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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2009 20:33:41 GMT
Can you believe that I have been to about 60 countries, but I have never been to Venice, to which I could drive in one day? |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2009 22:56:01 GMT
Any particular reason? I had a fascination with Venice at one time,very naiive and a tad on the romantic sappy side. I really don't have much desire to go anymore. Too many other places even in Italy that I'd rather go. It does make for a good backdrop in novels and movies though. In these photos it appears so much more densely populated than I had imagined.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2009 6:04:47 GMT
A lot of Europe has just seemed too close to visit as long as I have access to cheap airline tickets to go anywhere in the world. Stupid, isn't it?
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 13, 2009 7:06:05 GMT
I wouldn't say stupid. I guess the feeling is that it's so close by, you can go any time. But really, the world is changing so fast, it's worth seeing whatever you can whenever you have the chance.
The aerial photos made me want to see Venice even more. This is stupid -- I've always wanted to see the piazza in front of St. Mark's cathedral.
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Post by spindrift on Mar 13, 2009 18:39:00 GMT
Don't underrate Venice. It's a marvellous place. I've been there several times and hope to return. Last time I was there I stayed with my family at the Hotel Cipriani Palazzo Vendrami. www.hotelcipriani.com/web/ocip/ocip_a2a_home.jspAhhh....Venice is wonderful. |
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Post by lola on Nov 10, 2010 1:18:34 GMT
Thank you for that, very belatedly. I'd never seen photos of that view. My daughter called me from Piazza San Marco this morning, 1700 hrs there and dark. As touristy as it is now, she says she can't imagine how crowded it would be in the summer. She's there alone two days, then with friends in Florence two days, then another two by herself in Rome. She and her sister had spent a week in Florence a few years ago at the Hotel Bavaria, and loved it hotelbavariafirenze.it/ so she got a room there again, very reasonable seasonal price of 37 eur with shared bath for a double, including a nice breakfast. She'd asked for my last minute opinion on some of the Venice hostels, but they seemed too seedy. Yesterday I scrambled through slowtrav.com and venere.com reviews and got her a room in a nice little B&B, Residenza degli Angeli, shared bath, very reasonable and homey. The proprieter meets you at the vaporetto stop and walks you to the house. I think it was ~53 eur for her double rm with shared bath. Rome she's in a hostel in the middle of things, so we'll see what that's like. Fodors.com is good for this kind of last minute unprepared traveling, or if you're out in the world and can call your mama to do it for you. I searched "best of Venice" and emailed her selected 1.5 day itineraries from old Venice hands. |
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Post by fumobici on Nov 10, 2010 2:50:15 GMT
I've been very close to Venice a couple of times but find myself hesitant to wade into such a sea of tourists. I can find nice out of the way places even in Paris or Florence, but it looks like the extreme West end of the city is about all there is outside the tourist zone there. If I go I suppose it will have to be in January or February assuming those are the very least touristy months. I won't go anywhere in the high tourist seasons though. That's when it is very nearly perfect here where I live in any case.
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Post by lola on Nov 10, 2010 4:18:42 GMT
4-5 days ago on bing.com there was a lovely photo of San Marco Piazza, deserted, apparently at dawn after a rain. My daughter hopes to get up early and try for a similar shot. It's worth scrolling back for.
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Post by hwinpp on Nov 10, 2010 8:59:35 GMT
Go to Venice in Winter, much less crowded.
I took the opportunity once when I was staying somewhere in the Alps and drove down for a day trip.
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Post by bjd on Nov 10, 2010 9:13:14 GMT
I went to Venice in November 25 years ago, after one previous trip in the summer years before when we stayed at the youth hostel. It was certainly emptier, really damp and foggy. Even then, as I wandered around, I couldn't imagine what people there did for a living. In the back streets there were so many shops selling those carnival masks. Hardly anything "normal" people need when living somewhere.
I just saw those "from above" pics for the first time. Personally, I find the ones of jammed-together houses not very good. Only the ones with water around them give an idea of the place -- because no matter where you are in Venice, there is water.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2010 20:33:34 GMT
I have close friends who go to Venice every year, so I totally believe that it must be a wonderful place.
Nevertheless, I am really dismayed by the "Venice syndrome" which is affecting numerous cities of Europe, including Paris. It is the emptying out of cities by the rich, who buy up all of the choice real estate and yet don't really live there. You end up with huge chunks of depopulated cities about which you can do nothing.
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Post by lola on Nov 10, 2010 22:04:20 GMT
Understand and agree. I pledge not to buy prime vacation real estate in Paris or any other great city of the world.
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Post by lola on Nov 10, 2010 23:18:22 GMT
We have a newly college graduate friend who's house sitting for his aunt and her billionaire husband (made it in the for profit hospital biz, but that's a separate rant) at their triplex penthouse Manhattan pied a terre. They wanted someone to be there to let tradesmen in and such. He'll be moving out soon, to his credit, wanting his own place however humble. So it's not just Europe.
My daughter called from Venice this evening, still thrilled from the opera performance she'd seen at La Fenice. She got a 10 euro limited vision seat, on the upper arm of the U tiers. Two Frenchmen sitting in front of her in the box let her sit with them at the railing, so she saw practically the whole stage.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2010 4:30:32 GMT
Generalizations are bad, but "for profit hospital biz ........ billionaire"?! EAT THE RICH!
The opera! in Venice! Happy, happy, lucky girl!
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Post by lola on Nov 11, 2010 5:09:19 GMT
I'd settle for a bloodless redistribution.
She lucked into L'Elisir d'Amore, and said the house became totally quiet for this one:
I'm going to have to devote the next few days to finding my favorite version of this.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 11, 2010 6:23:57 GMT
Oh my goodness gracious! That's pretty darn magnificent. I'm awaiting your findings. You know I've been a short way down that road already: here, #275 |
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Post by tod2 on Sept 1, 2011 9:55:44 GMT
I need a little guidance here. Kerouac, last year on 10 Nov. (my birthday) you posted a fabulous link on Venice - glorious photos!
I need a little help from someone who has been to Venice on diffrent times of the year and would like their opinion about Venice in late April/early May.
I thought this would be quite nice - not too cold is it??
We do have the option of going in late May instead. Which is the better option with weather temps & numbers of tourists?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2011 16:45:04 GMT
I do know that everybody (who is "everybody"?) says to avoid Venice in the summer. Late April/early May sounds good to me, because the (sometimes) spring floods are finished by then (usually) and the narrow canals are not stinking yet.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 2, 2011 10:58:08 GMT
Thanks Kerouac. We are going to plan around last week April but are just doing the Venice part and not including Switzerland. If we like it we can always come back/if we don't then it's just too bad.
Everything hinges on flights of course...
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Post by auntieannie on Sept 3, 2011 11:25:22 GMT
sounds good to me, the restaurants etc should be open and tourists should be there, but not en masse.
Do check that there are no bank holidays/school holidays when you're planning to go, though... otherwise you will see the masses...
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