Venice - Tips from a Local

“Venice is a privilege and a duty for those who do not yet know it or really want to discover the city.”

There are places in the world of travel that everyone should see at least once in a lifetime. Venice is one of those places. Yes, it will be crowded during tourist season and tourists on mass are annoying, but adopt the rule of thumb that always works. Get up early to visit the popular sights and get hopelessly lost in the back streets and alleys. If there is one place you want to get impossibly lost, it is in Venice.

Venice is a collection of 118 islands connected by over 400 bridges. The city has almost 200 canals and about 125 piazzas. It is a labyrinth of intersecting canals and tiny bridges leading to narrow calle - the traditional alleys. If asking for directions, just focus on the first direction, arrive at the first piazza and repeat your question. It’s the only way.

First glimpse

I honestly believe it is the best sight in the world from a train station when you exit Santa Lucia train station. Every time I walk down those steps, it has the same impact. Laid out before your eyes is a vibrant water highway filled with colour and busyness as the vaporetti, barges and gondolas transport people and freight along the four kilometres of the Grand Canal. Welcome to Venice!

How was Venice built?

Venice was founded in the 5th century AD, when the inland population was seeking shelter from the barbarian invasions. The Venetians moved towards the lagoon that was composed of many islands. In order to build their city, they used millions of oak poles. They planted the poles in the ground until they reached the solid land under the mud layer. The space between the poles was filled with shards, stones and other waste materials. Over the layer of poles they put wooden boards that formed the base. Over these boards Venetians built their homes.

Since there were no forests nearby, they gathered the wood in Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro and transported it by water. The poles remained intact because there is no oxygen in the deep layers beneath the mud, therefore avoiding the rotting process.

7 quieter corners of Venice

Explore the city’s Jewish neighbourhood

Located in the northern Cannaregio district, away from the most popular tourist streets, Venice’s Jewish neighbourhood, still known today as the Jewish Ghetto, is one of the most evocative places in town as it encapsulates over 500 years of history and tradition.

The area, which is where the city of Venice forced Jewish residents to live from the early 16th to the late 18th century, is to this day the centre of the local Jewish community with family run shops and kosher restaurants lining its streets.

Where to find the largest decorated canvas in the world?

Saint Pantaleon’s Church in the south eastern Dorsoduro district may look ordinary on the outside, but the inside is something else. The 17th century building, whose facade was never completed, is home to prestigious works by Renaissance painters including Paolo Veronese and Paolo Veneziano, but the church’s most remarkable feature lies above your head. A 443 square metre canvas depicting the martyrdom of Saint Pantaleon covers the entire ceiling.

A breathtaking view from San Giorgio Maggiore’s bell tower

The bell tower of Saint Mark’s Basilica is generally considered the best place to get a panoramic view of Venice and the surrounding lagoon. But, a little secret is another tower. Standing 75 metres tall, the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore church offers a 360 degree vista of the city that is just as impressive. It cannot be reached on foot, but a five minute vaporetto journey from San Zaccaria will take you there and waiting time to climb to the top is generally not long.

Museo di Palazzo Grimani

This Renaissance palace with its beautiful courtyards, opulent interiors and stunning library, was built between 1545 and 1565 for one of the most important Venetian families. The crown jewel is the literally breathtaking Tribuna room, with more than 130 ancient sculptures, including one that hangs suspended in mid air.

Squero di San Trovaso

Venture into the age old tradition of Venetian shipbuilding at Dorsoduro’s Squero di San Trovaso. Built in the 16th century, it’s one of the few squeri still in operation in Venice where you can watch craftsmen building and fixing gondolas.

Eat at a Renaissance restaurant

The Osteria Antico Dolo, located in the Rialto Bridge market area, used to be a 15th century brothel where rich food was served to clients. It’s one of Italy’s oldest restaurants, family owned and still serving delicious iconic food.

Libreria Acqua Alta

This is not your regular bookstore. Easy to miss, this used bookstore on the edge of a canal has a lot of roaming cats and a gondola and bathtub filled with books. In the back of the store there is a staircase created out of books that leads to a view of the canal. There are English titles, so it’s really nice to buy a book to support the owner of the shop.

The fascinating story of the gondola

Gondole (plural of gondola) have been a means of transport in Venice since the 11th century. At one time thousands of them crowded the Venetian canals. The boat makers had to follow strict regulations including ensuring that sons followed in their fathers’ footsteps.

At that time, the flat bottomed boat had two rowers and came in a variety of colours. Rich families competed with each other to see who had the fanciest, brightest or most gold on their gondola (a bit like who could build the tallest tower in places like San Gimignano, Lucca and Bologna), so a Venetian doge ordered all gondolas to be painted black. Passed in the 17th century, the law has remained for almost 500 years.

Gondole are not mass produced. Handmade with 280 pieces of eight kinds of wood, the gondola takes about two months to build. Each one is 35 feet long and weighs more than 500 kilos, costing a minimum of 30,000 euro to buy.

One cannot just decide to become a gondolier.

Gondolieri go through rigorous training. They must begin by passing rowing and swimming tests. If they pass, they spend two years at gondolier school. However, only 25 out of 250 actually get in and the cost is around 2,000 euro. They take courses in a foreign language, Venetian history and culture, geography and rowing. Prospective gondolieri then have 500 hours of training before they take the exams. Retirement age is 70 years.

There are only 425 gondolier licenses awarded. Each license is linked to a particular gondola station, so gondolieri always work in the same location. They must wear dark blue or black trousers and a striped shirt. Straw hats with ribbons are optional. There are 720 gondoliers in Venice and only one female!

The first female gondoliera in Venetian history, Giorgia Boscola, graduated in 2010.

Visiting Venice without a ride on a gondola is like visiting Rome without a tour of the Colosseum. It is well worth booking a three hour walking tour for your first day in Venice that includes ‘skip the line’ access into Saint Mark’s Basilica and a thirty minute gondola ride.

The isle of Burano, a 40 minute boat ride across the lagoon from the main island, is a patchwork of brightly coloured fishermen’s dwellings that line the harbour, reflecting in the water. Time feels frozen.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb