A Month In Venice

The island of Burano is not really in Venice but it is in the Venetian lagoon. Like Murano this island has its specialty craft, in this case hand made lace. Burano is not just a single island but a network of islands or an archipelago. Many have equated Burano to be the Lego land version of Venice. This is mostly because all of the buildings are much smaller and the place is much more brightly painted then the main city of Venice giving it a almost toy like feel to the place.

The origins of this island are still in doubt and the name of the city has two very distinct stories as well. Some believe the island of Burano came from people who settled from an other island called Buranello which is five miles south of the city. Others however believe that this island was settled by members of the Buriana family. The island did not gain any prominence until the 16th century when the craft of lace making was refined here. A school was later built to teach the craft and much of the work of the island was exported to all parts of Europe who were eager to buy the lace.

So what is there to do on the island of Burano? Well unlike Venice this island is not swamped with as many tourists and hence it is much easier to get around. If you wanted to know what Venice felt like earlier this century then visit this island as it is like stepping back in time. The island is very popular with artists who prefer the brightly colored homes over the contrasted stark nature of the buildings in the city of Venice. There are a few attractions to see on this island such as the Church of San Martino and the Museum and School of Lacemaking.

I certainly would not consider this island to be hub of a bustling young nightlife as it is truly an Italian city which is pretty laid back as most people just enjoy a night out with friends and family. However if you should get the time to see this island I am sure that most will enjoy it.

Padua is just a very short train trip away from Venice. I have previously discussed Padua as one of the cities to visit as a day trip from Venice. However I was wondering if some would like to live in Padua for a period time in order to soak up all its atmosphere. Padua has many nearby picturesque farms that you can stay in for a short period of time. These farms are known as Agriturismo villas. An agriturismo is a farm that rents out rooms for either a short or longer time period in order to supplement the income of the farm. Many of these farms provide full breakfast and dinners. Needless to say this is an experience in Italy many have taken advantage of and with good reason. 

So how do I go about finding an Agriturismo in Padua? Well I have found some really great sites that do some of the work for you. Villa Selvatic is a great website that provides unique stays in Padua. Another great resource would be self catering breaks which offers more than just Agriturismo’s but motels and hotels as well. 

Another site I would recommend for staying in Padua or any other city they serve is Only Apartments.com. This website seems to be fairly comprehensive and can offer you more options than some of the other less robust sites I have reviewed.

The final website I would recommend would be oh-holidays.com which again serves more than just Italy. A quick and responsive search engine and somewhat good set or results met my approval for finding short or long term stays in this city.

Living in Padua for a short or long period of time may be the best of both worlds as this would allow you to view the Italian countryside While the hussle and bussle of Venice may be ideal for some I am sure that others would like to enjoy a relaxing time viewing and touring all the surrounding areas of the Veneto region.

Staying in Venice is an expensive venture. However I hope my recent series on budget hotels in Venice have helped some of my readers. Alas this is really only helpful if you wish to stay for a couple of days or perhaps a week. What are you going to do if you wish to stay in Venice for an extended period of time? I have many friends who are artists and would love to stay in this city just to absorb the atmosphere and to hone their craft. What options do they have as students to stay in Venice? Well fortunately there are many good search engines and directories you can use to find ideal locations to stay and that will hopefully fit into a tight budget as well.

The very first place I would look is Venice Apartments.org as they seem to have the most comprehensive listing of available flats to rent. Not only will this site help you find a great apartment but they also have some “inside” information on how not to get cheated in this wonderful city. What I found to be particularly good is the tips and tricks section of the website as the information contained leads me to some new places to eat and see. That alone was worth the visit in my opinion.

The second place to look would be the great site of Venice By.com which is another hotel search engine. However they have a great listing of apartments that may overlap with the Venice Apartments.org. This site is different in its comprehensives listing of restaurants and local attractions that is sure to keep any person busy while staying in the area.

Lastly I would check out wenicevenice.it as a place to look for an apartment. This is not a comprehensive listing of apartments and the focus seems to be apartments in the Dorsoduro district. This district seems to be particularly popular with the student crowd so I would check it out if that is what you are looking for.

Hopefully this advice will help any student looking for an flat in Venice. Budget accommodations are not really easy to find in this city as there is a scarcity and a high demand from visitors. However do not give up there are many hidden gems out there if you are willing to search for them. Just keep looking.

