[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 9 May 2015]
30 October 2014, Thursday
Day 6…time to say farewell to the lovely Florence, and we’re off to the intriguing Venice. Intriguing because there is no other city quite like Venice. Variously known as the “City of Canals”, “City of Bridges” and “City of Water”, Venice is quite simply, all of the above. Venice city sits on a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. The entire city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so. It is renowned for its architecture and it is widely lauded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
On this sunny Thursday morning, we caught the 10:30am Train Frecciargento 9412 from Firenze S.M. Novella station for the 2 hour 5 minute ride to Venezia Santa Lucia station. The entire Venice is car-free, so transportation within the city is by water or by foot. To get to our Airbnb apartment, we had to take a water taxi or water bus, also known as Vaporetto.
After exiting the train station, we headed to a ticket point (Biglietteria) and purchased our tickets for line 1, heading towards Lido. A one-way ticket costs 7 Euros, regardless of the number of stops. As always, it is a MUST to validate your ticket. After the lesson learned en route to Pisa, we were not about to forget to do so. Helpfully, the validation booth is positioned prominently so it is quite hard to miss it.
The frequency of the Vaporetto is 12 minutes, i.e. 5 times per hour. Unless you’re a well-heeled tourist who can afford a private speedboat or a leisurely retiree who doesn’t mind a slow gondola ride, the Vaporetto is the only form of transport available and the most cost-efficient, especially if you’re lugging large suitcases. So we hopped on to the packed water bus and jostled with the other tourists for a good standing position.
Venice is made up of six districts – Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Polo, Dorsoduro, San Marco and Castello. San Marco is where most of the tourist attractions are concentrated at, including St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. The Grand Canal is shaped like an inverted “S” and it runs through the six districts. As we had only one night in Venice, I chose an Airbnb apartment that is actually located in Castello but within walking distance to Piazza San Marco. As our drop off point at San Zaccaria is located at the end of the “S”, the ride would take about 50 minutes. It didn’t feel that long, though, as there were plenty of sights along the way to keep us interested.
The Vaporetto ride passed through the entire Grand Canal so we pretty much saw the whole of Venice, from the canal’s perspective. The city totally lived up to my expectations and I fell in love with it instantly. There were gondolas everywhere, running alongside our Vaporetto and navigating through the tiny waterways. The buildings were old and beautiful. It literally is a city on water and I have never seen a place like this before.
By the time we caught sight of the Doge’s Palace, there was a marked increase of gondola boats by the shore, so we knew we were near. After alighting at San Zaccaria as instructed by my Airbnb host Alvise, I gave him a missed call and waited for his brother, Ruben, to pick us. He arrived about 5 minutes later, and gave us a warm welcome.
He led us into a small walkway, away from the throngs of people, and we turned into another walkway. We soon found out that there are many small walkways in Venice, probably because land is so scarce there. As we walked, Ruben pointed out shops and restaurants to serve as landmarks to help us remember the way. Before we knew it, he led us to an even narrower and quieter walkway that served as the entrance to our apartment. It was surely where the locals lived and I loved it for its authenticity.
Airbnb apartment
Address: Calle Sacrestia, Piano 3°, Venice, Veneto 30122
Host: Alvise Papazzoni
Cost: S$250 for 1 night, for 3 pax
After he opened the door on the ground floor, we lugged our suitcases up two long flights of staircases to reach our apartment. There was no lift. Talk about living like the locals! Thankfully, the apartment did not disappoint. Ruben showed us around and it was like an IKEA showroom. It was very new and very clean, and I loved the colour combination of white, green, brown and dark grey. There was no view of the canal but we had a view of the surrounding rooftops, which was a very pretty sight. The apartment was not very big but it utilised space very well. I absolutely loved the bathroom, which had elegant black tiles and a silver-framed mirror, which was very classy. The exposed brown wooden beams on the ceiling were a nice touch too. With such a nice apartment, we felt really good about Venice.
After dropping our bags and a quick freshening up, we were raring to get out to explore this amazing city. We decided to fill our stomachs first, and just around the corner from our apartment, we chose a café and ordered coffee, sandwiches and pasta. It was a simple but decent meal, and it did the job. Next up, we walked back to the drop off point at San Zaccaria, where the throngs of tourists were.
