More great sights in Venice!

Ca' d'Oro.  Among the things on the top of your list to see in Venice is the Ca’ d’Oro (literally translated: "golden house").  It is an old merchant’s house, named for the gold facade that it used to have (before it was eroded by wind and rain).  

The inside has two floors containing many works of art, as well as frescoes in various stages of disrepair.  The views of the canal are spectacular and well worth the trip.  

Gallerie dell’Accademia.   The Gallerie is filled with art from the Byzantine era, during the height of Venetian painting.  It is an amazing gallery.  A couple of tips:  arrive at least two hours before the “last ticket sold” time is.  You will want a couple of hours to absorb everything.  We arrived about 45 minutes before the last ticket was supposed to be sold and were told that they were closed.  Um, what?  Also, the numbering of the paintings in the galleries is a little eschewed.  Don’t be alarmed if #1 is on one end of the room and #2 is down the hall and oh yeah,  #3 doesn't exist.  It might be gone for restoration and it may–or may not–be replaced with something else. Oh, and if that something else is there they won’t tell you what that painting is. Enjoy!  There is an audio guide... which only works for some things.  (Again if the painting is replaced you may find yourself staring at one thing while the audio describes something completely different.  The first time it happened, I thought I was crazy.  We were like, "I don't see any horses in this picture... unless.. wait, is that supposed to be a horse?  It looks to me like an old woman in a hat." etc etc)  There is a laminated guide for other things, but it is not necessarily accurate.  All this said, it is beautiful, but not particularly organized.  If you can get past that and just go with the flow, you will have a great time and enjoy some fantastic art.


The Rialto Markets are worth a walk around.  However it is very crowded and it is hard to take in your surroundings when you are fighting to get through the crowds.  I recommend stopping at one of the cafés on the canal and having a bite to eat and a glass of wine.  

It will allow you to relax and enjoy the surroundings without getting bumped and pushed.  The shops have a lot of touristy stuff (there are a few mixed in that are a little more original) but on the whole, your shopping will probably get done in other areas of town.  While you are in the area, you should take a walk down to the fresh food stalls and see all they have to offer.  It is really colorful and fun.

Hotels and Apartments in Venice

Skye and I did stay at hotels for the rest of the trip because of the 3-night minimum that most villas or apartments have.  However we stayed at some great places.  In Venice we stayed at the Pensione Accademia in Dorsoduro.  

We were just a short walking distance from everything but the area itself was not too touristy and right on the canal.  It was beautiful, quiet and really centrally located for getting around.  There was a water taxi stand very close by.  They served a nice breakfast and there were lovely gardens in the front and back where you could eat.  The front had canal views so we had breakfast there.  The room was fairly spacious and modern and pretty reasonable as far as hotels in Venice go. 

If you are renting an Apartment, the areas I would recommend are  Dorsoduro, San Polo and Santa Croce and Cannaregio and Castello.  They are all out of the super tourist areas of the city and, having done a little research, is probably where you will get the most bang for your buck.  Keep in mind that Venice is not cheap, so you will probably pay more for a week rental in Venice than in a lot of other European cities.  We had dinner both nights we were in Venice in the Cannaregio and Castello district.  The area filled with interesting restaurant and shops, and it seemed from our dining experience, that it was filled predominately with locals.  Dorsoduro also has a ton of great shops and little restaurants and is very centrally located, so for a short visit that might be a better choice as it is very close to most of the big tourist attactions.  However any of these 3 districts are far enough out of the largest tourist area so that you can enjoy some of the quiet ambiance the city has to offer.

Good sites for apartment rentals include:

veniceapartment.com

housesinvenice.com

casadeipittori.com

rentvillas.com does have a few apartments in Venice City, but they seem a little more expensive than the ones listed on the sites above.  

Tips from the Venice Aiport...and an anecdote

After our week on the Amalfi coast, our next stop was Venice. We decided to fly, to save several hours otherwise wasted on the train.  Apparently we made the right choice.  Italians love everything about flying.  They cheer when the plane takes off, they cheer when it lands and they cheer when announcements are made.  They are generally happy people, not like us grumpy Americans.  And when the plane got delayed an hour they were only mildly annoyed, until the captain said they could unfasten their seat belts and feel free to roam about.  (Apparently they do not like to sit down.)  Instantly the plane was buzzing with activity.  No one wanted to sit still for a minute longer than they had to, especially if they could be up talking to their friends or other people.  I guess we should take a page out of that book when our plane gets delayed in the states.  Not only is it a great way to connect with your fellow fliers, it really makes traveling delays more agreeable.


Okay, back to the tips. 


Arriving in Venice:

When you get to Marco Polo airport there are a few transportation options to get to Venice. If you want to hire a private taxi it will cost you around 100 Euros.  (Believe me, there are plenty of other things to spend your money on in Venice.)  So you will probably want to take public transportation, i.e., the Alilaguna water shuttle.

The trip is approximately 45 minutes to get to Dorsoduro, which is where our hotel was located.  Get your ticket to the water shuttle at the big ticket counter before you leave the airport, or at the smaller booth out by the boats .  The water shuttle is a 7 minute walk from the airport (they actually have signs that count down the minutes as you go).  I found the path to be extremely well-marked and easy to follow, but if for some reason you have chronic directional issues or get freaked out by this stuff, this person has provided kindergarten-level step by step directions with pictures. If you don’t have a water shuttle map yet and are not sure which line to take, the people at the ticket window are very helpful.  Note: the water shuttle lines going to/from the airport (Alilaguna) are not the same as the public water buses (vaporetti) which run all along the grand canal.  

The streets in Venice are filled with cobblestones and bridges, so again I was reminded I should have looked at my own packing list and packed lighter.   I also should have gotten  a new, smaller, light-weight suitcase.  My motto is now:  PUT.   IT.   BACK!  Once again Skye was whizzing through the streets while I looked like someone who had just run away from home with ALL their belongings. 

 I was envious.  I am getting myself new suitcase for Christmas.  Won’t have any large trips before then.  I am turning over a new leaf.  If Skye can pack light, so can I.