First time for us in Venice and we were interested to see how this city actually works as it slowly sinks into the sea or is it the ocean rising around it? As it turns out, it worked just fine while we were there but soon after our departure the city had one of its worst floods of all time driven by an extreme high tide and high winds resulting in 70% of the streets being underwater.
Even the high water walkways, which are routinely employed in Fall and Winter, were overwhelmed, had to be removed and the vaporetti system shut down. It would have been a nightmare, with anyone visiting being completely stranded, so we dodged a bullet (but it turned out that Mother Nature had others remaining in the chamber for later use).
Well, the GoOpti van did show up in Ljubljana, Slovenia after all and transported us efficiently to the Piazzale Roma in Venice. We were nervous about getting to our Airbnb with our long haul luggage via the vaporetti water buses and, having done it now, the key points are, first, to get the multi-day pass which runs Euro 40 for 3 days per person, not cheap, but with individual rides of even a single stop costing Euro 7.50 it’s a no brainer. Second, don’t take #1 line down the Grand Canal, unless you have to, as it’s crammed with tourists and makes many stops. We’re staying down in the Giardini della Bienalle so we can take the fast track 5.1 or 6 and it’s only a moderately stressful transfer instead of a circus. Still, it’s definitely a destination where you’re far better off traveling light and it was sad/funny to see tourists lugging gear over endless canal bridge stairs.
Claudio, our host, is nice enough to meet us at the vaporetto station and give us the run through of the neighborhood which was old school Venetian, not fancy but authentic. So authentic that we could hear the young, local Italian couple on the other side of the “street” having animated discussions at all hours or listen to someone break out into an aria at the drop of a hat. We were so lucky to pick this area as we soon found that the more famous parts of the city are, not suprisingly, completely flooded with tourists.
Venezia was also our best opportunity to go to the opera and so it was “Il Rigoletto” at the Palazzo di Musica performed chamber style with each of the acts in a different room of the Palace. I’m chagrined to say that it was my first attendance at a live operatic performance. Still not really my bag but the power and passion of the singers was undeniable. (Photos were not allowed during the performance so I threw in some talented street players here).
Since we had the vaporetti passes we fitted in a day trip to the outer islands of Murano and Burano, which both would have been great, were it not for the, guess what, masses of folks like us looking for a getaway from the insanity of San Marco Square. Still, it’s fun being out on the water, the seafood is tasty, there are many photo ops and it’s a beautiful day, but by the time we get a late boat back to the main island and walk home to Giardini we are shattered.
When you visit try out the Venetian tradition of “Cicchetti”, pronounced “chee-KET-eeh” which is the local equivalent of tapas or happy hour. Small plates, with wine, in small traditional bars, often standing. Frequently seafood based and running about 2 Euros a pop, they’re a lot of fun but you need to get there by 6 as it’s usually over by 8pm.
Yeah, we did go to San Marco Piazza, the Basilica, the Dogue’s Palace, the Correr Museum and ride down the Grand Canal but you don’t want to hear about that. Get your advance or “skip the line” tickets or spend all day standing around. The Dogue’s Palace and San Marco Basilica are both amazing but struck me as an overdose of ostentatious wealth and I can’t help think of what life must have been like for the regular folks of the time. Then again, look at today.
If you’re willing to be vaporetti jockeys and hike through a maze of tiny backstreets, you can get the best out of this unique environment. Better go before it’s underwater. On to the hill towns of Tuscany.
p.s. I was a pain in the ass to Abby the first couple of days in Venice. It’s been hard on the road, I’m working on it. She’s been a trouper.
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