A Month In Venice

If you know anything about the country of Italy you should know that things do not remain constant for long. This is definitely the case for the public transit system in Venice called the Vaporetto that runs all throughout the canals and is the best system of navigating the city of Venice.

The ACTV has just posted up an update to their fares on their website. The details are just too numerous to go over and you should really think ahead or consult a local as to what is the best option for you to choose when purchasing a ticket.

Each ticket can be purchased in 12 hour blocks that are activated after the first swiping of the card. Of course the currency that is in use is in Euros as the Italian Lira as been completely phased out by now.

Here is the fare schedule:

12 hours – 14 Euros
24 hours – 16 Euros
36 hours – 21 Euros
48 hours – 26 Euros
72 hours – 31 Euros

Of course pick the card that is the most cost efficient for you to use based on how long you stay. Also keep in mind that you can purchase a month long card that gives discounted rates. If you are a senior citizen or a student there are also some other considerations as well. This I guess is a bit of housekeeping in order to keep this blog as up to date as possible.

If you have ever visited Venice then you are surely aware that the area around the Rialto Bridge is the shopping hub for tourists. However have you ever wondered about where the locals go to shop? I know I have and fortunately I have discovered a few places where you can pick up the necessities of life while you are staying in this city.

For instance if you want to get robbed by buying your bags from the various street vendors feel free. However most Venetians buy their clothes from the COIN department store where the prices are three times cheaper. If you do not know how to find this store simply ask one of the hotel workers or a local where to find it I am sure they are willing to help you out.

If you are into looking for leather goods such as jackets, hand bags and the like the best place to go is called Kalimala which is in the Castello sesteri. And if you shoe should happen to break and want to have it repaired then the best place for that would be Risuola Tutto di Giovanni Dittura which is in the Dorsoduro district. Either store will be surely cheaper then if you bought near the Rialto or St. Mark’s Square.

If you are looking for a place to buy your coffee the most recommend store would be Caffee Costarica which is in the Cannaregio sesteri. For the wine lovers I would recommend the store Cantinone gia Schiavi which is one of the oldest wine shops in the Dorsoduro neighborhood.

Perhaps you are more in the mood for some kitchenware. For that particular need I would recommend L’Arca which is on the island of Santa Croce. Of course most of the other shops that offer glassware are on the island of Murano as that is to be expected. However if you do choose to go to the island I would recommend only shopping at CAM and Carlo Moretti because both have a great reputation for quality and service.

What if you are looking for the genuine Carnavale masks? There is really one or two places that make traditional Venetian masks. One store that still makes the masks the old way is Giorgio Clanetti which is in the Castello sesteri. Since these masks are so rare it is best if you call ahead at the following phone number 041-522-3110. For costumes during Carnvale the only place that I know of is Tragicomica which is in the San Polo neighborhood.

I hope that if you do go to Venice that you check these stores out. They are surely worth a visit as I am sure they will help your wallet out by not catering exclusively to tourists. Since the locals use these stores this is yet another way to soak up the culture of Venice and perhaps even get yourself a good deal as well.

As most of you are aware that the purpose of this blog is to pay for a trip for me to immerse myself into the Italian culture and language by spending a month in Venice Italy. While language immersion is by far the best way to learn a language there are many resources that are free and online to help you along the way.

The first great resource to check out is brought to us by the BBC. It is called BBC languages and I have really learned quite a bit of Italian by using this website. I can attest that the information is accurate and very helpful for those desperately trying to get their head around this language.

Secondly if you are planning on learning Italian be sure to check out the Internet polyglot which is a great resource for many languages and not just Italian. With the Internet polyglot you can learn French, Spanish, Greek and of course Italian just to name a few of the many languages that this website covers.

Lastly the next place I would recommend would be to check out would be Live Mocha. While this place does not offer Italian at the moment it is a growing community with some Italian speakers who I am sure would be willing to help out those in need. It is a cool resource since it is a social networking site that aims to help people learn another foreign language.

Learning Italian does not have to be an daunting task if you have the time and paitence for it. These resources however should help the cash strapped travelers out there pick up another language along the way.

Renting a car in Europe can be by far one of the most expensive parts of your entire trip. This is especially true if you want to have a convertible or a large van to carry all of your family members. So then what if I want to stay in Europe for longer than two weeks but still need a car? Well the best option that is still available is to lease your vehicle on a short term basis. This option is really only available to two car manufacturers Renault or a Peugeot.

The only reason that the short term lease program is available is that there is a loop hole in the French tax system that allows these auto companies to lease their cars for such a short period of time. This program came into place to encourage those that fled the war to come home to France and help rebuild the country.

One other advantage of using this program is that if you are under the age of 25 you can still have a car while in Europe. The minimum age to lease a car in France is 18 so this is really great for those young wanderlusters out there to really get out and explore the European Union.

One drawback however is that you must lease a car for at least 17 days. Anything less then this and you will not be approved. So if you are planning on spending any less time in Europe this is not the best option for you. Also I would like to point out that since this is a lease program and not a rental there are fewer places you can pick up and drop off your car. Even though you can purchase a car outside of France and still get this loophole I would like to point out that you will have to pay a small surcharge depending upon where you pick your car up. So ask around and see if you can plan accordingly to get the best value for  your money.

This should be a great option for those that are staying for a longer period of time and want to have a new car in Europe while exploring all of its culture and history.

If you want to eat in Venice on a budget then you must be a bit creative. As I have stated many times in this blog Venice is an expensive place. Many Italians will scoff at your idea of trying to survive in that city on a small budget. They should know as they are the experts in their hometown. However it is possible to save at least some money when trying to see all that Venice has to offer.

Here are some few tips and tricks to save money while in Venice. First be sure to visit the various baccari that are all throughout the city. These are the wine bars that serve what would be approximate to Spanish Tapas. If you want to find a good wine bar I would ask a local that you trust. If you can tell ahead of time if the restaurant you want to go is a pizzeria, a trattoria or ristorante then this will surely save you some money. The least expensive of the three is the pizzeria and the most expensive is the ristorante while a trattoria fits somewhere in the middle of the three classifications. There is really no sure way to tell from the outside but it is a safe bet that if there is linens on the tables then that is most certainly a ristorante and if you are on a budget I would only go to those sparingly.

Fortunately I did find a few good recommendations of some more notable restaurants to eat in Venice that will not break your bank account or cause you to open a second mortgage.

The first restaurant that I would recommend would be Rosticceria Teatro Goldoni which is perhaps one of the best examples of classical Venetian fast food. It is a cafeteria style establishment that is well known for their fresh salads that seem to be the favorite to the American crowd.

Secondly I would visit Osteria a la Campana which is quite a find in Venice. The fine wood paneling of the place does not match the inexpensive yet high quality meals that are served here. There is no menu as the waiters come to your table and tell you what is available for the day. It is a real experience that a traveler should experience and hopefully the tourists will keep away from as that would surely wreck the place.

Lastly the final restaurant I would recommend Vini da Pinto which is best known for its fresh seafood. This place is just right off the fish market so it should be easy to spot but overlooked by many tourists. If you enjoy seafood at all I would definitely go here to experience what would be a real Venetian lunch with the locals.

There are a few more restaurant recommendations I could give but this should keep you busy on your stay in Venice. Not spending an enormous amount of money in Venice can be difficult but with the help of some locals you are sure to find the gems that this city has to offer.