Tim

Part 1: <BR>It was 3:20 AM. <BR> <BR>We were sound asleep in our hotel room in Venice. Suddenly a loud boom thundered through our room. I must have jumped 2 feet into the air from a flat position (from observing my older brother's experimentation with rocket fuel and gun powder as a kid, I knew instantly what it was, but it was the "why" that had me puzzled). The deep deafening sound was followed by the high-pitched tinkling of glass falling onto the streets below. Three different alarms could be heard ringing, two quite close, one distant. I went to the window to look out. No one was out there. I was quite bothered why our neighbors weren't looking out their windows. Didn't they hear it? <BR> <BR>My daugher Julie went downstairs, still half asleep, to find a quite shaken up night clerk. Soon the people in our hotel gathered in the lobby to speculate. <BR> <BR> "Was it an earthquake?" <BR> "No way!" us tourists from California exclaimed with confidence. "That was no earthquake!" <BR> "Maybe some gas line exploded?" someone suggested. <BR> "Anyone know if our hotel is on fire?" another asked. <BR> "Fire? Did you say our hotel was on fire?" asked a distance voice. <BR> "No I was asking if it was on fire...do you smell smoke?" <BR> "Smoke?", said another voice, "hey someone says they smell smoke, should we evacuate the building?" <BR> "Careful, there's a lot of glass out there," said a dad to his daughter who was wearing sandals. <BR> <BR> It's hard enough to think clearly at 3:20AM with out being jarred awake suddenly, so actually I think the guests were coping quite well. Our night clerk however, became even more shaken as the crowd of guests grew. She wanted everyone to just be quiet. I didn't blame her. <BR> <BR>

Tim

Part 2. <BR> <BR>Eventually most of us made it out to the street. We could see two fire men running around with flash lights looking into the nearby dark corners and doorways that are typical of Venice. By then we all agreed that it was a bomb and that our hotel was not on fire. We could see that our hotel had many broken windows, but the building across from our hotel had more damage. Finally a few police people came and set up a small barricade. They had no answers and they made no attempt to evacuate the area. After another hour, we went back to bed. Julie amended an earlier statement she made about Venice: "Well, it is ALMOST perfect." <BR> <BR> In the morning the small group of police had grown to about 10 or so, only slightly out numbered by the TV news cameras and reporters. Apparently this does not happen in Venice. Naples yes, Venice no. We set out for our day of sightseeing, without knowing exactly what had happened the night before. We noted a lot more police scattered around Venice than the previous day. <BR> <BR> When we arrived home that evening, the police presence had grown to 30 or more. They had riot shields. There was a small group of protesters in the small square that stood between our hotel and the other building. The fruit stand in the middle was selling fruit, business as usual. <BR> <BR>We casually asked the clerk for an update. <BR> <BR> "Last night a 9 kilogram bomb of plastic explosives was detonated at the court house across from our hotel. The bomber timed it for the early hours so that no one would be hurt. This is only the second bomb that has gone of in Venice in recent history." <BR> <BR> When we checked out the next day, the same clerk took 10% off our bill. <BR> <BR> Later during our trip we read that at least 26 different groups claimed responsibility for the bomb. <BR>

s.fowler

WOW! What a story <BR>I enjoyed the way you expressed how rumors start And I'm very glad that you are all safe!

Deb

Tim, <BR>May I please ask how long ago this happened ? What was the date ?? Thanks.

bb

I'll be in Venice in a few weeks...Just for my own information, where is the courthouse?

Tim

The early morning of August 8th. <BR> <BR>By the way, I'd like to add that this in no way put us off to Venice. We would go back again, even to the same hotel, eagerly. (After I catch up from my missing sleep....Every hotel we stayed at in Italy, there was some Itailian guy in the streets yelling at 2 or 3 am in the morning...) <BR>

xxx

What was the name of your hotel?? LOL at your humorous description of a potentially dangerous situation.

Tim

We stayed at a Rick Steve's recommended place. It was cheaper than most hotels in Venice. Probaly a 1 or 2 star. Thats all we stayed at during our trip. No 3 stars. <BR> <BR>Hotel Guerrato. Its a 700 year old building and withstands bomb blasts very well. Please do not avoid it because of my story. This was an extremely rare event in Venice. Hotel Guerrato is a nice place and the people were very friendly and helpful. <BR> <BR>A Quad was 310 Lire a night. Nice big breakfast included. <BR>No A/C. No TV. But we didnt need those. <BR> <BR>It was a few streets away from the Rialto bridge. <BR>When you get off the vaporetto, turn left and cross Rialto bridge.Walk straight ahead 60 mt. thru the market and past the Banca di Roma bank and the t-shirt shop Nevada, turn right and you will see the sign of the Hotel at the end of the alley. I believe the alley previous to this is the back side of the court house. <BR> <BR> <BR>

