Hotel Londra Palace in Venice, Italy and a recipe for Grilled Scallops and Octopus, Potato Salad and Spinach Sauce

We could have chosen to eat indoors in the hotel’s dining room with its beautiful space and fine appointments, however, the weather in mid-June was glorious; clear and sunny days were perfect for alfresco dining.

Restaurant Do Leoni

The Dining Room inside the hotel is elegant and inviting in cooler temperatures

A traditional European-style breakfast was served each morning at Hotel Londra Palace.  Cured meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, juices, and homemade breads and pastries were among the choices.

The early mornings were quiet on the Riva degli Schiavoni as we ate our breakfast on the patio, sipped our cappuccino and watched the city come to life.  Street vendors pushed their portable shops in to place to set up for the day.  Water taxis arrived with groceries for the local restaurants and the gondoliers started their morning ritual of donning their striped shirts, red ribbons and straw hats.  What was peaceful early in the morning soon became a bustling promenade and one of the main thoroughfares for pedestrians in the city.

A traditional European breakfast was offered each morning

In front of Hotel Londra Palace with San Giorgio in the background

In the afternoons, we also enjoyed the welcome respite of the hotel’s patio after arriving weary from the hot summer sun and full days of sightseeing.  Sitting under the awning, enjoying the scent of fresh Jasmine that lined the fence, sipping on a Bellini and watching a local artist create a scene in pastels is a memory that I will not soon forget.

The view of Riva degli Schiavoni and St. Mark’s Basin from the patio at Do Leoni

A Bellini was the perfect way to end a busy day of sightseeing

An artist is capturing the scenery of Venice