%s5%cbVenezia – city built on water – the masters and other Venice, Italy General Tips

Meant to be built forever

by Trekki , 3 more photos

Favorite Thing: I did mention this already several times – one of my major interests to learn and see in Venezia was how the city “works” as a city, which is built on water.
It all started ages ago: legends entitle March 25 of year 421 as the date when Venezia was founded. Those days, the peaceful life of the inhabitants of Venetia region was interrupted by overrunning Germanic tribes of Goths and Langobards as well as Huns, which were ransacking villages and made the locals flee from their homes on the mainland. They went to hide in the lagoon’s islands, among fishermen and salt farmers. Now the little settlements became quite crowded and there was need to make room for more people to live. The first islands that have been inhabited were Burano, Mazzorbo, Murano, Torcello and Malamocco (the southernmost tip of Lido island) and at that time of much significance for the lagoon; Torcello was maybe the most important one with the basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built at the order of bishop Altina early 7th century. Malamocco was seat of the first doges from mid 8th century on.
With several more disputes and migrations, the little houses and the islands were soon not enough to host all the fugitives. Also, after another serious attack by Pippin, son of Carolus Magnus, in early 9th century, the doge Angelo Partecipiano decided to move to rivo alto (= high river bank), which was more or less impregnable, so that Pippin and his troops gave up their plans to merge the lagoon into their territory. This all gave room to start the first settlements around what is now Ponte de Rialto.

Fondest Memory: All in all, Venezia is built on more than 100 islands, in a very much advanced “technology”, given the time of the constructions. As a lagoon is not deep but shallow and as a lot of tiny islands were already existing, the people did “fasten” these islands with tree trunks (usually oak) which were hit into the condensed clay ground. This clay ground (called caranto)is originated from the deposits, the river Brenta brought along, before it was redirected to the south, and it forms a quite solid base of the lagoon. The principles of building on the single islands was more or less the same: the tree trunks had to be below water level at low tide. They were covered then with a (horizontal) layer of larch planks, followed by a base “wall” of Istrian marble, which served as the fundament of the building. This wall was meant to be below and above the water level, at least during the days when most of Venezia’s houses were built. The tree trunks, or all the wood below the water level in general, became very much hard over the time, as organisms, causing putrefaction, could not destroy them due to the lack of oxygen. Well, this was the idea behind the constructions. But the building masters did not foresee the course of modern times and the ever increasing boat traffic in the lagoon and in Venezia’s canales, thus increasing the oxygen level and giving rise to slow rottening.
Maybe this explains now why I am ranting a bit in some of my other tips about the negative impact of motor taxis and huge cruise ships.

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General Tips: Venezia – a city built on water - today

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Updated by Trekki

on Jun 25, 2007

Transporting building material

by Trekki , 4 more photos

Favorite Thing: Consequently, there are no cars in Venezia. Well, there are, but only up to Piazzale Roma, where the road coming from terra firma (Mestre etc) ends and where busses and cars have to stop. All the traffic from here on is transferred onto the water. We, tourists and locals, are transported by vaporettos, gondolas or the expensive and unecological operating taxi boats. Post and parcels are being transported by boats, food is transported in boats, and any goods you can imagine are transported on the different boats. It is very much exciting to sit at one of the fondamentas or canales and watch the boats go by with their different loads. If you watch long enough, you can see how immense the variety of boats is, designed or built for the needs of their “service”.
The boat on photo 1 is most probably one that transports building material. It was on its way to Isola San Michele, where the burial grounds are actually expanded. So this needs to be quite big and broad to be able to load up many bags of construction material.
Whenever canales need to be cleaned, or houses to be renovated or build, a crane is needed. Now at home or anywhere else on terra firma (solid ground), the crane is driven by truck in front of whereever it needs to operate. In Venezia, a special boat needs to transport them; photo 2. And given the weight of these cranes, the boats must be really solid ones. They looked like mixture between ferry and aircraft carrier (well, a small aircraft that would be). I was always amazed to see these boats navigating around. Given the weight and the height of the crane, the captains must have enormous skills. But then again this is Venezia, the people are so much used to live with the water.

