A Month In Venice

You may be wondering if you are planning on a trip to Venice, Italy what is there to see? Well hopefully I have already given you some ideas already however I think a good list is in order here.

Here is my list in no particular order of some of the top sights to see while staying in Venice.

• Doges Palace
• St Marks Basilica (and St. Mark’s Square)
• St. Mark’s Campanille
• Harry’s Bar
• Palazzo Dandolo
• La Fenice Theater
• The Accademia Gallery
• Peggy Guggenheim Museum
• Santa della Maria Salute Church
• Campo Santa Margherita

I am not going to number these sights as each and every person has their particular preference for what they want to see whenever they visit a city. However a visit to Venice will not be complete unless you go to each and every one of these places in my opinion.

Also since these are the most visited parts of Venice keep in mind there will be crowds of tourists in the area and you will not get a true taste of the city if you only hang out in these areas. Rather it is much better to find out where the locals go to for fun and see where they hang out. This is the only way to get a feel for the true city of Venice and not what they show to the public.

Doges Palace in Venice or Palazzo Ducale di Venezia in Italian is the large palace that is the symbol of the city. The designer of the palace is not really known however we do know that the construction of the palace took place between the years 1309-1424. The name of the palace comes from the fact that this was the residence of the Doge or magistrate of the city. Since this was the magistrate’s primary residence much of the governing of the city and later of the region took place here.

The first floor of the Ducale di Venezia contained offices for lawyers, the offices for the Navy and the Chancellery. The second floor contained the Grand Council chamber, the ballot chamber and the apartments for the Doge. The third floor on the other hand contains many rooms where many dignitaries were entertained so there is many works of art on this floor as the need to impress was well and alive back then. Of note this building contained a room dedicated to the people so that they could place a complaint to the government, this room was called the Bussola chamber.

This building has seen much of the history of the world and was the residency for many years of magistrates. Of significance is that this building contained a room for the council of Ten. The council of ten was a governing body who ruled secretly for the Republic of Venice from 1310 to 1797. Although the council of ten did meet secretly the decisions made by them were generally considered fair and effective.

This is a significant example of the transition between gothic and renaissance architecture of that time. In fact this building incorporates all three architectural styles of gothic, Moorish and renaissance so this fact alone makes this a noteworthy sight to see while in Venice.

The San Marco region of Venice is perhaps the best known as this region contains the tourist trap St. Mark’s Square. The region of San Marco also contains the island of San Giorgio Maggiore which is best known for the church that was designed by Palladio. Since this region contains some of the best known tourist destinations it is a safe bet that if you ever plan on visiting Venice you are going to be seeing something in this region of the city.

Here is just a brief listing of some of the tourist attractions that this sestieri of Venice has to offer:

• Saint Mark’s Basilica
• Doge’s Palace
• Harry’s Bar
• Palazzo Dandolo
• La Fenice theater

As you can see you can take in much of Venice just by sticking to this one sestieri. A sestieri by the way is the Italian way of saying subdivision. This region contained center of government for what was once the most powerful countries in the entire world. So obviously the history of the area is dense and there is much to see.

Now if you are a tourist this is the place to see. However if you live in Venice I highly doubt you spend too much time in this sestieri unless you have a job that is centered around tourism.

When is the best time to visit Venice, Italy? Well that is kind of dependent upon when you can make the time to go and your budget. For true Venetophilles there is no inappropriate time as the city is always rich in culture and events that are sure to delight everyone. In my opinion if you do not like Venice, Italy then there is something seriously wrong with you.

Venice’s peak tourist season is from June through September. Now this usually means higher priced hotels and plenty of crowds. For some this is okay as some are used to throngs of tourists when ever they visit any place.

To avoid the high crowds of the peak tourist season the best time to go is from November through March however as Carnevale occurs in February for ten days avoiding the city then might also be a good idea.

I could go to Venice tomorrow if I had the opportunity to do so. For me there is no time that I would not want to visit. I am just simply enthralled by this wonderful city.

When visiting any foreign country it is always advisable to at least understand the lay of the land before you visit. This is especially true in Venice. There are many wandering streets that you can become easily lost. Now for those who like to explore this way I say more power to you!

However there are others, like myself, that would like to know a city beforehand in order not to get lost on my first trip out.In the case of Venice finding high quality street maps can be a bit of a challenge. The maps handed out at the tourist office or those you may receive as part of a tour package are not necessarily the best. It may help you in navigating around the major tourist areas of the city but should you want to venture out and see Venice as the natives do these can be a bit of a disaster.

The most highly detailed and recommended maps are those from the Touring Club Italiano map. These maps come in a variety of formats and scales however they also tend to be the most expensive.

Now a trip to Venice should always incorporate a trip down the Grand Canal on a Gondola. Many claim that this is just too touristy or too expensive however in order to get the feel of the city this is a must! Not only is this the most romantic way to see the city it is also the least stressful, just not on your wallet though. Just make sure that you have negoatied a price beforehand and check each others watches to make sure you are not being cheated. If however you feel like you have been cheated or have a complaint then please call the Ente Gondola office that regulates this service at 041-528-5075 or through their website at www.gondolavenezia.it you would not want to have this ruined by some unsavory gondolier.

There is also another way of getting around Venice other than Gondola and that is through the Vaporetto system. This is the system that connects all the sestieri together and these lines are all operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV) and this system can be reached on the web at www.actv.it or through telephone at 041-528-7886. The cost of a ticket can be a bit pricey as they start out at 3.50€ for a one way ticket and 6€ for a round trip ticket. However for the best deal if you plan on making multiple trips would be to purchase the 24 hour ticket at 11€ but this is only if your visit is very short. Longer tickets that are 72 hours and 7 days in length are also available for those that plan on staying and savoring the city.

Water taxis are available but these are just too over priced in my opinion and you can find more information about them through your hotel or other websites. My experience with water taxis was generally pleasant as they were not too rude and generally pleasant.

After I spend a month in this city I might have some better insights on how to really get around. I would love to know how the locals do it but since I do not know anyone from there I cannot give you any further insight.