StCirq

Four years ago in one of the main towns on Lago di Garda (Limone?), I was in a gelateria (of course) with my two kids. Husband was off trying to locate a parking place. We walked out of the gelateria licking our cones and BOOM!!!!! a MAJOR noise shook the entire town square. People started running in every direction. Tour groups with their umbrella-laden guides were scattering like ants all over the piazza. People ducked for cover wherever they could, but most couldn't decide which way to go. It was bedlam. I grabbed the kids and pulled them back inside the gelateria, and within moments the carabinieri arrived with sirens blaring and lights flashing. "Autobomba! Autobomba!" people around us were saying to each other. WOW! Car bomb! <BR>Indeed, someone had bombed a car that was sitting in the middle of the piazza. Twenty minutes later, when lots more carabinieri had arrived and cordoned off the area with the burned-out car, and the crowds had vanished (funny how a bomb will do that to a town), my husband came strolling along, wit no clue what had transpired. When we told him what had just happened, he turned whiter than we had when the bomb went off. <BR>Sometimes we forget that places we think of as pretty innocuous can have terrible things happen. And that life can change in an instant. <BR>

Book Chick

Tim, <BR>I'm so glad you & your family are fine & you took everything in stride as an adventure with your vacation. <BR> <BR>StCirq, you are so right! When attending school, I lived in Sesto Fiorentino & commuted into Florence by bus. One day I was almost all the way into town (2nd stop from Santa Maria Novella) when a policeman boarded the bus at the stop & announced there'd been a bomb threat & everyone had to get off the bus immediately. I'm telling you, I never saw so many Italians move so quickly in all my life. Then one day I was meeting my gal pal housemates after school at Santa Maria Novella to hop a bus home & while waiting, we noticed several policeman board an empty bus & begin looking everywhere. One of the my pals said "what are they looking for?" & I replied with my usual sarcasm "I don't think it's a lost contact lens!" <BR>BC

Kavey

Goodness, this takes me back to Istanbul (1999 I think)... <BR> <BR>We were visiting over Easter when the city is crowded (there is an islamic festival or event which happens at the same time as Easter). <BR> <BR>We sat in a restaurant when a very loud boom shattered the windows and made my jump out of my skin. I asked what it was in a bit of a tizz, but my husband calmly continued drinking his coffee as he replied, "Bomb". <BR> <BR>It went off right outside our restaurant, only yards away but was a small home made bomb, no one killed though a few men standing near the tiny open grass area were injured. <BR> <BR>Our waiter, who we had chatted with over a few visits, was very shaken, this was the first day in over 3 months he hadnt taken his coffee break on that patch of grass at that exact time of day... <BR> <BR>St Cirq, you are right, life can change in an instant. <BR> <BR>Living in London, where IRA activity can be a worry, I have alwaysbeen aware of the threat of bombs although I have not let it change my lifestyle. <BR> <BR>Ironic that the bomb I experienced happened not where I live (North Finchley has experienced at least 2 bombs in last 10 years) but on holiday

Julie

Tim, How bizarre! I was so glad to hear that no one was harmed. As a previous guest at the Hotel Guerrato (1998 and 2000) I was distressed to hear that this was where you were staying when this occurred. I like your attitude about not being put off to stay at this lovely pensione in the future. Both times I stayed at the Guerrato I was very pleased with the staff, service, rooms and location. Guess this has made a great vacation story to re-tell over the years!

Sjoerd

TROLL alert. <BR>"A Quad was 310 Lire a night. Nice big breakfast included" Yeah, right!

s.fowler

I don't think so Sjoerd -- 310,000 can easily turn into 310 by mistake. We Americans find those 000s very confusing And 310,000 is about the right price for a hotel like that in Venice. I'd say it was an honest mistake. Also, in fact this bomb blast DID occur -- I remember reading the report on the BBC website at the time.

Tim

Yes, sorry, it was 310,000!<BR><BR>I guess the next time I go back I wont have to worry about all those zeros!<BR><BR>Tim

Ronda

Isn't Italy on the Euro yet? How does 310,000 translate to dollars or euros?<BR><BR>Thanks.

ryan

Tim,<BR>If in fact you are Tim, just curious why did you finally respond now to a post that seemingly ended over a year ago? <BR><BR>Note the date on the original post. As I was just in Venice and hadn't heard about this, I did a search. Speculation at the time was that the device may have been planted in anticipation of a visit by the Italian PM. However, several witnesses smelled a gas leak just prior.<BR><BR>Just wondering, does anyone know the outcome of the investigation into this incident?

Ira

A Euro is about 2000 lire.

Tim

Hi Ryan, yeah it was a year and a half ago. I was just showing a co-worker the fodors site and did a search in the ID. I had not read a lot of the comments people left becuase I could no longer find the post...A problem I have here on fodors....<BR><BR>Anyway no I never did find out what that was all about. But I sure would like to go back. We loved Venice.