33 years old (in body if not mind), and living in Edinburgh. A keen interest in cycling, cars, spor...
33 years old (in body if not mind), and living in Edinburgh. A keen interest in cycling, cars, sport, design, writing and movies. And marzipan. Can't get enough of that stuff...
Member since:03.11.2003
Reviews:64
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Venice does seem to be a place that is hit or miss with people. Those who love it cite the romantic location; the vibrancy; the sheer difference of being somewhere different. Those who hate it can't stand the pervading watery smell; the cost of everything; or the simple fact that it's always so very, very busy.
I easily fall into the first category, and yet the crowds still annoy me. I like going somewhere to see different things, but I also like to relax, and I wasn't sure this was possible in Venice. Until our last visit earlier this year.
So here are my tips for getting the most out of 'peaceful' Venice.
Piazza San Marco We'll start with the obvious one, although you might not be thinking it so obvious if you've ever had to battle through the crowds of people and pigeons. But get there early, especially on a Sunday morning, about 8 or 9am does the trick, and you've got the place almost entirely to yourself - and what a place it suddenly becomes as you can truly appreciate the scale and grandeur of the place (and the cafes aren't open yet so you can't get stung for a coffee with music...)
Torcello This is where Venice began. It's about 45 minutes or so on the water bus to visit an ancient monastery and climb a bell tower with views over the whole lagoon. The boat will seem busy, but the crowds thin out on arrival and the giant mosaic in the monastery is worth the trip on its own.
Arsenale While you can't get into the naval base here you can get an appreciation for the size of the place walking around the giant walls defending it. At Campo del'Arsenal you can see plundered lion sculptures, and the 'internal' entrance to the base beyond. The spot is quiet, away from the hubbub surrounding the views of the Bridge of Sighs.
Burano Again, one to get to early, before the lace-hunting day-trippers arrive. Burano is a riot of colour, and a small enough island that you can just let yourself loose to wander knowing you'll never get lost.
Dorsoduro Sit here on the very tip and look back over at the milling crowds around the entrance to San Marco and watch the gondoliers try to convince tourists to part with their cash .
San Giorgio We spent about an hour and a half just sitting on the marble steps at San Giorgio seeing all the traffic come and go at this entrance to the Grand Canal.
The Doges Palace Forget all the crowds standing outside, once in this building it is large enough to swallow up a huge amount of tourists. And rather than looking at the slightly drab exterior of the Bridge of Sighs through a crowd of people, you actually get to walk through it. Easily a couple of hours of relaxed wandering.
Simply getting lost The easiest way to find somewhere peaceful is to wander down an alley, or along a canal, that everyone else seems to be missing. Small squares will open up all of a sudden, or peaceful little canals will make themselves known, and you can have time while walking to stop and look up at everything that's around you. And if you're lucky you might stumble into San Barbara (well, lucky if you're an Indiana Jones fan, you'll recognise it from the Last Crusade).
Venice is what you make it. It can be expensive and crowded if you stick to the main points in the guidebook. But venture away from that, and eat in places like Cannaregio, and you can find a different side to the city that really leaves you to appreciate the beauty and unique attraction.
Pictures of Venice (Italy)
Dorsoduro
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Advantages: a very interesting city with a lot of history charmingly interwoven among the network of canals Disadvantages: extortionate restaurant prices, frequent flooding from November to March
Marechal_Grouchy 07.05.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Venice (Italy)
![Vista Point Venice Italy [DVD] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/83340862.jpg "Vista Point Venice Italy [DVD] [NTSC]")
Nov 13th, 2007
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