All my life I wanted to go to Venice.
As a little girl, looking through my parents National Geographic, I used to clip photos of this magical and mysterious city. The streets were made of water! This exotically subversive idea delighted my 8-year-old brain. The fact that it was sinking added a sense of urgency. For years, Italy, and Venice in particular, were my end-all travel dream.
At 22 I finally made it there, on a weeklong Italy trip tacked on the tale end of my study abroad experience. I was thrilled.
The entire time I was there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t. Nothing seemed real: it looked too exactly like the Venice of the movies or my travel magazines. I felt like I was at Disney World, or maybe in Las Vegas. I’m not sure what that says about my mind, but everything was just a little too Venice-y to be believed.
There were surprises though, like the unexpected brilliance of the Basilica di San Marco with its unique style and glittering mosaics. I’d seen pictures but nothing really does it justice.
The absolute best thing you can do in Venice is to get lost- luckily this is not very hard. The alleys twist and turn you around quite easily, allowing you to stumble across all kinds of surprise.
I visited Venice in chilly December, just a week before Christmas. This was smart because although it was quite cold, we missed the swamps of tourists the descend on Venice in the summertime. The chilling mist gave everything a mysterious and romantic aura.
Out of everything I saw those few days, this picture best encapsulates the dreamy mystery I imagined Venice to be:
So was Venice everything I dreamed? Well no, not really. It was kind of damp and dirty. Lots of tourists and crappy gift shops. It wasn’t my favorite Italian city we saw on that trip, not by a long shot. I wasn’t disappointed though, just glad I’d seen it with my own eyes, and excited to see what else Italy had to offer.
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Hi Steph, I really enjoyed this post having recently been to Venice ourselves and even more recently blogged about it too. My partner, Katherine said she too dreamt about Venice as a little girl, marvelling at the whole concept of it. I’m happy to say she wasn’t disappointed either. It really is very special in spite of the tacky tourist trade. As you say, luckily it is easy to get lost and just as luckily it is equally easy to get away from the touristy areas – there are a bazillion little lanes to explore.
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Italy seems to be a common dream for a lot of people- it’s just so iconic! Venice may be touristy but you are right, it’s still unique.
Good post Steph! I just went to Venice and wrote of a similar experience; minus the childhood dream and plus ten-thousand tourists! The best part of my trip was going with no expectations, allowing myself to get lost and get some of the best photos!
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I bet that Venice in summer is very different from Venice in winter.
So, which was your favourite Italian city?
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That would be Rome (at least so far)… more on that later.
I definitely think you get the most out of Venice when you leave the top attractions and tourists behind and just get lost in the streets. It’s actually surprisingly easy to get away from the crowds.
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Yes, as soon as you slip away from teh major attractions everything becomes remarkably more pleasurable.
My heart jumped for joy when I saw the photos of the San Marco mosaics and the 4 Tetrarchs carved in porphyry
Yeah art history!
That was pretty much my exact reaction on seeing them: “don’t I know you from art history 102?”
I’ve only been to Venice in the summer and love it every time. It’s a lot easier to get lost when there are millions of people around. And all the cafes spilled on to every courtyard?! LOVE IT!
Even the horrible smell. When I get a whiff of sewage here at home, the first thing I think of is, ahh, smells like Venice! And even something horrible can be made good.
It’s so different from any other city in the world and it’s lack of cars and bikes, I can’t get enough of.
Like I should give Rome (my least fav Italian city) another chance, you give Venice one too:-).
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Being there in the winter dampened the sewage smell at least. I didn’t dislike Venice at all! I guess I’m jut more of a big busy city kinda girl.
I couldn’t agree with you more! No amount of writing or photography can ever do Venice justice. I was only there for a few weeks on my inter-railing trip across Europe a few years ago but some of my fondest memories involved getting completely lost in the maze of alleyways and wandering about after dark, when all the tourists seemed to just vanish to god only knows where.
Thanks for bringing back the memories!
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I’ve found it’s utterly impossible to take a bad photograph of Italy, but nothing really lives up to being there.
I honestly don’t care if it lives up to my dreams, I just want to see it in person.
(I’ll probably be saying: “Wow, this looks just like the one in Vegas.” Ha.) Your photos are beautiful, btw.
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Thanks! They did a good job with the vegas one I must say. Not quite the same feeling as being there for real though…
Wonderful pictures! Love the darker, emotive feel.
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Thanks! I have a feeling Venice in winter and Venice in summer are quite different places!
I loved Venice in the winter. Even with all the crowd due to Carnevale I loved it. Early morning with the fog and not full light it was great to get lost in the alleys.