Fondest Memory: The more “small” goods, like flowers (photo 3) or logs (photo 4), can easily be transported in small boats - to deliver directly in front of the house. Well, if the house is situated at the water. But this logboat also had a mini-crane to lift up the logs.
And last but not least the garbage. Venezia is very much advanced when it comes to garbage “management”. Well, it has to, given the loads of us tourists that invade the city daily. Each household places the garbage bags outside at the doors. The garbage man comes in the morning and puts the bags and the ones of the countless bins into his wheel cart (photo 5). The photo is a bit dark, but it shows the cart, which has only 2 wheels. This is to make it easier to move over the countless bridges on the way. The cart is then emptied into the boat, again with a help of a small crane. During my early morning wanderings through the city I did see this procedure at several spots, so there is a well functioning system and specific garbage boat stops behind that. For the friends of Nobby I should add that the boat owner also had a friend travelling with him, you’ll see him if you look close at the boat’s bow.

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General Tips: These ones are not likely to transport us

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Updated by Trekki

on Jun 15, 2007

DHL boat - transports the mail

by Trekki , 3 more photos

Favorite Thing: Even if I knew or have read all about Venezia’s water transport, I was again and again fascinated about every “special” boat I saw = how La Serenissima “works”.

Yes, of course, mail cannot be transported by car, so DHL (photo 1) has their boats to pick up mail and parcels from their spots in the city and transport them to the mainland.

In case of fire, the fire brigade sets out in boats (photo 2). Luckily I didn’t see any fire while I was there, although I have read that they have approx. 300 operations per year. Next time I’ll go and visit their headquarter to learn in theory how they work. From what I have read, they use canal water to kill the flames. But this water needs to be “clean” at least in some way. I have also read that the big fire which destroyed old La Fenice operahouse, could not be put out as the respective canal was tilted. Since that time, cleaning of the canals became high task, and also another reason for us tourists to consider when we look at the price level of Venezia. Cleaning of the canales does cost quite some money.

Fondest Memory: I already mentioned that I felt extremely safe in Venezia, that’s why I did see the Police only peacefully circling through the canals. But in case of need, the can speed up of course – that’s why Commissario Brunetti always catches the bad fish :-)

Oh, and we also don’t like to use the transport as in photo 4 – the Ambulance boats. Venezia’s main hospital is located in western Castello, and has a large section of a canal reserved as docks for the ambulance boats. I still cannot imagine how it must be to do serious ER action on patients in a boat at high speed. But here again, Venezianos are used to live with and on the water….

This one was in the transport section before, but.. I think it better fits to the general info about Venezia.

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General Tips: Consequences of city being built on water

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Updated by Trekki

on Jun 24, 2007

by Trekki , 4 more photos

Favorite Thing: So why am I writing about all that ? Just to make aware how much of effort it is to keep a place "running", which is entirely built “on water”. While preparing my trip, I found so many negative remarks about the city, that it is smelly in summer, has acqua alta all the time, is expensive and is one single tourist trap.
Well, again, it costs a huge amount of effort and money to keep the city functioning. The goods for preparing meals need to be transported by boat, and then in wheel carts (similar principle as described above) over bridges and through the small calles. That’s very much “manpower” intense. And as this is Italy, and not a so-called third world country, people’s salaries are not that low to give us special deals on meals as in say Uzbekistan or Tajikistan.
Electricity, clean water, the possibility to pull the string in the bathroom and get rid of our human waste – this all requires specifically designed mechanisms to transport to and from the houses and the hotels. The water, now with a higher oxygen content than before we masses have started to invade the city, gnaw at the houses and require a much more frequent restoration than in La Serenissima’s past days.

Or take the gondolas. Yes, a ride in a gondola is expensive ! A licence to navigate a gondola costs around 70.000 Euro, the gondola itself is not a mass product where thousands hop from the belt every evening. It takes some months to finish a gondola (as by now there are not many artists left, who master the building), and then it costs around 40.000 Euros. As hardly anyone wants to take a gondola ride in winter, the guys have only several months, maybe 6 or 7, to work. And if in the past days one gondola was passed on from father to son and maybe grandson, this is no longer the case today. Again, the very much high oxygen content (thus algae) requires a much more frequent repair and care for the boats. By now, the life cycle of a gondola is not longer than maybe 25 to 30 years.

Fondest Memory:
Oh, and a fiaker ride in Vienna costs 100 Euro per hour – does anybody complain about that ? It is easy: if it is too expensive, then just leave it, but stop complaining.

Acqua alta – yes, it is more frequent today than in the past. And parts of the reason are the deep navigation channels that have been digged into the lagoon to enable the oil tankers a shortcut to the plants in Maestre. But also to enable these …. cruise ships to come close and sail through the lagoon.

