Venice

A trip to Italy is not very easy to plan. After all, it makes you want to visit the whole country at the same time. All we knew was that we would travel to Rome and from there we would go somewhere else. The Tuscany region was an easy pick. We always wanted to visit the famous medieval cities, apart from Pisa, Siena and Florence. Then tough decision had to be made: We are going up to Florence and will not visit Venice? It's about 340 km away, but as it would be just me and my wife, riding one of the gondolas throughout the canals of Venice would fall just fine. Final decision: Rome - Tuscany - Venice.

 

(That's it. We are going to Venice.)

Venice is a maze of small and large canals scattered throughout the city. It's a quite different city. Somewhat picturesque and poetic I would say. The comments we read about the city are well diversified and contradictory. The Impression one has of Venice, will depend a lot on one´s style and the amount of time spent in the city. But the fact is that nobody should miss a visit to Venice, even if it's to say that did not like it. In our case, we enjoyed liked the ride although we have found the city a bit ugly and somewhat ran-down. But we did not find it stinky as many say. However, we went there in the fall and usually the bad smell is higher in the summer.

 

(There are prettier places)

Regardless of such bad aspect of the buildings, our goal there was to enjoy the famous gondola, on a very romantic ride. The canal tour is a must-do for anyone visiting Venice. And it was fantastic! A extremely romantic. With uniformed gondoliers dressed just like in the movies. At once, we saw the San Simeone Piccolo Church, whose façade is inspired by the Pantheon and the dome resembles that of the church of Santa Maria della Salute. We loved it! We took the opportunity to notice the rich details of the boat: the curvature of the gondola, the support of the oars carved in a single piece of wood and the small adornments with golden details. We were with accredited professionals, which can be found in the vicinity of the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco. There are some basic routes, sometimes going through the Grand Canal, sometimes through narrow canals in inner-city neighborhoods. It's not very cheap. A quick tour is not less than at least 80 euros. Nevertheless, we thought it was worth it. It was very good!

 
 
 

(Extreeeeemely romantic!)

Walk around the alleys and just go on without a definite destination. Those who do not get lost in Venice end up losing Venice. Even though it is impossible to follow any map or predefined route, because there is no other city in the world like Venice. Buy the Vaporetto pass which is the public transportation of the city, to take a panoramic tour. It goes around the Grand Canal and passes in front of the main attractions such as the Ca'D'Oro, the Rialto Bridge, the Ca'Pesaro, the Beauty Arts Academy, Salute and, of course, Piazza San Marco (St Mark's Square).

 

(Sailing on)

The hotels on the mainland are more comfortable, have better rates and do not need to go through any bridge or catch any boat. But if you are in Venice, the ideal is to sleep in a multicentennial building, in one of those unhealthy alleys, to live a typical Venetian experience. However, one must have disposition. After all, with bridges full of steps and with the high prices of water transport, you may regret the adventure. It is also possible to stay in nearby towns and make a round trip. But if you are staying just for the day, organize well your luggage. The bridges in Venice have stairs, so luggage with wheels will not work. Select what you will need in a bag or backpack and leave the main bag in the luggage compartment of the train station, if that is the case.

 

(Walking and sailing, the best Way to get to know Venice)

Venetian masks are an old tradition of Venice. You will find shops and Streets with masks of all shapes, colors, sizes and even various prices. Pay a little more, but bring the porcelain mask. They are beautiful! As soon as you arrive in the city you will find many stands selling them.

 

(The traditional carnival masks)