Gardens

In Venice there are many gardens; most of them, are inside palaces, so they cannot be easily seen. This garden faces the Grand Canal, near Ponte degli Scalzi:

 

Hidden Place

This is a very hidden place near Campo San Barnaba: 

La Biennale

La Biennale (51th International Art Exhibition) has opened to the public. This is something you could see there:

 
Is it a man? is it a statue? Try to guess it!

Venetian Cat in a Boat

This is a Venetian cat in a boat.

Venice has always been a city with many cats (but today there are less cats than some years ago). Why Venetians brought so many cats in Venice? To eat mice!
PS: thanks Luca for this interesting picture 

Venetian water buses

In the picture below you can see a Venetian water bus: 


Getting around the Grand Canal in a water bus is a relaxing experience, above all if you're lucky to get a not crowded water bus.
A good line is Line n.1 (linea uno), that allows you to see all the Grand Canal.

Casa Fondaco

This palace can be see when going to Campo San Polo from Campo san Giacomo:

Note the "casa fondaco" structure, always used for the houses of Venetian merchants: the ground floor was a warehouse; a small floor between ground and first was used for the offices of the merchants; the first floor was a show room; the second floor was where the familiy of the merchant lived; the third floor was for the servants. 

Enrico Dandolo

Tomorrow will be 800 years after the death of Enrico Dandolo, one ot the greatest dogi (dukes) that Venice has seen.

Enrico Dandolo, old (in his nineties) and blind, led the Fourth Crusade to Zara and then Costantinopoli, to serve the ambitions of Venice.

Dandolo, the 39th Doge, never came back from Costantinopoli, where he died.

But the rewards for Venice from the Fourth Crusade (that never reached its target to reach the Holy Land) were so large that made Venice the first Mediterranean power.

Fondamenta della Misericordia

The walking on the left is Fondamenta della Misericordia, a place with many bars, restaurants and places where to meet friends:

 

Ca'Zenobio

This canal leads to Campo dei Carmini, near Campo Santa Margherita.
The white marble palace on the right is Ca'Zenobio:

 

Children Playing at san Giacomo

These are some children playing at Campo san Giacomo dell'Orio: 


Children sometimes play with bicycles, but in Venice you can't get around with a bike

Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista

The Scuola di San Giovanni Evangelista is near Campo san Stin and Rio Marin. These are 3 pics of this Scuola: 

Venetian Taxi

This is a Venetian water taxi:

To get around in Venice you can walk, go by water bus, or choose a water taxi. 

Marble Palaces

This canal is between the Tre Archi Bridge and the Guglie Bridge, at Cannaregio.

A note about marble palaces in Venice, as the one you can see above: Venetian palaces often have only the facade in marble; the other 3 sides usually have only bricks.

Which Venetian palaces have more than one marble side?
two of them are Palazzo Labia and Ca'Pesaro.

For example, this is the marble left side of Ca'Pesaro:

It's unusual for a hidden side of a palace to be entirely covered by marble.

 

A Canal near San Nicolò dei Mendicoli

This wonderful place is near San Nicolò dei Mendicoli:

 

A Smaller Water Bus

The boat on the photo below is called "motoscafo", and is a smaller water bus:

This canal is near Ponte delle Guglie e Ponte dei Tre Archi. 

Restoring the Foundations

The canals digs the foundations of the palaces. For this reason, periodically these foundations must be restored.

This canal is between Zattere and San Vio:



And this canal is near Fondamenta Ognissanti:

Venice Ghetto

Under the government of the Serenissima Repubblica (the Most Serene Repubblic, as Venice proudly appealed itself), Jewish lived in a quarter called "Ghetto", from the Venetian word "getto" (that means foundry).


 


 

The area called "Gheto Novo" was limited by two bridges which were closed during the night:


 
This is Campo del Gheto Novo:


 


 


 


 
The Jewish community was very active and played an important role on the economic development of the Serenissima.

