Posted on: Sunday, August 12, 2007
Ah, Venice
By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Travel Editor
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Venice is a city of water and flowers. This is a typical rio (a smaller canal, like a side street) with hanging baskets of bright blossoms and moored gondolas.
Photos by BONNIE FRIEDMAN | Special to The Advertiser
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NEXT WEEK
The Biennale di Venezia, a celebration of contemporary art
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SPRITZ IT UP
Homesick for Venice? Here's how to make a spritz, so you can pretend you're there: Spritz alla VenEzia 3 ounces (2 jiggers) prosecco or other dry white sparkling wine1.5 ounces (1 jigger) Campari or Aperol*A splash of sparkling water, club soda or mineral waterGarnish with lemon (if Campari) or orange (if Aperol)In a chilled cocktail glass, combine ingredients. Makes 1 spritz. * Campari is widely available in liquor stores, but Aperol (made from bitter orange juice and herbs) may have to be purchased online.
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In and around Venice, canals are streets, and boats can be shops; here, a Murano produce vendor.
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Venice is famed for its Carnevale, featuring, among other revelry, masked balls. Masks are popular souvenirs found in shops throughout the city.
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Murano is an island city, a center for glass-making. Its canals are busy thoroughfares lined with slim vessels that ferry everything in and out.
Photos by WANDA A. ADAMS | The Honolulu Advertiser
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The 10th-century Campanile, originally a watchtower, dominates the Piazza San Marco. To the right is the Doge's Palace.
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The first time in Venice ...
You must speak of it this way because it's unbearable to think that there won't be a second time.
Gliding into Marco Polo International Airport over the cluster of low-lying islands, I had tears in my eyes — partly because of exhaustion and having had a particularly difficult trip over, but also due to how much this patchwork of green marshes and red and gold buildings and and strips of glistening water called to me.
A few minutes later, having breezed through a very bored customs/security line ("Lay-dee," the customs official said to the woman in front of me, who was trying to bring her entire family through at one time, "One-ah passa-porte, one-ah persons."), I was hugging my friend at the arrivals gate. A short walk to the water taxi stand and then we were flying — these guys drive their speedboats like maniacs — toward a dark smudge on the horizon that soon resolved into shapes (towers and rectangles) and then, amazingly, walls of glowing brick and terra cotta, with laundry hung out the windows and cafes dangling over the water.
We ducked under the first arched bridge and I choked up. Doors with elaborate bronze knockers, statues and beautiful detailing on buildings, casement windows and grillwork passed by us; I think I had shot 100 pictures before we reached our destination: Dorsoduro 316-B, Fondamenta Soranzo on the Rio della Fornace, the Palazzetto da Schio, a multistory structure that dates back to the 1600s and houses several vacation apartments plus the home of our charming landlady, the Contessa da Schio, and her very engaging dog, "Webby."
For nine days, I ate, slept, drank and breathed Venice. It will not be the last time.
GETTING AROUND
Be prepared to walk: There are no cars in Venice. Flat, comfortable walking shoes are a must; my best pre-Venice purchases were a pair of Crocs sandals (not the covered garden shoes but just two straps over a Crocs sole), a pair of sassy little ballet slippers for evening, some ultra-comfortable Keen brand Mary Janes, and my indispensable Merrill slip-ons. (You're supposed to follow the rule of three when packing shoes — no more than three pairs, one of which you wear, but I violated it since my shoes weren't bulky). The upside of all the walking is you actually lose weight and gain fitness even while eating the wonderful food!
An absolute must for Venice: Lightweight wheeled luggage, and preferably only one bag and a small carry-on. Unless you're staying in an exclusive hotel, you'll be wheeling that bag long distances over uneven surfaces and up staircases across arched bridges, and hefting it in and out of various forms of transport. I spent several hundred dollars for a 26-inch, four-wheeled, ultra-lightweight Rimowa hardside at Bag 'n Baggage in Ala Moana Center and never regretted it for a moment. Like a dog, the thing practically walked itself!
And speaking of walking, a note about maps, map scale and getting lost in Venice. Most maps of Venice are scaled in yards: What looks like a long distance may be a five-minute walk. You can walk across the entire city in half a day easily. Buy a good map with a detailed street index.
Venice addresses are expressed only as a number and the sestiere (neighborhood or district; as if your address was 36, Kahala or 10, Liliha); they don't give the street. For example, our apartmente was at Dorsoduro 316-B, but you have to additionally know that it's on the Fondamenta Soranzo on the Rio della Fornace in order to get there. Make sure your hotel or accommodation gives you detailed instructions as to how to get there, even if they're sending a water taxi for you.
To add to the confusion, streets change names within blocks without even a bend in the road to clue you in. Street names are printed on the sides of buildings, not on sign posts. Throughout the city, there are helpful signs that indicate the direction to major landmarks (i.e., Piazza San Marco or Accademia or the Rialto Bridge); you can use these to orient yourself.
You will get lost; don't worry about it; locals are used to helping out lost tourists. Just allow time for it if you're trying to make a dinner reservation or other appointment.
