Insider tips for a hassle-free visit to Venice

Many people have come visit me in Venice throughout the years. Over time I have come up with some tips that will make your visit to Venice more rewarding and completely free of hassles. As a hyper-touristic city, Venice is not always easy to navigate without passing dozens of shops with tacky souvenirs, expensive restaurants and hordes of people with cameras and shorts, but I have done my best here to show you how to enjoy Venice.

Ponte dei Sospiri



Try to avoid July and August! During the summer Venice is so full of tourists that it's almost impossible to appreciate its beauty. With all those people taking the same photo from the Accademia Bridge or fighting to have their picture taken in front of Ponte dei Sospiri, you'll find yourself fighting for space. Most people who have visited Venice and have hated it came in the summer, stayed only one or two days, saw how packed it can be and left disappointed. Moreover, Venice can become uncomfortably wet when it's hot. Try to come in spring (April or May are perfect) or in autumn (September is great). Winter can also be an interesting time to visit, because the city is often covered in fog, and there's hardly anyone around.



Nightmare in Venice, St. Mark's Square

The Austrians in Venice

So, I'm going to Austria next month. By the way, did you know that Venice was occupied by Austria in the 19th century? But what did the Austrians do in Venice? I guess that they didn't just sit and stare at the beauty of the town.

In 1797 Venice was invaded by Napoleon, after more than 1000 years of independence. Napoleon gave it away in the peace treaty with Austria. The Austrians were never really accepted in Venice and in 1848 the city organized a rebellion against the Habsburg Austrian empire that resulted in the formation of the republic of San Marco, which lasted a year. Venice and its territories remained Austrian until 1866, when the former independent Republic was annexed to the newly unified Italian kingdom.

• The spritz.

The origins of spritz are unknown, as it is the case with many of Venetian dishes, included tiramisu, but it is believed that the Austrian soldiers stationed in Venice created this drink, by watering down Venetian wines with sparkling water because they found them too strong. Later, other "corrections" were added, and nowadays spritz is mostly made with either aperol, select, or bitter, all aperitif drinks. There are endless variations to the spritz, also changing from city to city. The spritz is now popular all over northern Italy, and it's spreading to other parts of the country, as well as to other cities. I've seen it in London, for example!

Holding a spritz

• I Nizioleti

"Nizioleti" are the beautiful squared frescoes that indicate the names of calli, bridges and campi in Venice. Sometimes they have funny names, like Ponte delle Tette ("bridge of the boobs"), or Sotoporgego del Casin dei Nobili ("close of the noblemen's casino"). The former indicates an area that was supposedly inhabited by prostitutes, who showed their "merchandise" from the windows. The latter also reveals the libertine past of the city, as it recalls a casino frequented only by noblemen. The nizioleti were adopted during the Austrian domination. Before that, only the number on a street door could indicate that you were at the right address, and people knew the name of the streets by heart. As a matter of fact, in Venice houses are numbered within districts, not streets, so that your address could be simply San Marco 3567. Even today, when you give a Venetian address, you give the name of one of the six sestieri, the neighbourhoods, and the door number, but never the name of the street. 

Me pointing at a 'nizioleto' displaying the name of the town where I come from, Treviso



• The railway bridge.

The Austrian emperor, Ferdinand I, decided he wanted a railway connection from Milan to Venice, the two biggest cities of the Lombardo-Veneto. In 1842 the first part was inaugurated: it was the third railway ever constructed in Italy. At the beginning the railway connection arrived until Mestre,  in the mainland, and from there people had to take a boat to reach Venice. In 1846 the railway bridge that connects Venice to the mainland was inaugurated. You still cross that railway bridge if you arrive to Venice by train or by car. It is very scenic because you can see all the lagoon in its beauty.





What you can expect to see from Ponte della Libertà (photo by Marco Trevisan)



The Carnival of Venice: the good and the bad

The world-famous Carnevale di Venezia, the carnival of Venice, is one of the most attended festivals in the area. Carnevale is a long-standing tradition in Venice, but nobody knows when it started and why. What we know is that it became very famous in the eighteenth century, when Venice was famous for its libertines and mask balls.