Palaces in Venice

Here are 3 palaces at Cannaregio;

this one is near Fondamenta della Miserciordia:

 

this is just 4 minutes walking from the other, going east:

 

and this is a very tipical building at Ghetto:

 

Bridge without handrails

This is a bridge without handrails, at Cannaregio:


this is an unusual fact.

But, centuries ago, many more bridges were without handrails, and horses were allowed to go around the city. 

Scuola di San Marco

Have you ever seen the Hospital of Venice?
It's a big building, at Castello.

Time ago, part of this building was the Scuola di San Marco (St.Mark's School).
Here is a picture of the hospital (the building on the left): 



Here is the facade of the entrance, from Campo san Giovanni e Paolo:

Misericordia Abbey

A place I like at Cannaregio is Campo dell'Abbazia, near the Misericordia School:



This is the Abbey as can be seen from the other side of the canal:



To arrive to Campo dell'Abbazia from Campo del Ghetto, walk along Fondamenta della Misericordia till the end, when you'll find Misericordia School; now, turn left, along the canal.
You'll find this bridge, leading to the Campo:

 

Venice Mayor Elections

Venice Mayor Elections will be this week end. Electoral posters are everywhere.

These are the electoral posters at Campo san Geremia (the white marble palace is Palazzo Labia):

 

Palazzo Labia

This is Palazzo Labia, at San Geremia (Cannaregio):


Three centuries ago, in this palace, the Labia family held a party where people ate on golden dishes and glasses; at the end of the party, the proprietor of the palace threw the dishes and glasses away, on the canal below.

This is what mr.Labia said throwing away his golden treasures: "Gabia o no gabia, so sempre Labia" that means: "Both if I have them or if I haven't them, I'm always a Labia".

However, someone revealed that the day before mr.Labia put a net on the canal below is palace, to "fish" his golden dishes and glasses when the party was over...

Easter Monday in Venice

Many people in Venice this Easter Monday.

In the picture below you see people at Cannaregio, coming and going to the railway station.
That beautiful white marble church is Maria di Nazareth's Church:

The Tre Archi Bridge

This is the famous Ponte dei Tre Archi (Three Arcs Bridge), at Cannaregio:


Time ago this bridge was named Ponte di San Giobbe. But, when it remained the last bridge in Venice with 3 arcs, it gained the actual name.

It was restaurated in 1688.

This is what you see crossing this bridge:



The one you see from Tre Archi bridge is the same canal crossed by Ponte delle Guglie (the bridge on this picture):



Ah, by the way, do you see the water bus stop on the picture above?
in the calle facing the water bus stop there's a private club where you can play billiards till night.

 

Cats in Venice

Near the ancient Ghetto, at Sestiere di Cannaregio, there's a campo (small square) with many nice cats.

This is one of them:






Looking at a pigeon:



And these cats seems to be 2 brothers:



Another nice cat:









4 cats in this campo:

Ten children fined for playing football

Yesterday in Venice 10 boys have been fined 500 euros for playing football at Campo Pisani (near Campo Santo Stefano).

At Campo Pisani you can play football if you're under 12. They are 13. And so, they must pay 50 euros each.

These are news I don't like.
If you think about this, and about the many pubs and clubs fined or closed for music, you can see that there are too many restrictions today in Venice.

3 Bridges on the Grand Canal

The Three Bridges crossing the Grand Canal are:

Rialto Bridge:



Scalzi Bridge:



and Accademia Bridge:



Which is your favourite one?

Speaking about this with other Venetian friends, here it's our preference:
1) Accademia Bridge - because the nearest zones are very elegant
2) Rialto Bridge - a beautiful bridge, but in a too much touristic zone
3) Scalzi Bridge

They did it again. At San Marco.

I simply don't understand why.
Do you remember that curtain covering covering the Do Mori Clock at San Marco?

Well, that curtain had the Torre di Pisa on it. Nothing against the Torre di Pisa; but... it didn't fit with our Piazza.


The good news is that the curtain has been carried away.
The bad news is that this time they put the Tour Eiffel!

