In Venice everything is art

What I’ve always loved about Venice is to get lost in its calli (narrow pedestrian streets) and find out unusual things on the way as a result.

This happened also during our last trip to this magnificent city.
I noticed many people going in and out this beautiful building. Curious, I went to check it out and realized that this was the City Hospital (Ospedale Civile).

This great example of Renaissance architecture makes you think that in Venice everything, and I really mean everything, is art.

Show me the... beer

Upon a recent visit in Murano (the island located in the Venetian lagoon, which is famous for the production of glass artifacts) we went to see a factory where the maestro del vetro was showing us his extraordinary ability to make glass items (he made a small horse in about 3 minutes, including the time he took to smoke his cigarette between one procedure and the other…).
At the end of the performance the store manager, who in the meantime explained the whole process, kindly suggested for either a monetary donation or… a beer. But even without his invitation, the sign would have been very explicit and clear.

When should you go to Venice?

VeniceHotel.org offers an interesting online service: the crowd forecast. If you plan to visit Venice and your dates are flexible, then it's best to choose a time when the city is least crowded. The rooms cost less; there are shorter queues for the museums; and the city will be more enjoyable. The chart only forecasts the crowd for the next 20 days.

Venice Carnival 2007 (video)

In our February trip to Italy, we had the opportunity to spend a day in Venice during Carnevale. I'm always fascinated by the beauty of the costumes that make their appearance in a very crowded Piazza San Marco. Children and adults line up to have their pictures taken with these wonderful 'walking artistic expressions'. Animation, popular music and dancing bring together locals and visitors.

This short 3-mins video captures some of the spirit of this year's Venice Carnival.

- Can't see the video? Watch it from YouTube
- iPod version (MP4 - 13Mb)
- Zune version (WMV - 10Mb)

A memorable Venetian coffee

Napoleon called the Piazza San Marco "the finest drawing room in Europe." Imagine to be part of this enchanted picture, sitting right in front of the cathedral, ordering a coffee while listening to a live orchestra. The Caffe' Florian is all that. Opened in 1720, this is Italy's oldest Cafe'. If you are traveling on a budget, you may wish to hold off on this unique experience. A simple coffee with whipped cream is $12, and the 'music supplement' is $6 more. That's what I call a memorable Venetian coffee...

Need a ride to Venice?

Venice is like no other city in the world. There are no cars to be found, because it's build on water and the canali are its streets. Venice airport (Marco Polo) is about 8 miles far from the city. The easiest, fastest and most expensive way to reach downtown is to use a water-taxi (up to 6 people). 30 mins and Euro 100 later you'll be at your destination.

However, if you want to save some money, you are better off taking the public transportation boat to San Marco square, or take a bus to Mestre train station (and then the train to Venice), or the bus to Venice bus station (Piazzale Roma).

Our suggestion? Take one of the cheaper transportations and save your money for your souvenir shopping. The public boat will still give you a good thrill when you'll enter the Gran Canal.