 

Photo I took of my friend and travel blogger Diana (Close to Eternity) at the Venice Carnival

Carnevale is celebrated everywhere in Italy, but only in Venice it acquires this characteristic aura, with traditional masks walking down the narrow calli or celebrating in St. Mark's Square. Some masks have become famous, like that of Colombina, who originally was a character from commedia dell'arte, or that of il dottore della peste (the plague's doctor), with the characteristic long nose to protect himself from the bad smells of the infected people. Some of the costumes are very expensive, others are "knocked together" from random clothes and old costumes you have at home.

Masks are sold all year around in shops in Venice, you can buy one for 5 or 50€ , according to the material, the design, and the complexity of the decorations.

Masks for sell around Campo Santo Stefano

There are entertainment and music events everywhere in town, and people are up to pranks like shoving the famous coriandoli (confetti in English) up your face.

Things you can eat during Carnival: frittelle (fritters with cream or other fillings), and galani (a fritter-biscuit sprinkled with icing sugar). You can buy some in any pasticceria (pastry shop) around town.

Galani

The Carnival of Venice is the best and the worst moment to visit Venice. It is certainly a unique celebration, but it falls on a season that is relatively cold and wet, and the streets can get really crowded, to the point that you'll have to shove your way through the main streets.  The city gets flooded with a jovial atmosphere, but it's nearly impossible to get on a vaporetto (water boat). I suggest that you weigh these points BEFORE going. If you don't like crowds, don't go! If you like fancy costumes, don't mind a bit of confusion, and you have already seen the main sights in Venice, it's a fun moment to be in town.

Another picture from the Venice carnival

On two separate Sundays in St. Mark's Square you can see Volo dell'Angelo (Angel Flight) and Volo dell'Aquila (Eagle Flight), when a girl is chosen to be sent on a rope from the clock tower to the centre of the square. This year for Volo dell'Aquila the girl chosen was Carolina Kostner, a famous Italian ice skater who won a medal at Sochi Olympic Games.

Volo dell'Aquila with Carolina Kostner

I must be honest: I have never been a huge fan of the Venice carnival. I much prefer the celebrations in small towns, where you can simply enjoy the parades of allegorical floats. Perhaps I have seen the Venice carnival too many times, and perhaps it's that I don't like the crowds when I have to do my daily chores or I go out for a drink with my friends. Moreover, even though Italians celebrate carnevale all over Italy,  in Venice the celebrations  seem to be geared towards tourists rather than locals. Everything is about reviving the traditions that were almost lost, rather than observing a celebration that has been going on in the same way for centuries. As a matter of fact, the Carnival in Venice as a huge festival has been"recreated" since 1979 only.

Unofortunately, this year the Carnival has been exceptionally wet, with days when the horrible weather even stopped the concerts and the celebrations around town.

A rainy Carnival in St. Mark's Square

What do you think: would you go to the Venice Carnivel in spite of the crowds and the cold weather?

The Ghetto of Venice

"So now we will pass through the ghetto", I said casually while leading my new American friends through the calli of Venice.

 

"Oh my God" said one of the two young couchsurfers with surprise and apprehension, " is it dangerous?".

 

Little did they know that this was a completely different kind of ghetto, not a place of segregation, poverty and crime within an American city, but an area of the town where historically the Jewish population used to live, with restrictions certainly, but also in relative wealth. The word ghetto - which was later used for Nazi Jewish quarters in Eastern Europe or for racially segregated neighbourhoods in the United States - was in fact born in Venice to indicate the area where Jewish people were confined in the past. Its origins indicate a possible foundry that existed on the island that was chosen to accommodate the growing Jewish population of Venice in the 16th century.

Campo del Gheto Nuovo



Today the Jewish ghetto of Venice is, at least according to me, one of the most charming places in all of Venice. It is formed by a campo, the only one in the town without a church, and by several narrow streets. If you are not looking for it, you might as well miss it. Campo del Gheto Nuovo is a peaceful place, with children playing, the occasional Orthodox Jew walking by, and buildings taller than the ones you can see in the rest of the town. This is because the Jewish population of Venice was restricted to this area, so people built taller houses to accommodate everyone.

