Venice Off the Beaten Path Tips by sandysmith

Corte Contarini del Bovolo, San Marco. Buried in a warren of alleys, this unusual palace boasts an ornate external 15th century 'snail' stairway - again a place in Venice often used in film sets. The tiny square makes it difficult to photo but I'm sure Steve will have a better one. There are delightful rooftop views of Venice from here which we appreciated in peace and quiet all by ourselves - now isn't that unusal for Venice!! We discovered later that Steve and Susan visited here just one hour after us - well we eventually caught up with each other the next day!

Situated: San Marco, 4299 Corte Del Bovolo

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Through the arches near the top of the snail staircase you can get some great arty shots which I think look cool in b&w - I know just playing with the new camera - getting as bad as Steve ;-)).

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Ok here's the colour view withouth the arches.
To reach this hard to find place go to campo Manin, five minutes away from Rialto following the signs to Accademia. Starting from Rialto go to campo S.Bortolomeo, then campo S.Luca and finally Campo Manin.
Look for the narrow "calle della Vida" and turn right at the first corner. Pay the entrance fee and climb the steps to the loggia.

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Calle del Paradiso - an attractive alley in Castello, lined with medieval-style timber overhangs. At one end there is a delicately sculptured 15th century arch representing the Virgin and her devotees.

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There are only 3 Squero - gondola repair and construction yards left in Venice. The Squero di San Trovaso in Dorsoduro - is the famous one. The alpine-style workshop, window sills clad with geraniums is a thow back to the first occupants who came from the mountainous Cadore region. Another "Squero" can be found on the Rio dei Mendicanti, Cannaregio (across the canal from the large church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo).

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Wandering off the main tourist sight and discover picturesque side canals like this one in Dorsoduro area - near the gondola repair yard and the Ponte dei Pugni where fisticuffs used to take place.

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In my guide book I had seen this bridge with no parapet - one of only 2 left in Venice without side protection (the other is in Torcello). Well I went on a hunt for it and could I find it?? In the end decided to give up and head back to St Marks when all of a sudden I just happened to glance down a small canal in Cannaregio and there it was :-)). I've been asked before how to find this bridge but really I can't answer that expect by throwing away the map and just keep your eyes peeled!

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Well I guess this must be off the beaten path - we searched for ages for this bridge on the previous visit to no avail - for some reason we found it easier this time! So whats special about this bridge well its was Venice's red light district in San Polo and the "ladies of the night" here would display their "charms" at the windows over this "Bridge of Breasts"!

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Campo San Luca is a lively typical venetain campo, not far from Campo Manin, where you can see a marble plinth which marks the "navel" or centre of Venice. it felt so strange to be standing here knowing I was at the centre of this amazing city. It was a place I wa happy to share with Maurizioago on our trip in 2005

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The Santa Croce is another good area to go wandering and get lost in those back street canals - it definitely helps to have a map here to find your way out! Its quite residential with laudry hanging out above the canals.

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