It’s no joke planning a day trip to see one of the world’s most famous cities, especially in 35 degree humidity. We dragged the Wild Berry Boys from their beds at 6.30am and cycled about 6km to the port in a bid to catch the first ferry at 7am. The eldest WB kept up manfully on his little red bike and certainly earned his gelato that day.

Our reward was Piazza San Marco almost completely to ourselves for at least an hour. Venice is glorious first thing in the morning. We watched all sorts of interesting boats transporting cargo along the canals, and managed to go up the Campanile in the very first lift – even the Basilica seemed easy; the queue was manageable and the boys chased pigeons happily while we waited.

After our cultural efforts, we spent a small fortune on coffee (€7 for an espresso!) at a café in the Piazza – but hey – it was Venice. We explored beautiful side streets and canal bridges. Then we got hot and tired. The obligatory gelato helped us explore a few more blocks before the Wild Berry boys began to fade. The eldest managed to fall asleep on a bar stool over lunch; the youngest passed out on a vaporetto as we cruised down the Grand Canal. The crowds of tourists became so overwhelming that even the restaurateurs were fed up. It was time to say goodbye to beautiful, smelly, hot Venice and catch a ferry back to our relatively peaceful Lido di Jesolo. As a reward for cycling home again we managed to find a local restaurant complete with playground and the most fantastic local gelato bar – two gelati in one day; the boys couldn’t believe their luck.