Venice on foot (and boat)

Get lost. It won't take much effort. There is so much to see, and you don't have to worry about getting run over by a rabid taxi driver or vespa rider if you stop and gawk. Try to visit the market on the north side of the Rialto Bridge on the weekends - no, not the cheesy baseball cap and cheap mask market, the antiques market one block east (facing north). You'll find all kinds of fascinating stuff, from old Italian LPs to fifty-year-old postcards to fine antiques and linens. Also keep an eye out for special concerts; my fiancee and I got tickets for a performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons held in a small cathedral on the day of the show; it was one of the highlights of the trip. (The other was asking her to marry me in the Piazza San Marco.)

Quick Tips:

Walk more than you ride in the vaporetto, but be sure to take at least one trip down the Grand Canal to see the palazzos lining the way. Don't stay right next to the train station in Campidoglio; the main street through the neighborhood is tourist-infested, but there are nice areas off of it. Also be wary of anything around the Piazza San Marco; even in December the crowds were very heavy. San Marco east of the Piazza is wonderful and lightly touristed, however. The Jewish Ghetto is interesting, as is the guided tour of the synagogues.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walk or take the vaporetto, the ferry that runs along the Grand Canal and between the outlying islands. A three-day pass for the vaporetto is 30,000 lire, but we only used it for one day; if you enjoy walking, you'll be better off buying a one-day pass when you want to visit the outlying islands.

If you want to stay in Venice and not pay a lot for a room, this is an ideal place. A nice walk from the Rialto Bridge, Dorsoduro, and Piazza San Marco, the Dalla Mora is about a ten minute walk from the train station (in other words, far enough to get out of that neighborhood). The room we had was small but nice, with a spotless bathroom attached. Our window was literally about four feet above water level on one of the smaller canals; there was a boat docked right outside. The furniture is nothing to write home about, but the bed was firm and the room was quiet. Breakfast (a few pastries, bread, and drinks) was included in the price. The hotel also has a second-floor deck overlooking the canal. The staff was always helpful and courteous, and spoke enough English to get by (if your Italian is rough like mine). Book ahead, especially on the weekends; they were sold out on Friday and Saturday when we were there (in December). Dalla Mora is also within easy stumbling distance of the Café Noir (mentioned below) and Blue Café, another popular watering hole.

Café Noir is a great (and popular) place to spend a few hours over coffee, tea, or alcohol. They do have beer on tap. In Santa Croce, near Dorsoduro, Café Noir gets very crowded late; after about 11 pm, the clientele spills outside into the narrow street. If you get there early enough to get a table, however, you’ll find yourself surrounded by low-key locals relaxing for a drink, ranging in age from 20 to 40 or so. There is Internet access in the back, so you can have a drink while you check your messages. It is smoky, though, so if that bothers you, consider yourself warned. (However, if smoke bothers you that much, you probably won't last long in Italy.)

The music is cheesy and the prices are outrageous, but it’s worth it for the view. The Café is right on Piazzeta San Marco, across from the Palazzo Ducale. We paid $7 for a beer and $6 for a cappuccino (!), but sitting outside looking at San Giorgio Maggiore made it worthwhile. There is a piano and bass duo, but unfortunately they play nothing but bad cover songs (“Day-O” is probably the last thing you want to hear in Venice on a cool December night). While you’re there, you’ll most likely hear every language but Italian; it’s not a local place by any means. They serve desserts as well.

Burano is a beautiful island about 30 minutes from Piazza San Marco by vaporetto (ferry). There were few tourists there the day we were there, so it was perfect for exploring. The houses of Burano are all brightly painted; it reminded me of a rural version of La Boca in Buenos Aires. The island is mostly made up of quiet residential areas and canals, with one main thoroughfare where you’ll find shops selling the famous Burano lace and Carnivale masks. One thing you’ll want to notice are the intricate doors on many of the houses. It’s a great place to wander for an hour or two.

Murano, an island just off of of Venice famous for its glass, was a bit of a tourist trap. Watching the glass blowers was very interesting, but outside of that there was little to see or do. The stores – and there are countless multitudes of them – all sell cheap and garish glass souvenirs. It’s a little sad actually, because with some classier establishments and some variety the island would be a very attractive destination. It’s worth a short visit at least to see the glass blowers, and to wonder at the sheer lunacy of the tourist trade.