 

Tall Houses in the Ghetto

Children playing at the ghetto


It is almost impossible to distinguish the synagogues from the outside, as they were expressively built not to be ostentatious from the outside. You can identify one of them by a series of five windows with green shutters representing the first five books in the Bible. You can see another if you look at one corner of the square: that strange wooden structure with a small dome is the place in the synagogue where the ancient scriptures are read in one of the old historical synagogues. I think one of the reasons why Venice, and this area in particular, is so charming has to do with the state of decay of some of the houses and palaces, as if a veil of nostalgia made Venice more special.



A corner with the synagogue visible

The Orthodox Jews you will see in the square are not native of Venice, but they relocated from other parts of the world. Understandably, Venetian Jews nowadays live all over the town, and not only here. In a corner of the square there is a monument that remembers the Holocaust, with the names of all the people who were deported. It is indeed a touching monument, but don't make the mistake of associating the neighbourhood with this only.



The monument commemorating the people who were deported

As a matter of fact, the area is peppered with art galleries displaying the work of Jewish artists, a couple of shops selling Jewish items, especially candleholders, and a kosher restaurant. The latter is not bad, if you fancy a change from the average Italian menu. What they offer is a mixture of Italian and Middle Eastern dishes, and they have a very nice and filling appetizer dish for €9,80. I find the area more lively than most Jewish streets or neighbourhoods in other Italian towns, like Ferrara. There are also a couple of bakeries, and a museum in a corner of the main campo.


Kosher bakery

To visit the aforementioned museum, you can pay the normal entrance fee (4€) or ask for a joined ticket that will also give you the possibility to visit three synagogues with a guided tour that starts every hour, in English and Italian (10€). Don't visit the museum without the guided tour of the synagogues, because that's the highlight of a visit to the ghetto. The tour is very informative, and the guide will answer every possible curiosity you may have about the Jewish community in Venice. And of course, you'll have the opportunity to see the old synagogues and learn about the different congregations and the life of Venetian Jews throughout the centuries.
 



A corner of the main square

I suggest that you don't miss passing through the ghetto while you're in Venice. The area is not far from the railway station. Just take the street that starts on the left of the train station (don't cross Ponte degli Scalzi), and go straight until you reach a bridge (Ponte delle Guglie). After passing the bridge, turn immediately to your left following the canal. Here you should see a yellow sign helping you. It's written in both Italian and Hebrew. Turn right under the stone doorway when you see a restaurant with tables along the canal.

The ghetto is not an overtly touristic area of Venice, and there are quiet canals all around it, so it's perfect for a pleasant walk on a sunny (or not so sunny day).
 

The quiet Fondamenta degli Ormesini, near the ghetto

An artsy itinerary around Campo Santo Stefano in Venice

Walking around Campo Santo Stefano is certainly relaxing. In this area of Venice there are interesting exhibitions and art galleries, as well as beautiful palazzi, and many curious things to discover. Many occasional tourists pass here on their way to St. Mark's Square, but they seem absent-minded, so focused on checking out Rialto Bridge and the Palazzo Ducale that they forget to take their noses out of their maps and guidebooks to admire the rest the city has to offer.

View from the Accademia Bridge (picture by Koalie on flickr)

The itinerary starts in Ponte dell'Accademia, which is one of the four bridges on the Grand Canal. It is full of locks because in the last few years lovers have found it a romantic place to demonstrate their love. The view is really a classic of Venetian sightseeing. The church of Santa Maria della Salute that you see from here was built in the 17the century to ask the virgin Mary to put an end to the plague that had spread in the city.



Reading in Venice: Libreria Acqua Alta

Unfortunately, in Venice bookshops are closing. As it is a city geared for tourism with fewer residents left every year, bookshops have a hard time. Moreover, with all the alternative ways you can get your hands on a book, people don't buy many books from small shops.

