Woman Traveling Alone in Venice

Old Aug 21st, 2006, 10:09 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Woman Traveling Alone in Venice

Hello -

I will be in Venice for two days in September, staying at the Metropole (Riva degli Schiavoni 4149).

I will be traveling alone for this (short) segment of my first trip to Italy. I would appreciate any tips or suggestions about walking around alone and dining alone in Venice.

Are there any areas I should avoid?

Has anyone had a pleasant experience dining alone somewhere in Venice?

Anything else?

Many thanks.
ms_lb is offline  
Old Aug 21st, 2006, 10:41 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,748
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The Metropole is a very nice hotel. I think that you are generally safe in Venice as it is so well touristed. It is unlikely that you will wander into any deserted and dangerous areas.

One think I did once while alone in Venice was to take an "Islands of the Lagoon" tour. Very nice.
tuscanlifeedit is offline  
Old Aug 21st, 2006, 10:54 AM
  #3  
LJ
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,759
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I "did" Venice on my own a couple of years ago. Three things that made the trip memorable for me:

1) I thoroughly enjoyed the vaporetto trips and the people watching and chatting opportunites they afforded me-buy a day pass and tour according to your own wishes

2) The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a marvel, not only for its artistic merits but for the glimpses into the personal life of a fascinating woman-now there was a woman who did solo in style!

3) It may sound odd to go to Venice and not eat Italian food but the most comfortable solo dining experience I had was at Gam Gam's, an Israeli-Italian kosher restaurant in the Jewish ghetto-it was extremely welcoming to a woman alone (I am not Jewish, just liked the food and cozy atmosphere)

Have a wonderful trip!
LJ is offline  
Old Aug 21st, 2006, 11:09 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
ms_lb...I traveled in Venice alone earlier this year. I had two wonderful restaurant experiences on my own. I pulled this from my trip report for you:

Somewhere in my research, here or elsewhere, I’d read about Trattoria Vino da Arturo, and it really appealed to me, so I headed there (Calle degli Assassini) for dinner. It was tough to find, I must have passed it a few times before I realized where I was, but this was a great meal. An older gentleman owned and ran the front of the house. He seemed gruff at first but I got him talking in my limited Italian and told him he was talked about kindly on the internet. He told me that the restaurant has been around for over 30 years and the locals love it. The tourists come for seafood and to sit outside, neither of which he offers. But I had spaghetti gorgonzola for the starter and a scallopine limone as the main plate and it was tremendous. This was the best pasta I’d had since Tuscany last year. There was just enough gorgonzola on it and it wasn’t overpowering. And the veal just melted in your mouth. An excellent choice and a friendly chat made this a meal worth remembering. It was 49E for that and a liter of water.

Some folks from Philadelphia were talking to me this morning about a place they’d had dinner the night before and gave me the name but no location. Oddly enough, I was flipping through Rick Steves’ book and found a restaurant with the same name, La Rivetta. So I headed in that direction and found it pretty easily. It is nearly tucked under a bridge, so easy to miss. But when I walked in and a table of local men were sipping grappa, I knew I’d hit something. Then the gondoliers came in, so this had to be well recommended. Well, the three gentlemen who were running the front of the house, the cicchetti bar and the chef himself all took exquisite care of me. They kept trying to feed me more (too thin, they say!) and they allowed me to participate in their debate on bad pasta in America, allowing me that only Barilla is worthy outside of Italy. But the meal was good as well. I had gnocchi with marinara sauce and veal done Milanese style, that is lightly breaded and fried with a squeeze of lemon. This was really excellent. I could have stayed for dessert but the place was nearly packed and I surrendered my table to yet another pair of gondoliers. The meal was 24E with water. Address: Trattoria alla Rivetta "Just behind St. Mark's Basilica at the Ponte San Provolo Bridge between Campo SS Filippo e Giacomo and Campo S. Provolo"

Other than that, I recommend just walking and walking and walking. I followed Rick Steves walking tours a couple times, but then broke out on my own and strolled. I never found a section unsavory or felt unsafe. I also took the vaporetto extensively and never had a problem, day or night. You'll be fine and have a wonderful time as long as you're not hesitant to explore and get lost, because you'll certainly get lost in the twisting streets of Venice! Have fun!
amyb is online now  
Old Aug 22nd, 2006, 08:04 AM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you, tuscanlifeedit, LJ, and amyb, for sharing your experiences and for your advice.
ms_lb is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Markaphx
Europe
15
Sep 15th, 2013 11:47 AM
Diz01
Europe
17
Jan 10th, 2006 10:35 AM
Nikki
Europe
16
Apr 5th, 2004 06:15 AM
talin
Europe
6
Jan 8th, 2003 12:14 PM
Ann
Europe
15
Sep 28th, 2002 05:34 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -