Glad your trip home was straightforward.

I followed this trip report as it was written, but will enjoy it again now as I search it for ideas--just booked 8 nights in Venice for March.

Ann, we plan on arriving in Verona on Saturday 9th Feb 2013, then go to Venice on Tuesday Tuesday 12 Feb for the last day of Carnival. About nine weeks in Venice, and back to Melbourne on 12th Paril 2013.

Long range planning...

Peter_S_Aus: Did you ever use the Venice Link service?

Narnya, yes, we did use it. We booked a shared water taxi through their web site, and it worked really well.

Arrive at Marco Polo, collect bags etc.

Go to the Shared Water Taxi booth in the arrivals hall.

Exchange printed copy of voucher for a docket, with booth attendant who spoke good English. She was expecting us.

Wait for 10 minutes or so for another two couples to arrive.

Stroll as a group down to the water taxi terminal, ask for Mike, and the docket had his water taxi number on it. It is a seven minute walk to the taxi terminal, and we used an airport baggage trolley to haul our stuff, even though we had wheeled bags. To get an airport trolley, you need a one euro coin too unlock the trolley, like in a supermarket. Leave trolley at water taxi dock, and retrieve your euro.

Embark. The whole process was really simple, fun too.

The web site that we booked through:
http://www.venicelink.com/index.php?...1&lang=english

We did not use the shared water taxi on our departure, and I’ve read of people having problems with the service when doing Venice to Marco Polo.

sounds like a nice plan - your 2013 trip i mean. will you stay in the same apartment, or try somewhere new?

it may seem like a silly question, but can I ask what pulls you back to Venice, rather than trying a new long-stay city, like, say, Rome?

Ann, I’m glad to hear the news that your son is OK. I was able to keep track of my daughter when she travelled in Europe by looking at the location of ATM and Visa transactions, as I could access her bank accounts. “Ah, she was in Barcelona three days ago, and now it seems that she’s in Madrid.” While mobile phones get lost and email is not accessed; the old journalist adage of “follow the money” works well.

Particularly with young people, and their insatiable need for cash.

Venice. Perhaps we’re just too lazy to find a place that we like so much. I think that Venice is more different than any place that we’ve ever visited, and there’s still more to see. We live very close to the centre of Melbourne – about a fifteen minute walk to downtown - so being in a place where there is no traffic and you walk everywhere is great for us.

We’ve visited Rome several times, and done the conventional sight seeing, Forum, Coliseum, Vatican, Palatine hill, and probably not really scratched the surface of Rome. Rome is a good place for us to spend three or four nights at a stretch, and then the pressure and haste starts to get to us.

We’re still discovering things to see in Venice, walking through any door that seems to be remotely open, and occasionally being chucked out when the open door is, well, not really open. And next trip, I want to hire a small boat, explore the marshes and wetlands that we’ve seen out the back of Torcello, viewed only from the departing aircraft, and thread my way up the canal that runs under the sacristy of San Stefano. I want to have a look inside the Olivetti showroom in San Marco as I’m a bit hooked on Scarpa’s architecture, which is providing a different thread or trail to drag me around Venice. We’ll probably take more trips out of Venice too. We’ll certainly visit Verona, and Possagno to see the Canova museum would be on the agenda (Scarpa did the museum, Canova the plaster casts in it, so it’s doubly attractive). Florence for two or three days, as we were both sick last time we visited, so did not do Florence justice.

We will stay in the same apartment. The apartment is comfortable, and there’s also comfort in staying in the same place, knowing that it’s Alilaguna, No 1 vaporetto, alight at Ca’ Rezzonico and 100 yards with no bridges and we’re there. The apartment is light, a good place for Lou’s easel, and I’ve repaired the light fitting that failed while we were there a month ago. It’s all too easy, and not all that expensive. The kitchen works well, and the hot water service has recently been replaced. In April, we’d expect to be able to eat on the terrace, and that would be a new experience.

Peter, has Annamaria not said anything to you about selling the house ? When I tried to book the flat again for this June she said June was difficult as she wanted to arrange work to be done then and had friends/family wanting to stay then too. When I went back and said maybe another time, she said her siblings want to sell the house so it may not be for rent after this year. But maybe she just didn't want us back !?

So I rented this other flat, close by on the Rio San Trovaso - ground floor though so no good for the winter - http://www.trulyveniceapartments.com...ment.jsp?id=76. It's a bit more expensive but cheaper than many.

We always just get the Alilaguna to & from Zattere - 1 bridge on the way back from Calle Lunga but no changing required.

Peter - I understand your feelings about Venice. I've not spent anything like as long there as you have, but I feel its pull. but for me Rome is THE place. inexplicably I put off going there until I was about 50. I find it endlessly fascinating and exciting - a little like how I felt about London when i started working there over 30 years ago.

Sadly for me, DH does not feel the same. he DOES love Venice, so I am hoping sometime soon to persuade him that we might split our time between the two, if we can wangle some longer holiday time. so i will keep reading your threads with huge interest and not a little envy.

ps - thanks for the kind words re DS. He loved Venice too!

Hi Peter. We are off to Venice again in 9 days and can't wait ! I have a question for you on the Carta Venezia, if you don't mind. Last time we only bought 'carnets' of the cheaper tickets, valid on water only. What did you do when you got buses on the Lido etc ? Did you buy a carnet of land+water tickets & take the hit on using them just for vaporetto journeys too ? Or did you just buy single bus tickets from nearby shops etc ? Thanks very much and regards, Caroline.

Hi Caroline,
the "Residents Card" which we bought covers both vaporettos and the land buses. You just swipe the card as you get onto the bus.

Too easy.

Enjoy Venice!!

When you load trips onto the card, they should ask if you want it for just vaporetto travel and/or bus. I found out the hard way .. I only asked for vaporetto, and had to buy tickets for the few bus trips I did.

The same thing happened to a friend who was with me.

Hi both and thanks. Peter, my reading of the ACTV site is that you need different, more expensive tickets to use the bus, as Yvonne seems to confirm.

TARIFFA CARTAVENEZIA...
1,20 € - CORSA SEMPLICE NAVIGAZIONE...
1,80 € - BIGLIETTO BUS+NAVE...
10,50 € - CARNET 10 CORSE NAVIGAZIONE...
16,00 € - CARNET 10 CORSE BUS+NAVE

(http://www.actv.it/muoversiavenezia/tariffeinvigore)

We only bought the cheaper carnets last time as we didn't plan to get any buses, but I quite fancy going down to Pellestrina this time. I think it seems as though buying single bus tickets on top of the cheaper carnet will be the way to go.

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