Venice
By: Jennifer Milano, written August 2015
One of Venice's 100+ canals and 400+ bridges
On my first trip to Venice with a high school group, a pigeon pooped on my head. Yup. I was 16 years old, so was not self-conscious at all. It is supposed to be good luck, I was told, but I equate that belief to the lore that rain on your wedding day is fortuitious. This is supposed to make you feel better about having to wipe poop goop off your head while your friends laugh at and snap photos of you (or rain drops off your veil while your friends put up their umbrellas).
Despite the pigeon incident, I loved Venice. It is one of the most unique cities in the world, with its winding pedestrian-only streets crossing romantic canals. With rising water tables around the world, though, do your research before you go to make sure you are minimizing your chances of the city being flooded.
How to Get Here: You can fly, or take a train or boat into Venice. From Rome, the train ride is about 5-6 hours; from Florence, it is about 2 hours; from Milan, it is about 3 hours. No cars are permitted in the city, so if you have a car you will need to park outside of the city. Once you are in Venice, walking or boating are your best options for getting around.
Where to Stay: The three times I have been in Venice, I was on a shoestring budget. On the high school trip, and a subsequent college trip, I stayed in nondescript hotels on The Lido, an island across from the city, traveling into the city by boat. In 2002 backpacking trip with my husband, we stayed in nearby Padua, taking the train into Venice, to save money. Both were acceptable, but when I return I hope to stay in Venice proper. My friends, Harriet and Bob, recently rented an affordable apartment just off Campo San Polo, which they recommend because the area was central but not mobbed with tourists. If she returns to Venice, Harriet thinks she may stay in Cannareggio, a quiet and pretty neighborhood in the north of Venice with few tourists. For luxury hotels, I have read that the Gritti Palace and Hotel Danieli are fabulous. For that perfect small hotel in the right neighborhood at a fair price...that is always the ultimate question! I wish I knew one off hand, but if that is what you want then check my recommended hotel sources: www.tripadvisor.com, www.karenbrown.com, and www.ricksteves.com.
Piazza San Marco, Venice's most popular square (for people and pigeons)
What to Do: Everyone who travels to Venice stands in the famous Piazza San Marco and feeds the pigeons, and you should, too (at least the standing in the piazza part - the feeding of the pigeons is a personal choice, see above re: the pigeon poop). A gondola ride with a singing gondolier is also obligatory. Harriet loved her peaceful, canalside walks in Cannareggio, and her visit to the Jewish Ghetto. Murano Island is famous for its glass making, if that is your sort of thing. Click here for a Condé Nast Traveler article describing the author's favorite islands surrounding Venice.
Where to Eat: Harriet loved her meal of octopus salad, seabass ravioli and cuttlefish pasta at Birraria La Corte in Campo San Polo. Click here for a menu, which may be enough inspiration to plan your trip to Venice right now!