Hong Kong John

Seen by many as a tourist trap, I was both excited and reserved to be heading to Venice for two days. Many people make the mistake of assuming they need to spend a long time in Venice to see all the major attractions. While it is true that there will be things to do and many islands to explore if you stayed for a long time, it can also be argued that many aspects of what makes Venice beautiful are repetitive in nature. Don’t, however, let this stop you from experiencing this city’s amazing beauty – regardless of how frequently you may see the same things, it is still breathtaking and well worth the visit. For a person not trained in the arts (I am an engineer by training) I found two days to be great, and could probably have occupied myself for three if I wanted to.

It is recommended that you look into accommodation both inside and outside the actual city of Venice. During the peak season it is not unheard of to see ridiculous crowds converging upon Venice and often prices of hostels and hotels on the actual Venetian island soar to levels several times that of those outside. Where possible I try to avoid mentioning specific hostels on my blog, but on this occasion I stayed at Plus Camping Venezia which was a campsite (but with comfortable bungalows and proper beds) about 4km outside of Venice. A shuttle bus runs a regular service to and from the hostel for 4 Euros each way, and I found this to be a much better deal in the busy season (and good weather) than trying to book accommodation in Venice proper. I mention this hostel specifically because I am aware not all hostels outside of Venice offer transport to and from the city, so I would recommend this one as a large and affordable option (around 25 Euros a night).

(Above image courtesy of the Wikimedia foundation)

The first thing you are likely to notice on the approach to Venice is the incredible bridge (not counted as one of the 455 that connect the waterways in the city itself) that connects the mainland to the city. Moving across the only rail and road link into the northern part of the city gives an incredible sense of grandeur as the low-rise historic buildings and the occasional spire loom in the distance over the channel of water. The initial sight was certainly exciting and gave an appropriate taster of what was to come.

A brief walk through the terminus / recently added parking lot quickly gave way to the city proper, with the Grand Canal less than a five minute walk away. Along the canal near the transport links are numerous bakeries and restaurants, many of which are reasonably priced and seem to entice some of the locals. After stopping for a snack, I ventured across several of the main bridges in what was an incredibly enjoyable stroll. It amazed me that Venice is a proper, fully functioning city but completely without cars or trucks – transportation within the city itself is done entirely on foot or on water.

Another interesting observation is the house numbering system in Venice – there aren’t house numbers on individual streets per se, but Venice is divided into six sections or ‘sestiere’ where houses seem randomly numbered from one through to several thousand. To the uninitiated this looks absolutely bizarre; it would be fascinating to see the local postmen at work.

A quick word about the gondolas – in my opinion, unless you are on a romantic trip with a significant other or really want to experience the gondola, it is widely regarded as a tourist trap. The cost is generally around 80-100 Euros for a forty minute ride or so, but make sure to understand the gondolier correctly before starting the ride or it might end up being memorable for the wrong reasons. As long as you do not mind the price, it is probably an experience that is worth it. However, I personally chose to weave through the waterways over the bridges rather than cruise over the water.

Venice is home to several famous historical landmarks. The main square, Piazza San Marco, is the most popular and the most frequented by tourists. A large number of jewelery and fashion shops are located here as well as some proper sit-down restaurants that are probably slightly pricier than the rest of Venice. The centerpiece of Piazza San Marco is the Campanile di San Marco, a tower just shy of 100 metres tall which is one of Venice’s most recognisable structures. It stands next to the similarly named basilica (St. Mark’s Basilica) which is also one of Venice’s most recognisable attractions. Of particular architectural interest here is that the basilica was constructed throughout a period spanning over a century, and the more eagle-eyed will notice a mixture of architectural styles being employed simultaneously here (Renaissance, Baroque, Byzantine and Arab influence can all be seen, and possibly more for someone who knows more about architecture than myself).

On the waterfront is also the famous Basilica Della Salute, originally built in honour of the Virgin Mary as a symbol to help rid Venice of the plague that gripped the region in the 1600’s (not to be confused with the ‘first’ plague of 1575-77). The then Doge of Venice wanted to build a church that was grandiose and magnificent to ask the Virgin Mary for her divine intercession.

The shops in Venice also warrant thorough inspection, although be careful not to accidentally break anything! There are many shops selling fashion but unique to Venice are its famous Venetian masks (bonus points for finding the store that supplied the masks to the movie Eyes Wide Shut) as well as Venetian (Murano) glass wares. Some of these were absolutely spectacular and really leave you wondering how it’s possible to make them.

With this in mind and the day rapidly drawing to a close, I decided to give the regular waterway strolls a break and head straight to the outlying island of Murano on my second day, the famous home of the Venetian glass-blowers. The ferry to Murano can be found at the main ferry terminal on the island (I’m afraid you’ll need to ask for directions) where various boats go to many of Venice’s islands. A round trip ticket to Murano cost me in the region of 6 Euros.

The first thing to notice when getting off the ferry at Murano was its relative tranquil nature compared to Venice proper. Crowds were much smaller, buildings were more humble in their appearances and it generally gave off a homeliness that much of the main canals lack. It was incredibly peaceful, and the commercial boats were nowhere to be found, but replaced with private resident’s boats tied up along the canal on both sides.

Being famous for the manufacture of its glass ware, I immediately set off looking for a place to see a glass blower in action. Be warned that many factories will charge 5-10 Euros for a demonstration if you wished to summon a glass blower to give a demonstration of creating some of their works. However, if you look hard enough (I walked left from the pier, keeping the water on my left hand side, and kept going for around 7-8 minutes passing about five ‘factories’ / shops in the process) there are a few places that will demonstrate for free when a certain number of people gather, and simply ask for a small donation afterwards. Watching the traditional glass blowers handle red hot glass so close to themselves and mould them into seemingly impossible shapes is something not to be missed when visiting Murano. In the photo below, the glass blob eventually became a rather convincing looking fish!

What seem like quiet little piazzas dotted around Murano off the main canal are sprung to life by two additions: the presence of many small cafes and some amazing public display glass sculptures! Not only was it incredible that these ceramic monuments could be built, but admirable that none of them had been vandalised or suffered any damage. The people here care deeply about their traditions and their arts, and things like the sculpture below certainly show it!

For myself, this was the end of my two day tour of Venice, but make sure to leave a little bit of time after nightfall to appreciate how lovely Venice can be after dark. Below are two photos (the first of which is part of my photography portfolio now as one of my favourites). The second photo was taken from the Rialto bridge of the main canal. I took both on the way back to the bus terminus.

Venice was nothing short of breathtaking, and if I had a week to spend there I could easily see myself walking through every tiny alley looking for photo opportunities and simply losing myself in the atmosphere. I would look forward to going back, but not for the obvious; going off the beaten track and experiencing more local life on the outlying islands looks to be my next adventure here when I come back.