Or the toilet fees. Yes, we have to pay a toilet fee (if we didn’t buy the Venice Blue or Orange card, or use the ones of a restaurant when we have lunch or dinner or a coffee). Public toilets do cost 1 Euro per “nose powdering”. But the money is paid for a good reason. And of course it is us, who have to pay – no one would expect the Venezianos to pay for our nature calls, would one ?? And apart from that, in other European cities we also have to pay, and also quite a “nice” amount. In some German towns the fees in cities or at highways are also as much as around 0,70 Euro.

Please remember this all before you want to rant about the prices, smells, and other things.

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General Tips: Getting lost is – haha - difficult

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Updated by Trekki

on Jul 10, 2007

Guiding signs on the streets

by Trekki , 1 more photos

Favorite Thing: Erm, this is now something I was very much disappointed of. When I was preparing my visit, I read everywhere that one of the most important things to do in Venezia is to get lost. You all wrote that the only way to discover the charm of the city, is if I would end up somewhere totally different than I wanted to go.
Hm, I tried hard, very, very hard to get lost, but I didn’t. Maybe this has to do with my habit to find means of orientation almost everywhere I go, a habit that developed during my “usual” form of vacation: hiking trails in unknown areas for several days. In Patagonia and elsewhere I oriented myself on trees, mountain or hill shapes, the moon or rivers or swarms of birds and always knew if I am heading north, south, east or west. Maybe my brain found a way to translate this habit into city environments ? So, I didn’t get lost.

Fondest Memory: On the other hand, it is quite difficult to loose track, as the officials have mounted signs throughout whole Venezia, telling the way to Ponte Rialto and Piazza San Marco. And even while walking towards Arsenale, I found the signs on the streets (rather than at the walls). I realised that, even if I did not want to know where I am and just went walking, I came across one of those signs within 15 minutes. But, for me this did not minimise the fun of discovering new and interesting things around each corner at all. For example, when I set out one morning to walk from my apartment (western Castello) to Arsenale and further on east, I discovered a small campo with a church and before going back, I just wanted to peek around the corner to see what is there – and voila, I nearly collapsed of laughing: I had discovered the Questura of Commissario Brunetti’s TV series.
So what do I want to tell you here ? Those of you who are used to a good orientation wherever you are: you will most probably not really get lost. But it always pay off to peek around the corner and see which gems wait for you. So switch off your brain, and wander around without aim and goal – you will get lost without getting lost. Maybe this is the best way to describe this feeling :-)

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General Tips: Adresses and street names in Venezia

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Updated by Trekki

on Jul 9, 2007

Campiello - a small campo (plaza)

by Trekki , 4 more photos

Favorite Thing: As opposed to the signs being distributed all over in the city to make us tourists not get lost, Veneziano adresses are quite confusing.
Originally, addresses are given by sestiere, followed by a number. This system has been introduced by Napoleon (that’s what I have read) and leads finally to around 30.000 different numbers throughout whole Venezia. The numbers are consecutive within a sestiere, so theoretically one can walk around along a street in a given sestiere until he finds the number. But, haha, this would take too long. Luckily for us most of the Venezianos have realised our confusion with this address system and give us the street name as well on websites or business cards (note: the original number is the same, however). The same applies for most of travel guide books.
But…. again, if you have time during your stay in Venezia, and not plan to rush through the city, it is a lot of fun to find addresses according to the Veneziano system. Just watch the systematic, and you will sure find out that it works pretty well. I played this “game” quite often and after a while, I found what I was looking for.
Apart from that, Venezia has several interesting “street names” or designations, which are specific to her position at or in the water.
There is a book, by the way, called Indice Anagrafico, for those who are interested in finding each number :-)

Fondest Memory: Let’s start with the plazas, of which Venezia has a lot of, and very much different ways to call them. There is only one single piazza (plaza): Piazza San Marco. The other plazas are either called piazetta, such as (THE) Piazetta San Marco at the lagoon and Piazetta Leoncini north of the basilica or piazzale as in Piazzala Roma, the one where cars and busses from mainland arrive. A corte is also a plaza, but more like a courtyard, cortile would be a small corte.
Quays are called fondamenta (like Fondamenta Nouve), shopping streets are called ruga or rughetta (if they are small). A riva (like Riva degli Schiavoni and the other rivas east of Piazza San Marco) is a big quay.
Streets are called calle, and it is said that Venezia has around 3000 of them. Small versions are calletta, and a rìo tera is a street which was formerly a canal, but then filled up. A ramo is a dead end, it usually ends in cortiles or at the water. Salizadas are tiny streets, these are the oldest ones in Venezia, the ones that have been paved first ages ago. A sottoportego is a tiny roofed street, as given the small space in the city, houses are built tight and this created the need for room to walk between them.

