"labyrinth of inspiration" a Venice Travel Page by mindcrime

Get lost!:) Become another person even if you don’t visit the carnival! This is what I had in my mind when I first visited Venice. Ok, I spend one full day checking the main sites like a “normal” tourist but then we got lost! I don’t have tips about the precious moments we were just standing at a small unknown wooden bridge, on a small canal or at a dead end that no map had ever included.

The gondolas, the bridge of Sighs, the masks, the high waters, the lovers… I didn’t have many expectations about Venice because its very touristic but when I accepted this fact and started to slow down my speed it was like many small nice dreams coming from nowhere. On our way back we felt so nice that we decided to return back… I will, when I’ll become that other person again…

Day 1
Take the vaporetto early in the morning from Piazzale Roma and go down the Grand Canal, try to catch everything with your camera but put it inside on your way back later in the day, this time try to catch everything with your eyes. Between the two rides visit Basilica San Marco, walk around the huge square, avoid the pigeons, take a look at Doge’s Palace with a (pre booked) Secret Itineriaries tour, go up to Campanile San Marco and yes close your mouth as you enjoy the panorama of the city. Take a walk at Castelo, visit Ca d’Oro or cross the Rialto bridge, check Tintoretto’s painting at Scuola Grande di San Rocco or visit Guggenheim gallery, the Salute church or the Accademia Gallery.

Day 2
Wander the streets aimlessly, there are so many nice peaceful districts (Ghetto in Cannaregio is great), small squares only with locals, enjoy (another) ice cream.

Day 3
Get out of Venice and visit another island in the lagoon, Murano for the famous glass, Burano for a more peaceful atmosphere, or Torchello.

I had read about it but I had forgot so when we saw a couple getting out of a building holding their shoes we said “are they nuts?”. When we noticed water here and there I remembered the strange phenomenon of water flooding. It lasts for some hours and has to do with many factors like the moon, the atmospheric pressure and wind. It becomes more problematic in late autumn when a siren sounds in the city so the people to protect of really high tide (much more than 90mm with is a normal high tide), some years before almost the whole of the city was under water! For us it was really funny walking in a dry normal square in the morning and when we returned in the night San Marco square was under water! All the tourists were very happy having their shoes off and playing like children (the water is usually at ankle level) but I really don’t know if I could live like this for too long. Buying rubber boots isn’t nessecery because you can just be at a different part of the city if you don’t want to get in touch with the water…