This That and the Passport

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Venice, Italy

Favourite Memory: The look on the kids faces as we walked out of the train station and they saw the traffic- on the Grand Canal

In a nutshell: A city unlike any other, beautiful "romantic decay" everywhere, the city moves at the rhythm of the water.  In order to get a feel for the real city you have to walk away from the tourist areas. Spend time at local cafes and do some people watching.


Ride the vaporettos on the Grand Canal, it is a cheap way of admiring the city from a different vantage point. The stops look like the one in the picture, to the right.


Gondola Stations are colorful, lively and busy. Try and hire a gondolier that sings!


Beautiful old Palazzos. Many have empty first floors because in some areas Venice can flood several times a year, a phenomenon called "aqua alta".


Santa Maria della Salute is just one of Venice's many beautiful churches.


St Mark's Square. The only real piazza in Venice- the other's are called Campos becuause they used to be grass.


Detail of St. Mark's facade- it seems like it is always under restauration...

It is worth spending some time inside. Bring a guide book or listen to an audioguide to better understand its histroy.


Cafe Florian- Contender for "oldest coffee house in continuous operation". Located in St Mark's Square and established 1720.


Acqua Alta is one of the most interesting bookstores in the world. (This may require a post all to itself).


There are boats and bathtubs and shelves filled to the brim with all kinds of books- and sleeping cats too!


Venice at nigt from the Rialto Bridge. The restaurants are a good, fun, expensive tourist traps.


Bridges are old, rustic and full of flowers.


Every canal is different and has its own charm...


...but it is not just about the canals, it is also about hidden little restaurants with good seafood, pasta, gelato and wonderful cappuccino!

Keep in mind that Venice is a very different city at night.   When all the day-trippers and the cruise passangers have left, the city breaths a sigh of relief. The streets empty, it is quieter, there is a change of pace.  It is also a city that is slow to rise. Get up early and go for a walk, you will be able to appreciate the city in a whole different way.

Venice in the early morning: Shopkeepers getting ready to open for bussines.


So stay a couple days!  We enjoyed staying right in the middle of things. Our hotel was a boutique hotel called Alla Vite Dorata and  our stay was wonderful!  We walked everywhere and it was quiet at night.  Breakfast was good and the staff helpful. Check out other hotels in the area below.


Booking.com

More Photography:

Click here for my Venice album on Flickr for more pictures of this amazing city!

More information on Venice at: http://wikitravel.org/en/Venice


Blog:

Click here to find out how much we managed to do one random day in Venice!

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