This is a picture of what you see at San Marco now:


Is there a really GOOD reason for this?
I don't find any.

Making a Venetian Mask

Making a Venetian Mask requires many steps.
The first step is making the clay stamp:


In the following pics you can see how Maurizio makes the clay stamps for his masks:




Maurizio is a a friend of mine who owns a mask shop (address: Venice, Santa Croce 1107/A - Lista dei Bari) near the Railway Station.

The Ancient Red Light Quarter in Venice

Do you know the name of the ancient Venetian red light quarter?

This place is Carampane (San Polo district, near Rialto Bridge):


If you look at this place today, you'll never say it was where courtesans and prostitutes lived:


Centuries ago, many ladies appeared topless at these windows:


And, at Carampane there's a Bridge named Ponte delle Tette (Bridge of the Breast).

By the way, do you know of many courtesans Venice had in 1509? (they were counted)
11.164: around 10% of the total population.

The most famous Venetian courtesan has been Veronica Franco (1546-1591), that was also a poet and a writer.

Running of the Bulls

Campo Stefano (sestiere di San Marco) is today a quiet and elegant square near Accademia Bridge:


What visitors usually don't know is that in this place, 3 centuries ago, there were many "Running of the Bulls".

In fact, bulls were released into this square; some people ran away, other fought against them. The last "Running of the Bulls" was on 22th february 1802, 5 years after the end of the Serenissima Republic. 

The Grand Canal

Ideally, the Grand Canal may be divided in 3 parts:
the first begins at the Railway Station and ends at Rialto Bridge, when it turns right;
the second, from Rialto Bridge till Ca'Foscari, when it turns left;
then, till Salute.

Here you find 3 pics of the Grand Canal, taken from these 3 different parts.

This is a picture of the first part (the white palace on the right is Ca d'Oro):


This is a picture of the second part, at San Tomà water bus stop:


And this is the third part, at Campo San Vio:

Venice and Live Concerts

Venice is a relaxing and peaceful city ...but... do you know what splits the population?

Live Concerts.

Some Venetians like live concerts, both in campi (squares) and pubs.

But other Venetians hate live concerts, and create lobbies to end them.
These lobbies try everything they can not only to end live concerts, but to make pubs close sooner.

The results are evident: many of the most famous pubs, osterie and clubs have been forced to close for some weeks.
The reason? too much noise, too many people, too much music.

In my opinion, Venice should promote live events and support entrepreneurs that keep this city alive.

6 Venetian Canals

If you've been in Venice, here is a very difficult test to see how well you remeber the places...
Here is a short gallery of 6 Venetian Canals.
These canals are at Sestiere di Santa Croce...
How many of these canals do you remember to have seen?

near Carampane:


rio Marin:


san Stae:


ca Pesaro:


san Giovanni Decollato:


near san Stin:

Low tide and normal tide

Some weeks ago, I showed you this picture of low tide in Venice:



Last day, I took the a picture of the same location (near Rialto Market), this time with normal tide:


Note the difference!

 

San Stae

The church of San Stae can be found near Ca'Pesaro and Fontego dei Turchi (the Turkish Warehouse). It has a baroque facade, and paintings of the 18th century 
Campo san Stae, this time with many pigeons and 3 dogs(!!):

Those strange machines on the left are examples of Leonardo da Vinci's experiments.

Mendicoli

This picture has been taken near San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, a place that visitors rarely explore:

 

Via Garibaldi

Via Garibaldi, at Castello district, is a street that visitors rarely discover. At the end of via Garibaldi you can see this canal:

 

Palazzo Ariani

Palazzo Ariani is a magnificent palace at Dorsoduro, near San Sebastiano. Note the singular loggia:

From 1999 till 2004, more than 1 million euros have been spent to restore this building.
This is its staircase:

 

D'Annunzio in Venice

Gabriele D'Annunzio, the famous Italian poet, when in Venice lived in the red palace with the garden, at the center of the picture below:


This palace, siding the Grand Canal, is near Campo san Maurizio.
 

