Dave & Meredith's Travel Blog

Venice has been praised and put down by so many people.  I think it’s the kind of place you have to experience yourself and make up your own mind.

The Cons

It’s touristy, expensive, and it’s hard to find a good meal at a remotely reasonable price.

The Pros

It’s beautiful, over-the-top, and fun to explore on foot or boat.  If you accept that you’re going to spend a lot of money here and submit to a little bit of cheesiness, it’s quite a romantic setting.

Venice doesn’t feel like other places in Italy.  As cities go, I personally preferred Rome over Venice, but I’d certainly like to come back to Venice and see more (hopefully on foot next time!).  Our guidebooks say that Venice’s biggest attraction is the city itself.  I agree with that.  As a city built on water, it’s so different than any other place I’ve been, that it’s a little bit exotic.  It’s cool that our hotel is right on the water, and I can hear gondoliers passing by while I’m in the room.  But it’s not totally exotic, because there are too many tourists, and too many shops and restaurants that feed on the tourist drug.

Venice must have been very exotic through the 18th century or so, but I suspect that as the city’s power declined, tourism grew, water levels rose, and property became more and more expensive to maintain, visitors today experience a less authentic Venice than in the past.  Still, it’s quite beautiful.  Here are some pics of the city:

 St. Mark’s Basilica

 Rush Hour on the Grand Canal

 Rush Hour on a Smaller Canal 

 Rush Hour on the Rialto Bridge

 The Rialto Bridge at Dusk

Palazzos and Gondolas lining the Grand Canal 

 Gondolas Jousting 🙂

 

Yesterday, we visited the islands of Murano (of glass fame) and Burano (of lace and colorful house fame).  This was one of my favorite days on this part of the trip.  It felt a little more relaxed, a little less touristy, a little less over the top, and a little more authentic.  When you come here, don’t miss these islands.  Here are some pics from the islands:

 A Glassworker on Murano Heating a Vase in a Furnace

 Canal in Burano

 A Few of Burano’s Colorful Houses

 

 Reflection of Burano Houses in the Canal

 

Speaking of canals, about 1 in 10 gondolas that pass by our hotel are carrying tourists that want their gondolier to sing “O Sole Mio” because it’s the only Italian song they know.  Unfortunately, “O Sole Mio” is a song from Naples, not Venice.  I’m sure the gondoliers are used to it (and well paid, and should be because they are seriously working it out there), but when you come here, don’t ask your gondolier to sing “O Sole Mio.”  I think you’d be doing a favor to yourself, as well as to the girl who is stuck in the hotel room all day putting her foot up and listening to gondolas go by.  Not that I don’t like the song “O Sole Mio.”  It’s just more appropriate that you ask an accordionist to play it when you’re in Sorrento or Naples, that’s all.  We took a gondola ride on our last morning in Venice (I know you’re supposed to ride in the evening but we sort of ran out of time).  Here’s a pic our gondolier took of us:

 

And here’s a pic Dave took of us in a mirror the gondoliers use to see what other boats may be coming around the corner:

 

– Meredith