The Castello sesteri of Venice is the largest of the regions in Venice. Being divided into two parts Castello and Castello Alto it offers a variety of places to stay that should fit within a reasonable budget. Needless to say that staying in Venice is perhaps one of the most expensive hotels in the whole of Italy if not Europe itself. This region is mostly occupied by residents in the area so the level of nightlife might be less then what you can expect in other regions.

However since this region borders San Marco it should be ideal for those that want to see this city but not break the bank. Below is a list of some of the budget accommodations you might find in this wonderful sesteri.

Al Prava
Ruga Giuffa 4838/40, Campo Santa Maria Formosa
This hotel is quite nice with marble floors throughout and a very friendly family and staff are there to serve your needs.
Double Rates: 110 to 210 Euros
Phone: +39 041 528 5174
http://www.hotelalpiave.com/

Ca Del Dose
Castello 3801 (Riva degli Schiavoni)
This is a small cozy hotel that is better suited for an outdoorsy type of personality. Consisting of only five rooms this is perhaps one of the most intimate of hotels that you can
stay in this sesteri. Note that the bathrooms are very small in this hotel.
Double Rates: 70 to 125 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1520 9887
http://www.cadeldose.com

Casa Linger
Castello 3541, Salizzada Sant Antonin
Definitely for the active traveler or hearty student this is a no frills hotel that comes at a
reasonable rate considering.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5920
http://www.hotelcasalinger.com/

Casa per Ferie Santa Maria della Pieta
3701 Castello, Calle della Pieta
This hotels seems to cater to the University student as the rooms are outfitted as dorm rooms. There are no televisions or pictures but there is plenty of light and room to move about.
Double Rates: 96 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1244 3639
http://www.pietavenezia.org/

Casa Querini
Castello 4388 - Campo San Zaninovo
A very small hotel with only 11 rooms this is quite an experience. Notably half of these 11 rooms look out onto the Santo Giovanni Novo square. This hotels boasts that it is only 2 minutes from San Marco square so it is definitely worth looking into.
Double Rates: 93 to 197 Euros
Phone: +39 041 241 1294

Doni
Calle del Vin 4656 San Zaccaria – Castello
Consisting of only 13 rooms this hotels is replete with narrow hallways and horrible creaky
floors. I would describe this hotel as an acquired taste.
Double Rates: 60 to 120 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 4267
http://www.albergodoni.it

La Residenza
Castello 3608 - Campo Bandiera e Moro
This is a plush 17th century palazzo that has gone through a restoration process. For those that like this type of architecture I would definitely check this hotel out.
Double Rates: 80 to 160 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1528 5315
http://www.venicelaresidenza.com/

Locanda Silva
Castello 4423 - Fondamenta del Remedio
This is a friendly and hospitable 23 room hotel that is very near to Santa Maria Formosa.
Double Rates: 60 to 115 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1522 7643
http://www.locandasilva.it

Locanda SS. Giovanni e Paolo
Castello 6401 - Calle de l’Ospeaeto
This is a traditional six room hotel run as though in a 18th century palazzo.
Double Rates: 80 to 170 Euros
Phone: +39 041 522 2767

Rio
Castello 4356 - Campo SS. Filippo e Giacomo
This is a small 28 room hotel that has recently gone through a makeover. Larger than some of the other hotels on this list but still with a friendly staff.
Double Rates: 60 to 180 Euros
Phone: +39 04 1 523 4810
http://www.aciugheta-hotelrio.it

It seems like improving your technorati ranking is quite hard when you have a travel blog. Without a diehard following getting natural backlinks can be quite difficult as this area is quite saturated with many bloggers writing about their various vacations and business trips. So to combat this effect I am creating a link cloud of my own that is focused on travel blogs.In order to participate please create some unique text above the link cloud so that we do not get penalized by google for having duplicate content on our blogs. I will start us off with the first five blogs that are my favorite. Simply add your favorite travel blogs, that are not already listed, to this list on the top.

If you have not been tagged then you can still participate by placing your favorite travel blogs at the top but please leave the original links so that the cloud can grow and help us all out.

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The Originals

• A Month In Venice
• TravelMinx
• Budget Globetrotting
• Ubertramp
• GoBackpacking

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Hopefully everyone will start to benefit from this cloud as it grows and grows. I hope to find some interesting travel blogs from this experience as I am sure I am not aware of them all and would like to expand my horizons a bit more.