Venice Ghetto

If you've seen the movie The Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino, maybe you're thinking about visiting the ancient Ghetto. Here it is a picture:

 

Venice Airport

Have you ever seen the new Venice Airport? It's so new that many waiting rooms haven't bars or shops...


In the picture above you can see me at a gate of the airport, looking for a place where to take a coffee while waiting for my flight!  

Ca'Rezzonico

Another place near Ca'Rezzonico: this is the garden of the palace itself.

A very quiet spot. 

Venetian Boat Garage

Have you ever seen a garage for boats? This Venetian house has its own boat garage.

This place is near Ca'Rezzonico, the famous venetian museum. 

Low tide, again

This week Venice has been afflicted again by low tide. Nothing terrible, but if you have a boat, low tide is a nuisance...


I've taken this picture with my mobile phone, at Riva del Vin, near Rialto Bridge. That canal is the Grand Canal; the tide is so low and a gondola is leaning on the ground. Usually you see water there, not that muddy soil! 

La Festa delle Marie

One of the happiest and most acclaimed events of this Carnival has been the Festa delle Marie, a beauty contest organized by the famous Bruno Tosi.

Bruno Tosi, "a life dedicated to music", manages the main website about Maria Callas; check it out at: Callas.it.

Carnival: pro and cons

Carnival is approaching to the end and the debate explodes.
Many Venetian citizens are infuriated because Carnival brought too much noise and problems.
People living near Campo Santa Margherita, usual one of the most lively zones in Venice, denounced several bad episodes that have happened these days.

Imagine to have hundreds of people drinking, singing and playing under the windows of your home, with someone staying there till 6AM in the morning...
This is what has happened to many Venetians during Carnival.

Places like Campo San Luca, Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio and, of course, Campo Santa Margherita, have seen an assault of visitors.

At the other end, this Carnival hasn't brought so many tourists as years ago.
Saturday has been incredible, but other days have been less interesting.
In fact, there have been less concerts and events.
For this reason, many owner of restaurants, pubs and shops complained the scarce affluence.

Pro and cons of Carnival...

Anyway, a good management and a better disposal of funds may help next year.

In the picture below, Campo Santa Margherita:

Venice Carnival: Saturday Night

Yesterday (saturday) night 70 thousands visitors have come to Venice for Carnival.
It has been the most successful day of the Carnival period.
Think only this: there were more visitors than Venetians! (65.000 Venetians vs 70.000 visitors!).

I've seen Campo San Luca and Campo Santa Margherita particularly crowded.

Only at 3AM in the morning people has become to leave off the streets.

Carnival, saturday morning

This morning Venice is crowded with people, coming here from everywhere for Carnival.

But the days before there has been less people than the previous year.
In fact, less concerts and less parties have attracted less people;
for next year, Venice Carnival surely needs more interesting events around the whole city.

New supermarket at San Marco district?

Venice Municipality has approved a plan that allow the creation of a supermarket at S.Mark's district (sestiere di San Marco).

For someone living outside Venice this may be not a glamorous news but... think this: San Marco has shops of the most important Italian and international griffes, but it hasn't a supermarket!
People living at San Marco often go to other districts (San Polo, Dorsoduro, Cannaregio...) to buy foods and other things.

In the same palace (ex Rossini, near Campo Manin), Venice Municipality has allowed the creation of a new cinema.

Jewelry robbed at San Marco!

Yesterday has happened an unusual fact: a jewelry at st.Mark's Square has been robbed!

It's unusual that a shop get robbed in Venice, and it's even more unusual that it has happened in the Square, during Carnival when the square is crowded...



Some of the thieves, dressed as builders, have hidden the facade of the shop with a big curtain, as if they were working to repair something there.
In the meanwhile, other thieves entered in the jewelry and have taken away 3 or 4 millions euros in diamonds and rare watches.

The owner of the jewelry is under shock.

Everyone address the scaffold hiding some shops of the Piazza as the main responsible of this fact. Many people lamented the presence of this scaffold, since April 2004.

Multiplex Cinema near Venice closed

Cinestar waw the multiplex cinema nearest to the historical center of Venice.
Located at Marghera, after less than 12 months, Cinestar has closed its doors.

Why? too few people going there.
And... think this! the historical center of Venice has only ONE cinema! (Cinema Giorgione, at Cannaregio).
Venice is maybe the only city that has more theaters and places for baroque music than cinemas...
The other cinemas near Venice are located at Mestre (in the mainland) and Lido (an island on the lagoon).
The nearest multiplex is at Marcon, outside Venice Municipality.

So, why so few people have gone to Cinestar?
Well, I often go to the cinema, but to Cinestar I went only once (to see Troy).

The truth is probably simple: Cinestar is located near industrial plants, in a zone that is difficult to reach by bus and, thus, not appealing.

Santa Margherita and Carnival

This is the scaffold for the live concerts at Campo Santa Margherita:

It's smaller than the one of the previous year when, under a very rainy weather, MTV Italia held its shows during Carnival season. 

Temperature in Venice

This week has been cold in Venice.

Get a pair of gloves and a scarf if you're coming here for the Carnival! 

The beginning of Venice Carnival

Carnival has begun in Venice, with many events and parties.

Only 20.000 visitors the first saturday (60.000 last year), since the cold weather (around 0 Celsius) doesn't help;
but many people prefer a more "intimate" Carnival, with less sounds and noise, since Carnival music and parties keep Venetians awake during the night...

Saturday night at Campo Santa Margherita (the hour? 4 AM!) I have seen many people playing and singing aloud;
I like it, but other inhabitants prefer to sleep at 4 in the morning!
This is why many Venetians have constituted "lobbies" against parties and live music in some places of the city, where many people live (and try to sleep at the night!)
This is a pity! My "secret" ;-) vote is for the ones that party till down!

Palazzo Grassi now is owned by Venice Casino

Palazzo Grassi is no longer owned by Fiat, the Italian automaker.

Casino di Venezia spa has just bought it: 28,9 millions euros to own the whole museum.

Now, Venice Casino is looking for private investors to sell a part of its quotes.

Ice Skating in Venice

At Campo san Polo (San Polo district), for Carnival is available an ice skating field.

This picture has been taken yesterday evening, with my mobile phone.
 

Blog linking to us

Hey, I've just discovered another blog pointing to us;
this one seems to be a very... Lazy Blog from Hungary!

Map of Venice

Many visitors prefer to have a map of Venice before moving here.

Check this page if you're looking for a Venice Map.

Smoke and Venice

As you probably know, in Italy has been recently approved a law that bans smoke from public exercises (bars, pubs, restaurants...)

It's quite unusual for Italians to go to a bar where nobody smokes... but now it's a reality.

Which has been the effect of this law in Venice?

One of the main effects may reveal a danger for the earnings of Venice;
Venice Casino is the main "cash cow" for Venice Municipality. The no smoke law has produced a reduction of about 15% at the number of visitors to Venice Casino (many people feel a strong need to smoke when gambling), and could have soon an effect on the earnings of the firm.

By the way, yesterday (first day of Carnival) I've seen many visitors, accustomed to smoke in Italian pubs and bars, surprised when they were told that smoking is no more allowed here!

Palazzo Grassi... the final rush to buy it?

As you probably know, Fiat needs to sell Palazzo Grassi - the famous palace on the Grand Canal that hosts a museum.

Palazzo Grassi loses money (even if its tickets are expensive!).

The major of Venice, Paolo Costa, wants Venice to buy Palazzo Grassi, through Casinò di Venezia spa.
The plan? Casinò di Venezia spa should buy 51% of Palazzo Grassi, to sell again part of its quotes to private investors.

The deal is not yet done.
Are we approaching to the final rush?

