Is Venice really dirty?
 

We are planning to go to Italy in May 2015. We had friends over the other night, and the wife said that she didn't think Venice was really worth spending time in because it was quite dirty, like dead cats floating in the water, etc.

Do you agree? Disagree?

you have stupid friends . . .

janisj is right.

For years I didn't visit Venice because I thought it would be so crowded with tourists that I wouldn't enjoy it.

When I finally did visit, I was stunned by its beauty.

Think about your friend's comment. How many dead cats did your friend actually see on separate occasions? Or did one dead cat color the entire visit?

my guess is the 'friend' has never actually <i>been</i> to Venice . . .

It was probably a dead rat anyway.

Like Peg I avoided Venice like the plague.

I visited Italy 26 times before daring to give it a chance.

I dreaded smelly drains, too many tourists and dirty canals.

The acqua coloured sea was close to that in The Bahamas and once you get away from the usual tourist traps the place is actually fairly quiet. We paid 1 euro for an espresso on the side streets after being told that 15E was the going rate on St Marks.

It is a beautiful place!

crazy man, still if you stay away more space for us

I see no reason to doubt what this friend said. The place used to stink, too.

I think Venice is cleaner than it has been when I visited in the past and I'll be there in a week or so.

I never hesitated to visit the place because a lot of other people, just like me, might be there, just as they were in Rome, in Flroence, in Siena, etc., etc.

The <B>real</B>question on this thread is, "Should I use the same measures of whether or not a place is worthwhile as some friend of mine does?" and in this case my answer would be, "No, you should not." Even if you DO see something dead floating by.

I agree it was probably a rat. They can get quite large in Venice, especially if they have died and been in the canals, bloating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiVIkhF6jz8

it wasn't a rat and it wasn't a cat . . . the 'friend' said Venice isn't worth visiting which means she hasn't set foot in the place.

Now, not <i>everyone</i> who visits Venice falls in love w/ it . . . But who with half a brain said it isn't 'worth' visiting.

JanisJ, perhaps you should ask the OP about the friend and whether or not they actually went to Venice rather than assuming that something is or is not true. There have been far, FAR more outrageous things "said" on here and I will not embarrass anyone by posting a particular citation, OK?

OK - then I'll stick to my first post.

If she has been to Venice - she's stupid to say something like that. If she hasn't - same-o, same-o since she has nothing to base it on but urban myths.

She had actually been to Venice janisj. It was a long time ago, but since she's traveled a lot, I was half inclined to trust her. However, since it has been a long time, that's why I posted the question here. Glad to hear it's not really like that.

That well might have been true at one time. By that standard you should avoid Pairs as well. Many years ago we had tied our boat to the quai near the Pont Alexander III and were having friends join us for dinner aboard. As my practice wife was cooking I kept getting whiffs of something not right. Knowing it could not be her cooking I excused myself from our guests and found a very, very dead goat wedged between the quai and our hull.

A bit of mooring line adjustment and a few pokes with a boat hook made the problem move on downstream, and a bit more wine made the meal a success.

Things are a lot cleaner on the Seine, now, and you can expect the same of Venice. If by chance (Quel Horreur) you should happen to glimpse something unpleasant in a canal I am sure there is a lot of wine in Venice to dull the memory.

Some people confuse places that are old with being dirty. Of course the buildings have water marks and algae on them since they are on the water. This doesn't make the city dirty. The buildings are clean because there are no cars to make them sooty; there is no litter blowing along the streets.

I see dead animals on the road all the time. That doesn't make my town dirty.

I strongly encourage to visit Venice and make your own decision. It's a fabulous city.

Yes, there are dead cats floating in the canals - - do NOT go to Venice.

EVERYBODY - - PLEASE - - STOP going to Venice. (I want it for myself.)

Dead rats too.

Yes please don't go to Venice. It's old, dirty, smelly and overpriced. And there are dead cats everywhere not just the canals. And thanks to their patisseries I now have to get my stomach stapled. Please spread this advice. Nope, I'm never going back, that's for sure ;)

We were in Venice for the first time last August and while I would never characterize this magnificent city as dirty, we did notice the litter and overflowing garbage cans at Piazza San Marco.

Some people don't seem to "get" Venice. That is OK as it means it will be a bit less crowded the next time I visit.