There were numerous push cart stalls selling all sorts of souvenirs, mostly masks that are made in Venice. Masks have always been closely associated with the city because of the Carnival of Venice, an annual festival held in the early part of the year. The 2016 edition is poised to be held from 23rd January to 9th February. The tradition stretches back 300 years ago, and Venetians take their masks very seriously. The really ornate ones can set you back by a few hundred dollars. They are really pretty and would make great gifts. However, they are also quite fragile and hard to carry back home. If you’re looking for costumes for your masquerade-themed fancy dress party, Venice is the place to go.
The vibe was fantastic and we enjoyed strolling along the waterfront, taking photos of the gondolas and soaking in the atmosphere. We walked past the Doge’s Palace and then on to Piazza San Marco, where the St. Mark’s Campanile (bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica) greeted us. The red brick tower was constructed in the 9th century but earthquakes and lightning strikes had conspired to cause the structure to collapse and to be rebuilt over the years. The current tower was reconstructed in 1912. Standing at 98.6m tall, the Campanile is the tallest building in Venice, and one of its most distinctive.
St. Mark’s Basilica is right beside the Campanile. The exterior is not that impressive actually, and I would not say that it is especially striking or beautiful. However, once you step through its gilded doors, that’s when it takes your breath away. The ceiling and domes are painted gold and it emits a sense of stateliness and grandeur. It is old, and not as polished as the other basilicas and churches, but it conveys a holiness that is not always apparent at the other places of worship.
At Piazza San Marco, we hung around for a while, enjoying the scenes of children chasing after pigeons and listening to the superb jazz band that was entertaining the diners at the open-air restaurant. After that, we snuck into one of the lanes and headed towards Rialto Bridge.
Wandering through the small lanes was truly delightful because you never know what to expect when you turn around the corner. It was the one time I didn’t panic when I got lost, because it was fun to get lost in Venice. Besides, Venice is so small, so you won’t really get lost because everywhere leads to somewhere, and you can just look out for signs stating “Rialto Bridge” or “Piazza San Marco” and follow them, and you’ll reach your destination in less than 15 minutes.
Each street is flanked with shops selling pretty things and eateries. Some of the streets are so narrow it brings to mind the phrase “narrow daylight” (which is the title of a Diana Krall song). Just as Florence is famous for its leather, Venice is famous for its glass. Most of Venetian glass originates from Murano, an island 1.5km north of Venice. Murano glass is renowned for being colourful, elaborate and skilfully made. The glass pieces and ornaments would make fantastic gifts, but they don’t come cheap, and there is also the fear of them shattering while being in transit. Thus, we did not buy any Murano glass and we just simply admired them for their beauty and craftsmanship.
We wound our way to Rialto Bridge, just in time for sunset. Rialto Bridge connects San Marco and San Polo, and it is the oldest of the four bridges across the Grand Canal. Construction of the stone arch bridge was completed in 1591, and today, it is one of Venice’s icons. It was quite magical to catch the sunset from Rialto Bridge. As the last vestiges of sunlight disappeared over the horizon, the Grand Canal sparkled to life with the lights from the waterside eateries and the ripples caused by the Vaporetto and gondolas traversing the waterway. It reminded me a little of our very own Singapore River and Clarke Quay, but perhaps a tad more magical.
Rialto Bridge is where you can find the most shops selling souvenirs. We spent a fair amount of time and money there buying fridge magnets, miniature masks, T-shirts and other curios. If you have only one day in Venice, you can get everything you need here. It’s a quick fix.
As we only had one night in Venice, we maximised our time and shopped till the shops pulled down their shutters one by one. We then headed back towards Piazza San Marco and our apartment. For dinner, we decided to have some Chinese food for a change and we found a good Chinese restaurant, Ristorante Cinese Capitol, near our apartment. We ordered sour-spicy soup, fried rice, vermicelli and green leafy vegetables. It was nice to have some Chinese food for a change, after six days of mostly bread and pasta.
By the time we stepped into our apartment, it was 9pm. It had been a packed but fulfilling day and I loved Venice to bits. It is the most unique city I have ever been to, and I would definitely return in future. I would spend at least three nights in Venice, to fully explore the different districts and take a day trip to the neighbouring Murano and Burano. Venice is undoubtedly touristy, but an enjoyable one. I highly recommend a visit, make it one for the bucket list!