Tiff

Greetings,

First thank you, all of you have been of great assistance in providing us info on Florence accomodations, as with this visit we decided to stay closer to city center rather than on the outskirts, it has been very helpful!

We have decided to possibly add a 3 day visit to Venice to our itinerary, if you would care to share what you love about Venice, how it spoke to you, it may help us from the undecided column into making a final decision.

Many thanks, and happy travels, T.

almesq

We were in Italy last September for the first time, and spent 4 days each in Rome and Venice. I really loved Rome and everything we saw and did there, but there was just something about Venice that was special. It really is like no other place on earth, and just walking the passages seeing what is around the next turn, and actually seeing all the canals was an experience I will never forget. We found a great hotel on the grand canal and had a room right on the grand canal with a balcony. Waking up every morning and going onto the balcony, looking at the water and the boats go by was great. It's a fascinating place and I highly recommend it. We did not plan as much there as we did in Rome, and spent a lot of time just wandering around. Piazza San Marco, the Doge's Palace, Rialto were great, but it was a lot of fun just walking from one place to the next and seeing what was around the next bend. Sitting in the Cafe Florian in Piazza San Marco eating sandwiches and watching everyone go by was one of the great things we have done. Go, you won't be sorry.

Patrick

#1: No cars and NO MOTORCYCLES.

#2: Canals as streets

#3: Faded, crumbling, slanting buildings, sinking, needs painting
(yes, I found those to be positives in terms of "atmosphere&quot.

#4: Evenings in San Marco Square.

#5: Tiny little winding streets that you can't help but get lost in as you go over dozens of tiny bridges.

Tiff

Almesq and Patrick, thank you, ahhhhhhh but for moment I was there! Hee.

Dreamer2

Two years ago we went from Milan, to Venice, to Florence. The highlight for me was definitely Venice; it is just so unique and mysterious! Stepping off the train in Florence was actually jarring - the traffic, the noise, the pace. Venice was definitely the most romantic of the three, and I think your body takes on a different rhythm being surrounded by water. In my experience, towns without cars (Venice, Zermatt, etc) make for a much more relaxing environment.

donco

We went from Rome to Florence to Venice-noisiest to the most serene. No cars! Misty mornings with gorgeous buildings seemingly arising out of the water. How dreamy! Architecture and art of incredible quality. Walks through winding ways and meeting someone in Carnevale outfit. It wass easy to imagine Venice in the 14th century. Suspend reality and go and fall in love with La Serenissima.

mamc

I love Italy and we try to return every two or three years. When I think of Italy, Venice is the picture that immediately comes to mind. It is beautiful. It is unique. On my list of wonderful travel experiences, arriving in Venice on a beautiful sunny morning and seeing the Grand Canal for the first time in 10 years is way at the top.
We are returning to Italy for the first time in three years this fall. We're not going to Venice and I keep wondering why. Go; you will love Venice.

ira

Hi Tiff,

Venice is called "La Serenissima" for good reasons.

Enter "Venice" at www.google.com and click on "images".

aj

Two words -- mystery and history! The city is full of it! Just look around every corner and over every bridge. Only see St. Marks Sq. very early in the morning or very late in the evening! Don't miss this wonderful city!

Bailey

www.pbase.com/baileyzim/venice_after_dark

jcasale

Venice is magical!!!! And romantic. I have so many wonderful memories of wandering around the narrow streets (and getting lost!) and sitting at a sidewalk cafe with a glass of wine (Ok, so it was a bottle, but we shared it). The best memory that would explain the magic is that we were finally finding our way back to St. Marks Square when we heard singing. We came to a bridge and there was a group of 20-somethings who were singing Italian opera acapella! I have no idea who they were or what they were singing, but it was incredible to stand there in the middle of Venice and listen to their beautiful voices. After about 10 minutes they were done and went off arm in arm laughing and talking. What a wonderful experience!

ssachida

Why I love Venice:
Quiet campos with murals on the walls; Noisy campos with children splashing in the water from a fountain; narrow calles overlooked by windows with lushly flowering plants; dark, glistening canals with a pretty bridge over it; a gondola gliding noiselessly carrying the gondolier back home after a busy day; a gondola with a romantic couple in it a gondolier singing lustily; the most magnificent churches at every other corner; a streetside shrine that is no less revered; the vibrant and gaudy rialto; the unequalled grandeur of Scuola di San Rocco; the elegance and majesty of the Frari; the magic of Piazza San Marco at dawn; the seduction of piazza san marco at night; the romance of an intricately worked water spout that no one seems to have enjoyed but you. Venice gaurds her treasures but is still generous all at once. You have to seek out the pleasures, but when you find them, the abundance and opulence of the delights will stay in your heart and mind for ever more.
Rome is a good friend, Florence a mentor and Venice a lover.

SandyD1

Hello,
I love Venice because when I recall my travels there, it always inspires warm feelings as opposed to just remembering what I did. I think of the chill in the air before ducking into a little osteria to warm up with plate of risotto. I think of the smells and sights of fresh baked bread at the outdoor market. Unlike other places where you visit museums and sites, Venice itself with its people, is the site. I remember being up early one morning watching the city come to life as locals headed off to school and work. I loved the fact you can get lost in the city, only to turn a corner and find something completely unexpected and exnchanting. I found the city so relaxing after traveling through Italy. Of all the places I have been, there really isn't a place like Venice. I think Venice should be seen once, and have have taken first timers there many a time, and none of them were ever disappointed

Tiff

I had posted a thank you to everyone but it zapped me out, and now it appears it is lost forever.

Luckily, I copied it before I was zapped, so I will try it again.

Forgive if it appears twice.

Author: Tiff
Date: 04/19/2005, 12:36 pm
Thank you to everyone. We have greatly enjoyed your responses. What vivid descriptions, simply enchanting!

To Bailey: Bellissimo! (the "door" was a personal fav)

Dreamer: I concur with your take on water.

Donco: Absolutely. To experience a place as though you were not in this century, fantastic!

Jcasale: Is it noon here yet???? Your post made me want to open a bottle here!

Ssachida: Your beautiful words, my heavens.
"Venice guards her treasures but is still generous all at once." I felt the same while reading your words and seeing Bailey's pictures.

Captivated.

One thing I forgot to mention, though some of you may remember from one of my Florence posts, it would be a January visit. I know it is about 10 degrees cooler in Venice compared to Florence. Chilly, has a mysterious, romantic feel to it, right???????? Hee.

Shane

As much of Venice's trade was with the east, many of it's churches and government buildings reflect that Byzantine oriental look. That fascinates me as Byzantium is a world long, long gone. What else? The canals. The winding streets. The lack of cars. The tiny courtyards. The little, family-run restaurants.

althom1122

Venice is what Disney World would like to be - TRULY magical.
Karen

Treesa

I love Venice because it remains constant, it never changes. I first visited with my Mother when I was a child, then I went by myself in my twenties, once again with my husband in my thirties, a couple of times by myself and then with my significant other in my middle age (late, late middle age). It's some sort of a travel in time experience for me. I'd love to rent a small flat and become a temporary local for 2 - 3 months. (Naturally off season).

Tiff

Treesa, were you ever there in January?
Thx~T.

vcl

The bus is a boat.
The police car is a boat.
Even the garbage truck is a boat.
Venice just isn't like any place else in the world. I enjoy Rome. I appreciate Florence. But Venice is the city of my dreams.
By the way, for a fascinating take on Venice, read Donna Leon's mystery novels set in the city.

Treesa

Hi, Tiff: No, never in January. Spring, summer and fall.