VENICE is a world-famous coastal city in northeast Italy and is one of the most romantic cities in the world and on everyone’s bucket list to visit.Venice was our last stop in Italy.
How to reach Venice is quite easy, you can fly into Marco Polo airport and take the bus from there to the city or choose to come by train from elsewhere in Italy. It took us about 2–3 hours from Florence by train. The city’s main mode of transport is the water bus or Vaporetto.Private water taxis and traditional black-painted wooden gondolas provide alternative ways to navigate the waterways. Our hotel was near Piazza San Marco ,we had only one night in Venice, so we freshened up and were out and about.
We were with my 5-year-old son, he wanted to let pigeons sit on him, feed them which he enjoyed.
We did not go inside St Mark’s Basilica known for its staggering gold Byzantine, as there was a huge queue , mostly the Japanese that day and moreover we had visited St Peter’s Basilica and Pantheon in Rome , so the crunch in time made us skip this one.
The city is uniquely built across a cluster of small islands nestled inside the Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea. These islands are intricately knitted together by so many historic bridges spanning over scenic canals. Rialto Bridge is the oldest and most famous bridge crossing the Grand Canal, neighboring the lively local fish and produce markets.Walk up to the bridge wait there for people to move to get a perfect picture especially of the grand canal during sunset.
It is a single stone-arch bridge supporting a semi-enclosed rectangular deck with arcades.My son got a masque which is quite popular in Venice and are available on every corner. Sit by the cafe enjoy the seafood with wine (try seafood risotto).
Well, the evening was more dramatic, not knowing what was happening outside, sitting in the cafe when we came outside, the road was filled with water and so were the other areas. It was high tide or ACQUA ALTA which is high water. It is because of Venice’s unique position as an island crisscrossed with canals, the city is sensitive to water levels but the water starts going down in a few hours. By official definition, acqua alta occurs when the tide is 90 cm (35.4 inches) above normal high tide. Normally there are sirens indicating a high tide within a few hours of the forecast. It usually occurs in fall but a full moon or new moon to brings some flooding of the areas[we visited in August]. Piazza San Marco is the lowest point in Venice, begins to pool with water when the tide hits 80 cm.
If you plan to spend time in Venice during the fall and winter months, you may want to pack rubber boots — especially for visits near the full moon or new moon, when acqua alta is most likely to occur. It is definitely not clean water and boot sellers were outselling boots and raincoats at higher prices. Track forecasts in real-time by downloading the city’s official mobile apps like Hi!Tide Venice.The reality of acqua alta changed drastically with the full implementation of the MOSE system in 2023. Venice is very confusing with its narrow streets and alleys, so pay attention to the shape of buildings and bridges. You can also just ask for directions, we did get lost but it was like wandering in a beautiful place, eventually managed to reach our hotel.
We decided to take gondola ride the next morning. It was an unforgettable gondola ride down the Grand Canal, with a kiss under the bridge, it offers glimpses into the palazzi courtyards and hidden canals. The rates are fixed and gondolas cluster at stazi (stops) along the canal.
Finally, it was time to say bye to Venice. To reach back to the railway station we took Vaporetto 1 which passes through beautiful mansions, some scene-stealing backdrops including of some James Bond movies. Venice is a whole different place, another day in Venice could have allowed us to visit a couple of places more like Burano and Lido. Many people told me before I visited Italy that Venice is an overrated tourist attraction, but I still feel Venice is different, it is like a magical floating city.
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