A Month In Venice

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.

Finding cheap accommodations in Venice Italy is not an easy task. Let’s face it the words budget and Venice Italy are not usually mixed in the same sentence together. It is certainly not what the town is best known for that is for sure.

However the following posts should help out the average reader in saving some money on their stay in Venice. It should certainly help out those students looking for budget accommodations as well.

Budget Hotels in Castello

Budget Hotels in San Croce

Budget Hotels in Cannaregio

Budget Hotels in San Marco

Budget Hotels in Dorsoduro

For those that want a longer stay be sure to visit my post on student apartments in Venice Italy. It is certainly worth a look in my opinion.

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.