What I found most funny is the very much black humour, Venezianos had in their street naming. There are for examples calles with such fascinating bloodthirsty names like Rìo Tera degli Assassini – street of the murderers, or Ponte dei Squadrartal – bridge of the ones that have been divided into four parts…
This lets the imagination flow quite a bit, and consider city’s history and what had been done with traitors or scammers. At least she does not conceals her history :-)

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General Tips: (The) I sestiere – Venezia’s quarters

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Updated by Trekki

on Jul 10, 2007

Favorite Thing: More than 100 islands form Venezia (well, the centro storico). Everyone says that the city looks like a big fish (the tail would be in the east), but for me it resembles more the shape of Italy’s boot. Anyhow, the city is divided into 6 districts. Each of these districs or sestieri does have its very own characteristic atmosphere and it definitely pays to see each of them and not only stumble around in San Marco.
Let me start with San Polo and Santa Croce, two sestieri which mix into each other on the south western banks of Canal Grande. It was here where Venezia has her roots, at rivo alto and where today the daily life is maybe pulsating most. Only a few steps away from Ponte Rialto are excellent food stalls with delicious and fresh products from the islands (ah, sh*t, I forgot to buy that cheese – haha, next time). These sestieri are also the city’s most tightly inhabited areas.
South of these sestieri, Dorsoduro waits with popular and marvellous art collections of L’Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim Museum. But this sestiere has much more to offer: cheap cafes, bars and restaurants along Zattere, very atmospheric tiny streets along the small canale, where you are practically alone when wandering around, the famous Campo S. Margherita and Campo San Barnaba with nice bars to drop down for a drink.
Castello is my favourite sestiere. A lot of marvellous churches and historical buildings are here, such as Zanipolo church (chiesa SS Giovanni e Paolo) or L’Arsenale and its fabulous entrance portal. In the east is Isola San Pietro, one of the most quiet and relaxing spots I found. And of course, Giardini Pubblici and the areal of Biennale invite to stroll around under shady trees.

Fondest Memory: The most diverse sestiere is maybe Canaregio (or Cannaregio in Italian). Its south is lined with shops and restaurants along Strada Nova, but the north west is a very much local resident area. Not with the splendour of the palazzi left and right of Canal Grande, but well, splendour isn’t all. This part of Canaregio I liked very much, it was quiet to walk along the tiny streets, I didn’t meet any foreigner there and the coffees and Spritz I had there were very much reasonable.
And finally – San Marco. It was the centre of Venezia’s old days, the seat of power and religion with Palazzo Ducale and Basilica San Marco. And it seems to be still the centre of power and religion, the most expensive and overpriced shops and restaurants can be found here and the Eurodisney tourists come in herds like pilgrims to Piazza San Marco. But now enough with my sarcasm, only an ignorant idiot can withdraw from the charm and harmony and magic beauty of this ensemble of Piazza, Palazzo Ducale and Basilica San Marco. They emanate eternal beauty and I found myself roaming around the buildings almost day and night, when I was close by. Often I realised that my feet brought me there without my brain intending to do so. San Marco is the sestiere with so many famous buildings like the opera house La Fenice, the palace and stairs of Contarini del Bovolo and Campo San Stefano.

In my to-do and off-path sections (if I ever arrive there, lol), I will describe the beauties I saw in detail and hopefully I can convince at least some of my readers to spend not only “the obligatory” 1 day in La Serenissima, but stay longer and get same bewitched as she got me - in love forever.

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General Tips: Very helpful tourist offices

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Updated by Trekki

on Jul 11, 2007

Venezia Tourist Information - San

Marco

by Trekki , 2 more photos

Favorite Thing: As I stayed in Venezia for 12 days, I didn’t use the online offers of the Uffizio informazione (tourist office) but visited one of the offices at Piazza San Marco during my stay to purchase my tickets and check the possibilities for my visit and interests. I found the girls very much helpful and also they pointed out the most cost-effective alternatives for me. With my 12 days and no real need for an extremely tight budget I had already bought the Chorus Pass before I went to the office. The girls asked me what I would like to do and see and they came up with the suggestion to get the Venice Blue Card (and not the orange one), as it would include all I needed, given the fact that I already had the churches pass and that I wanted to book the secret itinerary tour of Palazzo Ducale. Plus, the 7 day card is cheaper than 2 x 3 days + 1 day vaporetto pass only.
In addition to my blue card, she handed me over a map for Venezia and the islands, which was the best of all maps I could get, including the ones in the guide books. Also, I got the booklet “A guest in Venzia”, which lists all events for a period of 2 month. This booklet is available throughout the whole year.

