Venice Travel Guide

General

Maybe you expect Venice to be one dazzling, romantic, fairytale-like labyrinth of canals, alleys, picturesque houses and impressive squares and buildings. Well, you are right then (although it is also dirty, run down and rather smelly in the summer heat). The best thing to do is wander around and get lost for at least a day. Roam the winding streets and the various piazzas and see the melting pot of architectural styles. When you are interested in Venetian painting, you can bathe in the collections of paintings from artists such as Titian and members of the school of Murano. The Galleria di Palazzo Cini, for instance, houses the private art collection of Vittorio Cini, the wealthiest Venetian art collector of this century. His collection includes paintings from the Tuscan Renaissance and the school of Ferrara. Find your own musical inspiration in this city, whether by seeing a Venetian Opera composed by Montiverdi (the Titian of Music), visiting Campo Bandiera e Moro (the birthplace of Vivaldi) or listen to baroque music played (on a 18th century organ) in the Santa Maria Della Favaon at the Sunday mass. Be like Marco Polo, who was born here (or in Corcula), but instead of defying seas, defy the canals (177) and bridges (400) by gondola. This will introduce you to the dubious character of the water. On the one hand, it contributes to the charm of Venice. Houses had to be built on piles and had to be small and close to one another in order to use the ground as effectively as possible. On the other hand, it was and still is its worst enemy: the fundaments of a lot of buildings are slowly eaten away by the destructive impact of the lasting exposure to water. Motorboats and the disposal of chemical waste in the water increase the decline of this former metropolis which already went down several centimetres. Pessimists believe that, during the next 50 years, Venice will slowly turn into a new Atlantis when radical improvements are not forth-coming.

Central Venice, which consists in total of 118 islands, is divided into six districts or sestiere. This division might make it easier for you to get a grip on the city's structure. Best known to everyone is the sestiere of San Marco. This district is the busiest and the most expensive one. A lot of tourists do not even come outside the boundaries of this district, which houses the main sights. Piazza San Marco will exercise your imagination, the same way it made Napoleon sigh that it was “the most beautiful salon of Europe, which deserves to have the sky as its ceiling”. Most festivities and celebrations took place here. When entering the piazza from the western side, you will see on your right the Procuratie Nuove (the palace of Procurators) and the Campanile. It took 240 years to build this clock-tower, and former lighthouse, which received its spire not until the late Gothic from the state's architect, Bartomeo Bon. On your left, you will find the old palace of procurators, the Procuratie Vecchie, and the Torro dell'Orologio, also a clock-tower but not as high as the Campanile. Straight on, you will see the Basilica di San Marco. On the right side, you see the palace of the doges, Palazzo Ducale, which leads on to the Piazzetta, the square leading to the Piazza. Ponte dei Sospori, the Bridge of Sighs, links the religious and governmental face to the dark criminal one.

The northern part of Venice is called Cannaregio and is a mixture of hustle and bustle on the one hand and urban relaxation on the other hand. It is said that the world's first Ghetto came into being here. The Jewish population from the city was forced to move here, because it was easier for the Christians to seal off this area in order to prevent Jews from roaming the streets at night. You can find the museum of Jewish history in this district.

On the east, San Marco is bordered by the sestiere of Castello. If the Piazza San Marco would not exist, the Campo San Zanipolo would be the most impressive square in Venice. South of San Marco, across the question-mark formed Canal Grande, lies Dorsoduro. It is a shame that a lot of people do not cross the canal, or rather, do not get out of their gondola, because this area offers great sights of architecture and fine collections of both classical and modern art. The Galleria dell'Accademia is a must! The Lido area, with its concentration of crystal factories, offers a great view of Venice and is a good place to buy Venetian glasswork.

North of this area is the sestieri of San Polo, closing off the district in between Santa Croce. San Polo is the business and bank zone of Venice. Whenever you feel like shopping, go to the Rialto area which is situated in this district. It is packed with shops full off clothing, shoes, Venetian masks, and other gadgets.

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Accomodation

The problem with Venice is that, when it comes down to accommodation, it does not really matter when you go there. At any time of year, it will be touristy, so be prepared to pay a price for it as well. However, accommodation is still available in all sorts of categories, ranging from cheap to absurd high prices. We have put accommodation in three categories, namely, cheap, middle and first class as you can find out for yourself.

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Sights

Venice in itself is the main attraction. Strolling along the winding streets and the canals, sitting at a terrace with a proper cup of coffee (the sun also rises nicely in Venice, Hemingway must have thought), a glass of wine or 'Grappa' and breathing in the atmosphere of this dazzling city. Along the Canal Grande are various Palazzos, churches and monasteries, most of them accessible to the public. The main sights are centred at and around the Piazza San Marco. Besides presenting an abundance of impressive architectural diversity, several buildings also house museums and/or galleries. Do not forget to cross the canal to have a look at the gallery of the Accademia, which has a fine and varied collection of Venetian painting.

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