation in the world, and giving nothing in return, the homeless will still be on the streets tonight! I then caught a bus to Mondello, apparently the most famous beach in Sicily. Looks lovely but I have never been hounded by so many Indians wanting to sell me a sarong😧!!#monreale #mondello #Sicily #eastersundayinsicily ##solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme ##seetheworldthroughmyeyes
Martin Place Christmas tree in Sydney CBD, seems to be a slight change from the usual covered in red and green beach balls, this year I think there are less of them, and a few pink ones have been introduced!! Come on Sydney, can we please have a new design? 🎄🥂🎅🎄🥂🎄#christmasinsydney #christmastree #martinplacesydney #martinplacechristmastree #sydney #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneycbd #sydneychristmas #sydneylocal #sydneyaustralia
Caught the fast ferry from Valletta to Gozo, had a wander around Victoria, then went all over the Island on top deck of a bus!! That was quite an experience - a double decker bus negotiating streets designed for a horse and cart!! There were times that there was only inches to spare either side!..#gozo #gozoisland #hoponhopoffbus #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveladdict #neverstopexploring
All the decorations are nearly down as Sydney marches into 2025, walking through @theqvb on my way to work is a beautiful way to start the day, especially as it's been soooooo hot and humidity, or raining lately, a bit of air-con helps!!!..#sydneyafterchristmas #qvbsydney #queenvictoriabuilding #queenvictoriabuildingsydney #shoppinginsydney #dailycommute #walktowork #streetsofsydney #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #sydneystyle #sydneylife #sydneystreets #sydneycbd
The Greek Theatre in Taormina built in 300BC, still standing and still showing plays and operas. The views from the top of the auditorium out over the sea and the town are amazing....I think I took about 200 photos!! Slightly excessive, but I couldn't stop 🥂🤩.#taorminasicily #taormina #greektheatretaormina #teatrogrecotaormina #sicilytravel #solotravel #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #solotravelinitaly #neverstopexploring #seeeverythingdoeverything
Friday morning walk to North Sydney before the heat ramped up...#northsydney #walktowork #walkinthepark #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #purpleflowers #morninglight #palmtree #sydneylocal #fridayvibes #fridayfeeling #sydneylife #sydneystreets
We're all ready for Santa here in Sydney 🎅🎄🥂!! Best wishes for tomorrow - hope you're not on the naughty list!!!!#christmasinsydney #christmasready❤️🎄🎁 #waitingforsanta #merrychristmas🎄
As the ferry leaves Mosman Bay as seen from the Cremorne Point walk, Sydney Harbour was sparkling all weekend🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞..#mosmanbay #cremornepoint #northshore #sydneyweekend #sydneylife #sydneyaustralia #sydneyharbourwalks #sydneystyle #seeeverythingdoeverything #traveltheworldworldwithme #outonthewater #boatsboatsboats #sydneyferries #myhometown #sydneylocal
Made it back across the Grand Harbour and up on to my terrace in time to watch the 4pm firing of the cannon from the Saluting Battery.#cannonfire #valletta #salutingbatterymalta #solotravel #solotrip #malta #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything #maltalife #grandgarbour #grandharbourhotel
This seems to be all it does in Sydney these days, although there is a fine day forecast for tomorrow 😊 As I walked through St Leonards Park this morning on my way to work, there was everything from torrential to drizzle. Most of NSW north of Sydney has completely gone under in floods, so the rain in Sydney is nothing compared to what others are going through 😒#stleonardspark #rainfall #waterwaterandmorewater #morningcommute #walkinthepark #northsydney #northsydneyintherain
Walking all around Valletta, so many steps to go up and down!! Sunrise across Grand Harbour....Upper Barrakka Gardens and all around that area. .#valletta #upperbarrakkagardens #tritonfountain #malta #solotravel #solotrip #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #traveltheworldwithme #neverstopexploring #traveladdict #maltalife
After a bit of window shopping and a long walk through Hyde Park to Kensington Garden, it rained, it was windy, the sun tried to come out, then it got really cold. I went to the 'Dress Code' exhibition at Kensington Palace, the Palace is in the middle of a major conservation project have all the sash windows replaced so the whole building is covered in scaffolding......#hydepark #hydeparklondon #kensingtonpalace #kensingtongardens #fortnums #oxfordstreet #solotravel #solotrip #traveltheworldwithme #seeeverythingdoeverything
My adventure begins!! Leaving Sydney for London, then Malta, then Sicily 🥂🌞🌞🌞.#Sydney #sydneyaurport #Qantas @qantas #seetheworldthroughmyeyes #nextadventure #traveltheworldwithme #londoncalling #upintheair

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