Venice Mask

For our readers, here it is a detailed picture of one of Maurizio's handmade masks:

 

Rialto Market

Near Rialto Bridge there is a market (at San Polo District). Here is the street leading to the market from Rialto Bridge:

Venetian Masks

Maurizio, a friend of mine who is great at making Venetian Masks, has just opened his new mask shop.
We had a very funny party, playing with his masks and his games.
Here is a picture:


By the way, I'm the one on the right with the orange mask.
And this is another creation of Maestro Maurizio:


Carnival is arriving and 3 scary monsters are ready to get around Venice:


And this is Maurizio:


Maurizio's shop is located at Santa Croce 1107/A, Venice, in the street called "Lista dei Bari", near the railway station.

Venice Places

In Venice not only the main touristic places are interesting. If you can, leave the usual routes, and try to find some hidden treasure. You can find nice spots, as this one:

 

Blogs linking to us

This is a list of blogs speaking about us...

Under a Venetian Moon has a short novel about us... Andrea is a friend, who makes very nice and funny things...

Laurent Dieterich has many photos about Venice.

This is an entertaining blog, maintained by a Hawaiian living in Italy (Lombardia)

And this is a very huge blog about international issues, with a section speaking about us.

Another blog about Venice...

And now the blog directories: Blogwise, Shas3, Blog Catalog, Blogarama.

Fenice Venice

In 1996 a terribile fire totally destroyed the Gran Teatro La Fenice, the main Venetian Theatre.
The theatre has been rebuild exactly as it was, and this is the facade as you can see it today:

Mozart in Venice

This is the palace where Mozart lived, during his stay in Venice:


This palace is near Teatro La Fenice.
Mozart lived in Venice in 1771, during Carnival.
But in 1771 arrived in Venice another young man, that was destined to become a close collaborator of Mozart...
Infact, that year arrived in Venice and spent there much of his youth the famous Antonio Da Ponte, who worked together with Mozart and who wrote the libretti for Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così Fan Tutte.

Venice Canals - when grounded

Some canals in Venice have been grounded. When a canal is grounded, it's called Rio Tera'. Here you can see a good example of a rio tera' (this one is at Dorsoduro, 1 minute walking from Zattere):

The central part of this street, time ago, was a canal. Grounding a canal is a way to enlarge the street, making easier for people to walk. 

Venice Streets

In Venice, the name of the streets are written in the "nizioleti"; sometimes, the street takes name from the ancient family living there many years ago or, more often, from the shops being there.

"Frezzaria", as in this case, means a place where rows were made. 
"Naranzaria", instead, means a place where oranges were sold.

Snow in Venice

This evening is snowing in Venice. The weather is cold, unusually cold...

You can see footsteps on the snow in many calli and campielli... 

Gondolas and low tide in Venice

Look at the palaces siding the canal: that green border means that there's low tide:

But the water is deep enough to allow this gondola to ride easily through the canal... 

Carlo Goldoni House

This is the staircase of the house where Carlo Goldoni was born:

Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) is the most famous venetian dramatist. And this is the facade of the house:


this house is at San Polo district, near San Toma water bus stop.

Venice Low Tide

Another picture of low tide in Venice:

as you can see, the 2 boats at the center are laying on the ground, since there is no water left. 

Fontego dei Tedeschi

The palace below is Fontego dei Tedeschi, and was a warehouse used by Germans when Venice was the Serenissima Republic.

Today it hosts the Postal Office. 

Venetian Boats

As you probably know, in Venice there are no cars, and so there is no a police car, but a police boat. The boat that you can see on the photo above is an ambulance. 

Info and resources

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Air flight from Venice to Shangai

A regular direct air flight service between Shanghai and Venice, has been launched officially.
Previously, there were no direct air flights between the two cities.

Venice Tides

You've seen on this blog some pictures of a high tide.

But, what does happen when there is a low tide?


The picture above show some boats on the Grand Canal; where should be the water, there is only ground...

This part of the Grand Canal is the one near Ca d'Oro.
 

Venice Fire Brigade

Firemen in Venice, of course, don't go by car. They go by boat.