My favorite picture of yours is the little bridge with the wooden sides. Looks like someone just tacked them on afterwords.
Great minds seem to think alike. Check my photos from Venice Carnevale that I put up last week. http://www.groundedtraveler.com/2010/07/16/phototour-venice-at-carnevale/
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Oh I wish I could have been there for Carnevale! I’m sure it’s quite an experience.
I haven’t been to Venice, but I’d like to make it there someday. Your photos are awesome! I love the first two, especially.
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Thanks Amanda! Definitely somewhere everyone should try to see.
Venice was one place in Europe I was determined to see – it didn’t disappoint me either. We were there during a storm off the coast which was compounded with high tide – the result was the entire town was essentially flooded. To get around the city, you had to walk on elevated platforms. It was fascinating. Supposedly the city is slowly giving way to the sea.
Beautiful photos – even without any sun!
I saw the platforms stacked up in case of flood- would be so interesting to see them in use!
Is Venice expensive or cheap Steph?
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Definitely more on the expensive end of the spectrum, although we stayed in hostels and tried to cut costs (stay away from the gondola rides).
Ah, Venice! Lovely post Steph and great photos! Spring is another great time to see Venice, less crowds and weather is often ideal.
Travel icons are great for kids and we took our little girl to Venice on our world tour and she adored it. It’s really not surprising it’s a dream destination for many little girls. There are some great books for kids about Venice and we used them to add to the trip for her….following the footsteps of one of her faves.
I thought it was very funny that she was the only child in her class in Spain who had been to Venice and knew what a gondola was!! ( Yes, we couldn’t miss that and she even played her violin on it!). It’s not that far away, but the experience can be very enriching even for the younger set. Venice is a wonderful family travel destination too and surprisingly one of the best places to visit via luxury campground for bargain prices.
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That’s so fun- I could see how a kid would really love the iconicness of it.
Gorgeous photos!!! I’ve been dying to go to Venice. Last summer my sister and I planned to go to Rome, Florence, and Venice, but we ended up deciding that would be too logistically frustrating for a short trip and ended up trading out Venice for Perugia. I was bummed at the time, but I adored Perugia. I still really want to go to Venice, though, especially after seeing these pics! That stinks that it’s a little damp, dirty, and touristy, but you’re right–it’s definitely a place we all need to experience regardless.
BTW, are you planning to add an option to subscribe to comments? It would be fun to be able to keep up with the convo by getting notifications when there are new comments!
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Hey Emily, I’m doing a big redesign soon so I will add that to the list of improvements needed! Thanks.
There’s a lot of Italy I still need to see too…
I love the way you caught the colors of Venice!
Thanks, it is a very colorful place, as is much of italy.
These pictures are SO beautiful – think you’ve spread your dream of seeing Venice among many more of us! Really lovely
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Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Venice was my first stop on this trip. The city is really charming to me. It has its flaws (like there’s no one out at night and not much to do in the evenings) but I could just walk around for hours and get lost in all the alleyways. It’s beautiful! Glad you finally made it
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Yeah really not much nightlife- people probably too afraid of falling in the canals
That’s exactly how I felt when I visited Athens
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Great photos! Reminded me of the week I spent in Venice. It is such a great city that just begs to be explored.
I’ve include this post in our weekly roundup of inspiring travel blogs and posts. Check it out here: http://www.gooverseas.com/go-abroad-blog/week-overseas-july-23rd/3821.
Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading your next post.
Cheers,
Andrew
I had sort of the same magical idea about Venice and it definitely lived up to my expectations, even though I was there during crazy tourist season. I loved all the little shops and we had such a delicious meal there!
I couldn’t find good food in Venice, maybe because it was the off season?
As a glassblower and lover of glass, Venice was No. 1 on my list during my study abroad experience because of its glass history. Someday when you return, you should head out to Murano. It’s a whole different world than Venice proper and was remarkable.
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Hey Alison,
I actually did make it to Murano- amazing! That will have to be a different article…
Well, that’s great then! And I can’t wait for your article!
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Well, you had high expectations and maybe that’s why it seemed not so good. Even though you’re right that the swarms of tourists caused it to be full of gift shops and market opportunities instead of a clean travel destination. Though I’m wondering … which was the city you liked most in Italy ?
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I did have high expectations you are right. I connected a lot better with Rome personally.
The winter is a much better time to visit Venice, or anywhere else in Italy. Not only because there are more crowds during the summer, but Italian summers are very hot.
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I have never been during the summer but the winter was not bad at all