Besides feet, there are four forms of transport in Venice: water taxi, vaporetto (water bus), traghetti (ferries that carry you across a canal) and gondola. Water taxis and gondolas are both hideously expensive. Water taxis, however, have their uses (see below); gondolas are a tourist rip-off along the lines of an outrigger ride at Waikiki. Up to you whether you think the experience and the photograph are worth it. (But if you are going to take a gondola ride, hang around and watch the gondoliers for a while before choosing; some are much more personable than others; some sing or have a funny schtick.)
If you can at all afford it, budget for a water taxi from Marco Polo Airport (which is on the mainland, some distance from the city) into Venice (90 euros plus a 10-euro tip; about $125). Not only is it the quickest and most direct route — a boon when you're exhausted and disoriented — but it's an exciting way to encounter the city for the first time, bouncing over the water, seeing other water taxis fly past you, getting your first glimpses of Venice's water-bound life, slipping into the canal nearest your destination. If you are staying at a high-end hotel, they will have their own water taxi shuttle.
The less-expensive, longer and yet quite doable option is to take Bus. No. 5 from the airport to the vaporetto stop and into town; take the No. 82 and be sure it says " San Marco" (if it doesn't, you will have a much longer roundabout route, though you'll still get to the San Zaccaria stop, which is the one from which you'll transfer to whatever vaporetto you need to get to your destination).
Vaporetto 101: There are vaporetto stations all along the major canals, easily recognized as they're bright yellow and look rather like floating train cars. Graphic signs explain which number vaporetti stop there and where they go. But as a ticket costs at least six euros, they can be pricey. So invest in a VeniceCard, which you can buy online before you leave the U.S. (www.venicecard.it). The cards cover various lengths of time and offer various amenities beyond free vaparetto fare. It's useful to check the site to see if transport is being disrupted by strikes (as it was in mid-July) or the floods that are frequent in fall.
(You can just walk on the vaporetto and get away with it; the attendants don't check tickets. But if an inspector happens to come aboard and you're without a ticket, you will be fined more than $100.)
Understanding Venetian directions. It's helpful to learn these words as they can give you a hint of what you're looking for. Ca' is short for casa and refers to a palazzo or palace. Calle means street. Campo means plaza or open square. Fondamenta is a street or walkway lining a canal. A canale is a large canal, a rio is a side "street" canal. A piascina is a filled-in canal. A sottoportego is an alley.
HERE ARE THINGS YOU REALLY WILL WANT TO DO — AND THINGS YOU SHOULD AVOID
Venice is a complex place, and it's good to do a bit of research before you go there, because navigating its physical and cultural peculiarities can be complicated.
THINGS YOU MUST DO IN VENICE:
Have a spritz (pronounced "spriss"). This is a light, generally inexpensive drink made from the local sparkling wine — prosecco — with mineral water and flavorings — usually Campari (a bone-dry liqueur) or Aperol (rather like orange soda). It's often served with sputini — free snacks, such as nuts and potato chips. A place we enjoyed was in the Rialto, very chic and friendly, called Muro Pizza e Cucina on Campo Cesare Battiste Gia della Bella Vienna (an open plaza or courtyard you pass through on the way to the Rialto farmers market). They've got high stools and tables outside.
Eat standing up. If you sit down in Venice, even in a coffee or wine bar, you will have to pay a cover charge of 2 to 5 euros. Sometimes it's worth it, because you're tired, or intend to linger, but just be aware.
Go to a ciceti bar; a place where you eat small plates of delicious food, usually standing up. Our favorite was Cantinone Gia Schiave on the Fondamento Nani in Dorsoduro. They take your money unsmilingly and obviously don't care anything about customers who aren't local, but the food overrides all that. For one euro per item, you can get bruscetta (toasts layered with delectable ingredients) of 10 to 12 varieties every day from lunch to dinnertime. Bacalhao manticato (salt cod in a rich mayonnaise mixture; a Venetian standard), ricotta with pumpkin, tuna with leeks, shrimp with onion sauce, spicy salami, egg salad with truffles, gorgonzola with balsamic vinegar, Parmesan cheese with figs and orange marmalade. You can't eat better for less. There are no chairs or tables in this narrow bar lined with wines for sale (it's a good place to buy wines at a reasonable price, by the way). We also enjoyed ciceti at Trattoria de Fiore, at 5401 Calle de la Bortegue, where we ate a peschi misto (mixed seafood) of battered and deep-fried fish and shellfish; eggplant filled with cheese, herbs and tomatoes and the inevitable deep-fried fingers of zucchini (it was zucchini season, and we had it in everything).
Begin the day with a caffe. Find a coffee bar near your apartment or hotel and go there daily, greeting the servers with a cheerful "Buon giorno!" We went every day to Bar Da Gino on Calle Nuova di St. Agnese near the Accademia bridge and, by the end of the time I was there, they were greeting us like old friends and setting up my caffe corretto (espresso with a shot of the brandy called grappa) before I even asked. You'll pay about 80 euro cents for an espresso or cappuccino, about two euros for an espresso and a pastry.
Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Tuesdays). This monument to surrealists and cubists and modernists, a palazzo that was the home of the collector and philanthropist who gave it her name, fronts the Grand Canal but is reached by an obscure back street, Venier de Leoni; directions are in all the guidebooks. Unfortunately, when we were there, a horrifically stupid Biennale installation was occupying the main house, and the Guggenheim Collection was crammed into an auxiliary gallery. Still, to be face-to-face with Picassos and Pollocks is a soul-expanding experience. Skip the cafe; it's very pricey.
VENICE: NOT SO NICE THINGS TO KNOW
You know how you feel about tourists? Triple it and add acid. Many Venetians feel this way because many Americans act like idiots when they're traveling: talking loudly, complaining, wearing inappropriate clothes, flouting rules (such as taking pictures in churches), making no effort to speak even the most rudimentary Italian, being impolite and not even having the sensitivity to realize it. Do the rest of us a favor: If you're not willing to be culturally sensitive to a city that hosts 17 million people a year, don't go there.
Learn some Italian before you go. A half-dozen phrases will grease the wheels: buon giorno (good day; used until about 5 p.m.); buona sera (good evening); grazie (thank you); prego (you're welcome); mi dispiace (I'm sorry); permiso (permit me, as when you're trying to get by someone in a crowd); mi scusi (excuse me, as when you're trying to get someone's attention). If you want to go all out, learn verrai (I want) ... so you can ask for something (but then be prepared that they'll answer you in Italian, and you're in big trouble). Learn the days of the week and how to count. Even if you start in Italian and end in English, they will understand you. In commercial settings, English is almost universally spoken. But Italians appreciate your efforts to use their beautiful language.
Be zen about this, because it's a hard one: You will be rooked. In many restaurants, tourists are routinely charged a different price than locals and often get smaller portions of food; you will hear a server put in an order and say "turista." It helps to patronize neighborhood restaurants rather than tourist traps, but accept the reality: Like us, Venetians live in a place that's overrun by visitors and has a murderous cost of living, so they take their revenge as best they can.
Watch out for pickpockets. I was relieved of 100 euros (about $125) in a supermarket and, although I confronted the man (loudly and angrily and in a mixture of Italian and English that must have been hilarious), no one came to my aid, and he gave an Academy Award-worthy performance of innocence. He got away because I didn't know enough Italian to call for the police or a store manager. ALWAYS keep your purse or wallet closed and concealed, never carry more currency than you need. (ATMs are everywhere and offer the best rates of exchange, so there's no need to pack a lot of cash or traveler's checks.)
If you attempt to experience Venice as a respectful temporary resident and not a tourist, you will reap great rewards. Rent an apartment rather than stay in a hotel. Shop in local markets. Go for a daily espresso in the same place each day. Speak as much Italian as you can muster. Ask locals for suggestions as to what to do, where to go, where to eat. You will have a much different experience than most. One problem is that most tourists visit Venice only briefly — a day or so, taking a train up from Rome or wherever and seeing the Piazza San Marco (the armpit of the city, if you ask me) and paying an exorbitant price for a gondola ride. This creates a culture among Venetians of feeling used that in turn has created a culture of ripping off.
Why is all this "cultural sensitivity" important? Because nice counts. Because anything we can do to counteract the (well-deserved) stereotype of the Ugly American is all to the good. Because you might — just might, it's not guaranteed — get to know someone as a human being, and get good advice and have some interesting experiences. Anyone in the tourism industry in Hawai'i can testify that there are times when tourists become people to us, even friends, and it's rewarding on both sides.
YOU MUST SEE PIAZZA SAN MARCO, THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS, THE DOGE'S PALACE AND THE BASILICA DI SAN MARCO
This is the touristy beating heart of Venice, and despite the crowds and the flying rats (pigeons), there are some high points: the barely-to-be-believed mosaics inside of the basilica (but, please DON'T take photos and don't talk loudly; it's a place of worship, not Disneyland); sitting in a cafe on the piazza listening to syrupy big-band music, sipping a prosecco and watching the teeming masses (but it'll cost you); taking pictures of the folks feeding the pigeons and being pigeon-mobbed (even though I disapprove heartily of the whole practice of selling pigeon food to tourists).
MURANO IS A MUST
The island is devoted to glass-making. (Tip: Take the No. 5 vaporetto from San Zaccharia; it makes fewer stops than the No. 41.) Although the prices for glass are hideous, you can see glass being blown, and there is a very enlightening glass museum housed in a historic building, the former home of the bishops of Torcello. There is so very, very much glass — literally streets of shops devoted to every possible thing you can make, from beads to immense statuary — that it can be a bit overwhelming.
What I enjoyed the most was watching the daily life of the place; the stout housewives in their matronly dresses, gossiping as they held their shopping bags over their stomachs; the men wheeling carts of this and that laboriously up the stairs that cross the arched bridges. These people not only live on an island, they live on a more remote island than Venice itself, and everything has to arrive and leave by boat. The canals are constantly busy with long narrow boats that hire out as carters and handle everything from crated glass to funeral wreaths (we saw one go by bedecked with floral memorials). We even saw a boat that served as a produce shop, moored alongside the main "street," loaded with gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables.
Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