 

In this post I would like to write about a very peculiar bookshop that you might find while wandering the streets of Venice. It is called "Acqua Alta", like the famous periodical tides that flood the Venetian lagoon. The bookshop is located  in Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, near the eponymous square, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, in the sestiere of Castello.

The bookshop from outside

My 5 favourite places to eat something in Venice

Many people who have visited Venice complain that the food there is expensive and dull. It is not, if you follow a few rules:

 

First of all, get away from the area around Saint Mark's Square: the dinner will cost you an arm and a leg. The restaurants overlooking the canal near Rialto Bridge are also very touristic. Basically, all restaurants with touts inviting you in are to be avoided, especially near St. Mark's Square and Strada Nuova. Some of them will even serve you ready meals! Finally, don't order pizza in Venice: because of security reasons wooden ovens are prohibited in the city, so it's really difficult to find a good pizza place in Venice. Just wait for the next Italian town in your itinerary, and enjoy the fish Venice has to offer!

 

 

And now, my five favourite places to eat something in Venice, in random order:

1) Impronta Café (Dorsoduro 3815)

Located in the university area, this lounge bar serves pasta, club sandwiches, meat and fish, with a menu that changes daily. For lunch during the week the atmosphere is more  informal, but for dinner and on the weekends expect a refined menu and slightly higher prices. Always affordable anyway. It is one of my favourite places in Venice! Thanks to its big windows you can watch the people go by as you eat.
 

Chef's dish in Impronta Café. Credits: love_yellow

2) Osteria Alla Bifora (Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro 2930)

This stylish and atmospheric bar offers delicious Venetian chiceti (appetizers, similar to Spanish tapas), like tartine with baccalà mantecato (creamed salted codfish) and polpette di carne o di verdure (meatballs and veggie balls). It has also good wines, which you can sip at the wooden candle-lit tables. It is located in one of the most lively squares in Venice, Campo Santa Margherita. It is where students meet in the evening, drinking endless aperol spritz!

Osteria alla Bifora

 

Nice atmosphere at Osteria alla Bifora

 

3) Al Timon, Cannaregio (Fondamenta dei Ormesini, Cannaregio 2754 )

 

Located in one of my favourite parts of Venice, the quiet Fondamenta dei Ormesini in Cannaregio, this bar is one of the places where young locals like to hang out in the summer. There is a boat berthed in front of the bar where you can sit with your drink. If you want to eat, enjoy the wide variety of cicheti (1€ each) or order a delicious meat plate. 
 

Just a few cicheti, Al Timon

4) Cantina Do Spade (San Polo, 859)

This place, located near Rialto Bridge, probably has the best fried calamari in town. Come here for fish, or enjoy a drink with your friends sitting outside on the bench, in true Venetian style. The polpette with spianata calabra I tried the other night are also amazing!

Credits: nicole_yoshida

5) Osteria Al Portego (Castello San Lio, 6014)

You can either sit down and enjoy a proper meal at the table, or order some cicheti and a glass of wine and eat it in the courtyard outside this place, tucked behind the Malibran Theatre, the area where the house of Marco Polo is supposed to be. Try the crocchette di patate (potato croquettes) or the mozzarelline fritte (small fried mozzarellas on a stick).

 

Osteria al Portego

An alternative itinerary in Venice: Madonna dell'Orto

I have been thinking about it for a while, and I have come to the conclusion that Venice suffers from superficial tourism. The problem is that most tourists spend only a couple of days here, and visit only three or four sights, making the streets that join St. Mark's Square with Rialto and the Accademia Bridge a nightmare packed with people taking pictures in every bridge, lined with endless souvenir shops and restaurants with annoying touts. Now even a trip to the once quiet Burano may turn you down, as it has become quite popular!

 



Mask stall, also selling aprons of course



Many people don't enjoy Venice precisely because there are too many tourists, but if you just venture off said beaten track, you'll find rewarding things. My favourite part of Venice, and one that is always a winner when my friends come to visit, is Madonna dell'Orto, in the sestiere (neighbourhood) of Cannaregio.