We arrived in Venice from Florence in the evening, looking for cheaper parking than Roma Terminal (which is like 30e/ day), but the lot was empty and there was no obvious way to the bus. We started driving around, looking for options and saw a Hilton Garden Inn, the manager inside said we can park our car there for FREE and it wont get towed, very nice of him!! (Probably a good tip for offseason travel, if the lot is fairly empty, you can just park there and head out)
Venice was a pretty cool place to lay up for a few days, super busy and a lot of people wandering around. My last experience of Venice was the complete opposite, place was a bit dead.
The next day, we did a Gondola ride, with Thomasio, a bottle of local Vino. It was a 40 minute ride around the canals and it was well worth it. We learned a few things 1. Casanova (the original player, circa 1700's) lived in Venice 2. Marco Polo is from Venice as well.
The #1 thing to do in the city per the guide we read, was to get lost in the side streets (as if you will have an option otherwise), I did feel as if though the true magic is OFF the main drag through town, the little bars, restaurants were best off the beaten path. This is the place where I realized that just as I research the towns attractions, I should be researching the local food spots as that is just as much part of the experience as the sights are. Since we waited too long, the few key spots were closed and we had to settle for more Italian food. Interesting thing I learned is the Venetians are more into the Tapas scene and the Italian food is not "Venetian". Nonetheless, the Italian food was amazing and mixed with the local wine delivered for our final Italian destination.
Our last day / night in Venice, there was a bit of rain and in the middle of the night, there was a police boat / siren for 5/10 minutes. When I looked outside (around 3-4a), I noticed the little alley across the street was flooded and the canal we were on overflowed. I had no idea the town floods so quickly and so frequently. Next day on my jog, I was shocked to find that they put out these walkways (you can see in pics below) as the floods happen regularly. (City floods 120~ times per year).
San Marco square after the flood
View from the Top of the tower at San Marco
History synopsis
One more thing I had to look up is the story behind the flooded town. Venice was a very popular trade route (before discovery of the ocean trail) and townspeople built the town around the canals (natural defense system, think moats) they boarded up the canals, put down foundation of wood and rock and built the buildings, because the wood gets no oxygen it doesnt rot nowhere near as fast. The town did sink however, some came from the fact that they used clear water wells and some from rising oceans. They devised a levy system that is supposed to keep the higher tides out (to be completed soon). BC the town floods so often, it spells bad things for the construction there as the moisture travels up the walls.
Couple of quick Venice thoughts:
1. Its good to stay near the Roma Terminal (vs. Saint Marco), its better to get to your place quickly and move around the city after you touch down, rather then drag your crap to the other side of town
2. Research local Tapas joints, I believe thats where the real food is
3. Get lost in the side streets, just start walking away from main streets, you will find charming bars, restaurants that are lively and have a way better atmosphere than the drag strip
Some pictures of our Airbnb overlooking the canal (was definitely a run down spot)
Local shoe repair man, not sure I ever seen one of these
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