Even if you have booked transport or museum cards online, I can highly recommend to pay one of the tourist information offices a visit. The girls might give you tips about events you didn’t know about but want to see. They can organise tickets and book tours and help in any way.
I was there on a Sunday morning early May (around noon), and I was very much amazed how friendly they are, given the herds of us tourists invading the town. While I was there, a couple of very much ***ing grumpy Eurodisney tourists was there and I was astonished about the girls’ patience.

Fondest Memory: Venezia’s Tourist Board has 4 offices in the city:
Piazza San Marco (in the southern part of Ala Neapoletana; photo 1 and (1) in GE screenshot),
Giardini ex-Reali (this is southwest of Procuratie Nuove, directly at the vaporetto stop; photo 2 and (2) in GE screenshot),
Stazione Ferrovia Santa Lucia (railway station),
Piazzale Roma (where the busses stop).
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Venezia Tourist Information

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General Tips: Venice Cards - Blue and Orange (save money)

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Written by Trekki

on Jun 24, 2007

Venice Blue Card - value for money

by Trekki , 3 more photos

Favorite Thing: Depending how long you will stay and what you like to do and see in Venezia, these cards might save you a lot of money. !! Careful: not to be confused with the Venice Card, which is available only for residents (of Venezia and Veneto)!
Venice Blue and Orange Card are available for 1, 2 or 7 days and include several free entrances or reduced entrances.

Venice Blue Card:
The blue card gives you free transport on all vaporettos of ACTV (including vaporettos to the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello, San Michele, Sant’Erasmo, Lido, San Servolo, San Lazaro), and to the public toilet facilities in town, discounts on several exhibitions and shops which have the Venice Card sign at the entrance.
It is available as Junior Card (up to age 29) and as Senior Card (age 30 and higher).

Venice Orange Card:
The orange card, in addition, gives you free entry to all 10 municipal museums of Venezia (Palazzo Ducale, Museo Correr, Marciana Library, Archaelogical Museum, Ca’Rezzonico, Palazzo Mocenigo, Casa Carlo Goldoni, Ca’Pesaro, Museo Vetrario on Murano, Museo de Merletti on Burano).
If you purchase the 2 or 7 days card, you also get free access to the 16 churches associated with the Chorus Pass (see below). The Chorus Pass alone is 8 Euro (as of May 2007).
And you get discounts for several non-municipality owned exhibitions, such as Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Grassi, etc.

Fondest Memory: The prices are given at the website (select blue or orange in the left navigation menu). Note that the website lists all places, where you can get discounts, and the location of the toilets as well.

If you are here for 7 or more days, the blue card definitely pays off, as you can travel to the islands as well, and it includes the use of the public toilets.
Compare prices with the 24, 48 and 72 hour ticket for Vaporetto lines – it might come cheaper if you buy the blue card:
72 hours vaporetto (excluding toilet use) is 30 Euro (as of May 2007), and with 55,90 Euro, the 7 days Blue Card is cheaper already than 2 x 72 hours vaporetto cards.
Toilets are 1 Euro each time.

Blue and Orange cards are also available with Alilaguna transport from the airport. But, this only pays if your hotel is located near Piazza San Marco or at Lido. The price for this airport transfer is 23 Euro more than without. Alilaguna one-way ticket to/from the airport is 12 Euro to Piazza San Marco; so you would save 1 Euro.

The cards can be bought online (with a discount of 2 Euro compared to buying in the city), at the airport or in the city at the main vaporetto stations or at the tourist offices.
I have chosen the Venice Blue Card, but didn’t buy it at the airport, as I was here for 12 days and wanted to use it until my last day. Also, as I stayed close to Fondamenat Nuove, my airport-transport was only 6 Euro with Alilaguna, so it would have not meant any saving for me.

Note that the cards need to be stamped prior to use.

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Churches: If you like churches – get the Chorus pass

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Updated by Trekki

on Jun 25, 2007

Chorus Pass - for 16 churches in

Venezia

by Trekki