Sunshine and Ombra: Light and Shade in a Weekend in Venice
Share
Of all the places to escape for the weekend, there is one civilized city that is a cast iron, grade ‘A’, 24 carat solid gold banker to take you away from it all. No traffic jams or wardens. No supermarkets. No stress.
Venice.
Call it Italy’s Disneyland if you will, but if you’ve never been then you’ll never know. And when is best? Well, what time’s the next flight?
OK. WE’RE HERE.
Piazza San Marco (tick)
Rialto Bridge (tick)
Doge’s Palace (tick)
Seen a Gondola (tick)
Now what?
Get lost, that’s what. In case you hadn’t noticed, Venice is completely surrounded by water, the lagoon, which means that no matter how far off the beaten track you wander, how dark it may get, or how lost you may feel, at one point you’re going to reach the water’s edge. Then you just follow it round to the nearest Vaporetto (waterbus) stop or streetside map. In fact you’ll spend most of your time beside water, beside canals, crossing little bridges, finding unexpected boats gliding by. “Unexpected” because at night Venice is silent, there’s no traffic, and around every corner there’s always something new – or rather something very, very old. Even more remarkable, it’s not just a single island, but a series of smaller islets interconnected by bridges, footpaths, canals and so on, a vast jigsaw of a place. And it’s safe, the only real crime being pickpockets in the crowded tourist streets leading off Piazza San Marco in peak season – but that’s the same as any city.
The main drag is the Grand Canal and for the first time visitor there is no grander view than from the top of the Rialto Bridge looking down at the bustling waters, at the gondolas, the water taxis, the delivery boats. It’s pure Canaletto. Only when the McDonald’s barge putters by do you remember that this is a living, breathing city occupied by real people. And a lot of tourists. The sights are splendid and can be found in all their glory here.
When to go? Out of season, for definite although, like Florence, this is an increasingly narrow timeframe. Late autumn is good and midwinter too.
In late autumn the summer hordes have gone and Venice tends to flood – a feature of the city fascinating for the occasional visitor as boardwalks spring up in the middle of the night to cross squares and take you into shops and – rather worryingly – hotels which are under six inches of water, but it’s no fun for the residents, obviously, and attacking the root cause has taken an age.
January and early February are cold, occasionally freezing, but all the more enjoyable – Venice when it’s quiet is when it’s best.
High summer should be avoided like the plague, you will flee the smell and suffocating coach parties should you make the mistake of going on a July/August weekend, even if you can find someplace to stay.
However two ‘busy’ times to go are the opening week of the Art Biennale when the art world descends and takes over everything from the Giardini (gardens with dedicated pavilions), the Arsenale (former shipyard given over to modern art) and just about every available space for exhibition.
The opening weekend of the Venice Carnival in February can be good too. There may be German hen parties dressed as Pink Pigs nowadays but you’ll still catch fleeting costumes from a bygone era when Casanova, in his finery, was in pursuit of his next conquest. You don’t have to dress up, but you can buy a mask.
How to get there. Marco Polo Airport is 13km from Venice itself and served by British Airways, BMI and Easyjet all year round. Prices vary wildly but can be very cheap midweek. By far the best way in from the airport is by water taxi, the only time I’d recommend them. It will cost about €100 and for a few fleeting moments (about 20 minutes actually) you’re James Bond speeding to save the world. Otherwise, avoid them at all costs – they are waaay too expensive and entirely unnecessary – and get the public Alilaguna waterbus in which is cheaper, (€10), slower (an hour) but beautiful in its own way.
The other air route is via Treviso, some 35km away, where Ryanair will drop you, but if you’ve just paid £20 or less to fly from Stansted or Liverpool you shouldn’t really care where you land. ATVO Coaches can cost as little as €5 and take an hour to get to downtown Venice.
STAY WHERE?
The top end hotels, Danieli, Gritti Palace, Cipriani, are to die for. Even for one night, all three are worth the expense. The Danielli and Gritti Palace both sit on the Grand Canal exuding an irreplaceable charm from an age gone by. The Danielli’s grand lobby and suites were created for “travelling nobility” in a magnificent restored palazzo and are worth going to see themselves – and while you’re there pop up to the roof for a drink, La Terrazza is actually a restaurant but on a quiet day there’s no greater view to go with your CampariSoda. The Gritti Palace is 16th Century sensory overload, from its painted grand piano in the lobby to the endless array of beautiful furnishings and décor, it’s also one of the most picturesque places in the world to have a drink or even lunch, on the canal. The Cipriani requires a fast launch – their own, free, from Piazza San Marco – to speed you out to La Giudecca for the best view of the city.
Back on planet earth, there are plenty of low to mid range hotels where you get a bed and a bathroom for the night. I have frequently turned up without a reservation, checked in an internet café a site such as Late Rooms and booked at discounted rates for that night. Venice is a tourist economy. It is never full, but it can be expensive.
A favourite is the small hotel, Locanda ai Santi Apostoli, where after you’ve negotiated the heavy gate off Strada Nuova, a tiny lift will take you to a converted top couple of storeys on the Grand Canal on a bend just north of the Rialto Bridge with sweeping views to the left and right and the bustling markets opposite.
Room 9 is one of two rooms overlooking the canal, which you will never want to leave while Claudio, the owner, and his staff will make you welcome. You can come and go, rather grandly, direct from the canal too, they have a door and jetty which, for a 5am departure through the mist of a deserted Grand Canal sure beats a minicab to any airport I know!
Page 1 << Page 2 >> << Page 3 >>
Average customer rating
awaiting 5 vote(s)...
Email
Why Register?
