I’ve got ambivalent feelings about Venezia, Italy. I really love the concept of living with water, of having a city in a laguna. I like the idea to travel by boat instead of a bus. I appreciate standing at places with water masses surrounding me. But most times of the year Venezia is simply overcrowded and the city feels much to artificial. That is why I tend to go there in autumn and winter times when – apart from San Marco – you also have the possibility to roam through nearly empty streets.
A visit typically starts and ends at the Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia, the railway station. Travelling by train in Italy is pretty cheap and therefore I tried the really wonderful Frecciabianca (“white arrow”) train which also includes a glass of red wine served at the seat. 🙂 From Ferrovia I travelled by Vaporetto to Ca’ d’Oro – the most beautiful house at the Canal Grande and walked some meters to the church Santi Giovanni e Paolo and back to Rialto; but the magnificent bridge was covered because of restoration works.
Therefore I continued to San Marco where the Basilica was closed due to an anniversary but I enjoyed plenty of time at the Palazzo Ducale (including a walk over the Ponte dei Sospiri to the old prison and the Museo Correr – both places which I hadn’t seen in the past. I wandered around to find the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo with its fantastic twisted staircase and then switched over to Dorsoduro to visit the Gallerie dell’Academia (full of sacral art) and the Collezione Peggy Guggenheim which is small but a wonderful place to be.
I actually don’t know whether I would enjoy to stay a whole week in Venezia or to get there in summer times – but one day in this city is always worth the trip. And as there are many beautiful places like Verona or the Lago di Garda close-by there is always the possibility for combined trips.
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