Stupid Question Time in Venice!!!
 

Forgive me but this is really important. If I am going to a cathedral by canal, that appears on the map to be about a mile from St Marks Square, is that too long a trip for a Gondola and should a water taxi be considered?

Well, it sounds like a troll question, but I'll allow as how you are simply inexperienced.

There really is no such thing as gondola transport from point to point. Dondola rides are like the horse and buggy rides around Central Park and various other cities. You return to the same place you embarked.

Best wishes,

Rex

To go to a cathedral about a mile from St. Marks; the best way would be simply to walk. I don;t know if vaporetto would make sense - it depends on the exact locations of the cathedral and vaporetto stops. You can always do water taxi - but they're very expensive - and IMHO not necessary for such a short walk.

Hi shrink,

Rex is right. Gondola's are not taxicabs.

Rex you are correct -- it is inexperience. What is a vaporetto? Any suggestions on how to get a wedding party of 8 from St Marks square to the church (Pilazzo Zenobio). From the scale on a map it appears to be about a mile. Walking at 4 in the afternoon on July 11th seems not to be an option. Help -
Shrink

Hey Rex--this socialworker is as inexperienced as the shrink in one respect--I have no clue what a "troll" is. I do however know (or at least think I know that a vaporetto is a water taxi in Venice. Please enlighten me. Thanks!!

From previous reading on this site and elsewhere, but not personal experience, a vaporetto is like a public bus, only on the water.

A water taxi is just what it sounds like.. a private taxi that you call for, and it takes you and your party where you need to go. A vaparetto is more like a public bus. It has a set route, with many stops, you buy a ticket (or multi-day pass), and hop on the one you need. Gondolas are for special, tourist rides. Traghettos are a cross between a gondola and vaparetto.. they are public transport, but look more like gondolas, and are used to cross the Grand Canal where there aren't any bridges.

For a wedding party, it might be worth a splurge on a water taxi!

Hope this helps!

Anne

Hi,

A vaporetto is a water bus that travels a fixed route.
A gondola is a small pleasure boat used for sightseeing.
A traghetto is a gondola used to ferry people between two fixed points across a canal.
A water taxi is a private boat that has no fixed route.
The Alilaguna shuttle (http://www.alilaguna.it/)
plies a fixed route from the airport to various stops in Venice.

A troll is a person who makes a controversial statement in the hopes that others will engage in heated arguement. It comes from the fishing term - trolling.

Hi shrink,

According to their website
http://www.toplevelhotel.com/palazzozenobio/default.asp

"The walking distance from Palazzo Zenobio to San Zaccaria (from which the "vaporetti" to San Servolo depart) is of approximately 25 minutes".

Thanks guys!
This has really cleared up a lot of words I have seen on threads and had no idea of what they meant -- including Troll. Please believe me - it wasn't a troll question. God - I can't believe people really do that - but I guess they do. At any rate Thanks again for the help.
Shrink

For a wedding party absolutely do a water taxi - that's no time to be trekking across town in all your finery.

To ira--thanks for the info. Here I was afraid I was spending way too much time reading and responding to this site. It boggles my mind that there are some others (trolls) who would have the time, inclination and narcissism to bother to try to start arguments!! I am new to the internet world and I guess I should not be surprised, but I am.

Hi Shrink,

If you go to http://www.toplevelhotel.com/palazzozenobio/edove.html

You will see that your hotel is on the other side of the Grand Canal from San Marco.

A water taxi might be a good idea. You might need two.

I didn't respond to this question when it was first posted because I wasn't quite sure what you were asking.

Now that I "get it," I would suggest the water taxi, as well, Shrink.

Shrink, you're making me nervous. Are you trying to arrange an entire wedding in Venice long distance without a wedding coordinator or any help in Venice? This could be a recipe for disaster. If you do have help, they should be able to arrange/advise on transportation.

There's a book called <i>A Thousand Days in Venice</i> by Maria de Blasi which is an autobiographical account of an American woman who meets and marries a Venetian. She describes the bureaucracy of the paperwork (and this is with an <i>Italian</i> groom) that is hair raising.

I also have a vague recollection that she mentioned some particular custom about the bridal couple's transportation. I think it was a gondola ride maybe <i>after</i> the ceremony down the Grand Canal. (It's true a gondola is not typically point to point transportation but in the case of a wedding, anything goes and I think a gondola would be appropriate, at least for the bridal couple.)

Depending on how the bridal couple will get to the ceremony and whether they will travel together or separately, you might consider a series of gondolas for the guests. Otherwise a water taxi (although they usually only accomodate up to 6 I think) sounds fine.

You can take a gondola from point to point - a gondolier will take you anywhere in Venice, it will just cost you a bit more than the &quot;tourist&quot; route would. Go up to any gondolier and show him where you are going on the map, and he will tell you how much it will cost. It would be very romantic to get to a wedding site this way. I say, splurge on the gondola!

Venetians who are getting married often get to the church in a gondola decorated with flowers. If you have a planner assisting you in Venice, you might ask about decorated gondolas.

Ah yes, rialtogirl has reminded me. The bride goes to the church in a flower bedecked gondola (perhaps with Father???) and then the newly married couple leave the ceremony in that gondola together. Have a look here

http://www.wedding-in-venice.com/Immagini/gondola.jpg

Another Venetian tradition is the &quot;wedding walk&quot; thru St. Marks Piazza after the marriage is sealed. That's what we did after disembarking the gondola for our vow renewal.

Also, green is considered good luck for marriage in Venice. Therefore, a gondola with green decor is a good idea for a wedding.

This &quot;Pilazzo Zenobio&quot; (sic) has morphed from a cathedral to a church to a hotel that is said to have a chapel. I'm not really clear on where you want to end up, but I would discourage walking as you are very likely to get lost. Similarly, if you are in fact talking about the hotel, it involves some walking from the vaporetto stop, and there is a possibility that you would be on the wrong vaporetto and/or get lost walking, so I would suggest either hiring gondolas or water taxis (I think gondolas and most water taxis would be overcrowded with eight) either of which will be expensive. Probably the best solution, if you are staying at that hotel, would be to have the hotel arrange your transport.