In the photo above you can see the Venice firemen headquarter, with their boats ready to get out when their help is needed. 

Venetian cat

In Venice there are many cats.

This beautiful cat is walking at Campo s.Trovaso. Why so many cats live in Venice? Because there are many mice too! A cat is a good way to keep mice away.


 

Venice Football

When you think about Venice, rarely you think about its Football Club.

Venice has its Football Club, A. C. Venezia. The team is playing in the Italian B Series, this year with bad fortune and not many good results.

Venezia plays in the Pierluigi Penzo stadium, at sant'Elena (sestiere of Castello). And, yes, sometimes the ball crosses the stadium and ends in a canal... 

Venice Carnival 2005

Venice Carnival this year will begin Friday 28th January and will end Tuesday 8th February.
If you're coming to Venice for Carnival, here you can find some tips to see which hotel in Venice best suites your needs.

Scandal at Piazza s.Marco

Clicking on the following link to a webcam at Piazza S.Marco, you'll see which awful thing is deturping the Piazza now:
http://www.comune.venezia.it/webcam/resJPG2.php

I do not post the photo from the webcam on this blog, since I think it's a shame for Venice.
In fact, as you can see, a genius had the brillant idea of covering the Do Mori Clock with a picture of the Pisa Tower.

In my humble opinion, this is simply an idiocy.
I let to you every comment.

I hope that when you'll see the image of the Piazza from that webcam, that sheet covering the Clock has been removed.

Another Venice webcam, at Piazza s.Marco

This is another new Venice webcam, from the Do Mori Clock:

You can see the Basilica (Church), the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) and the Piazzetta. The island on the background is San Giorgio. The two columns have a Lion and S.Todaro. The address of this webcam is: http://www.comune.venezia.it/webcam/resJPG2psm3.php

This is the same photo taken at 5 PM. You can almost breath the magic atmosphere of Venice evening.

And this shows st.Mark at night. This Venice webcam is really useful to see our Piazza at different hours of the day.

And, at night and with the fog, how is San Marco?
Here is the photo:

It's always the same view, but this time, with the fog, we can't see so much... ;-)

 

Venice Cam

This new Venice webcam shows Piazza San Marco, as you can see it from the Do Mori Clock.

The address of this webcam is: http://www.comune.venezia.it/webcam/piazza_2/resJPG2psm2.php 

Venice Winter

How to dress during Venice winter?


A coat, a scarf and a pair of gloves are enough. Temperature usually ranges from 0 to 10 Celsius. 

Venice Airport

Venice Airport is located at Tessera, just 20 minutes by bus from the historical center of Venice. Coming to Venice by plane is a great experience, since you can see the islands of the lagoon from the windows of the plane.

The cheapest way to reach Venice from Venice Aiport is by bus (line 5, with the orange ACTV buses).
If you're looking for a cheap airline ticket to Venice, this is a list of good discount ticket sellers.
If you're planning your vacation in Venice, check Venice Secrets Revealed for further information.

Piazzale Roma at night

The following photo shows Piazzale Roma at night:

Piazzale Roma is the gate to Venice from mainland. This is one of the rare places in Venice where you can see cars. On the right you can see the orange ACTV buses.

Venice in Winter

How is Venice in winter?


The city is usually less crowded by tourists, and people discover the interior of many café and pubs.
Some of them are real hidden treasures, with good food and great atmosphere.
 

Venice Gardens

Who says that in Venice thare are no street with trees?

The street on the photo above is near via Garibaldi, in the so called "Giardini" (Gardens) zone. 

Venice Casino buys Palazzo Grassi

Venetians newspapers today have announced that Venice Casino (Casino di Venezia spa, owned by the Venice Municipality) has acquired 51% of Palazzo Grassi.

The cost?
15 millions euros.

If this is a good or a bad investment is difficult to say.

Today Palazzo Grassi loses money. To invert the tendence is not easy.

San Marco - Venice

San Marco is the district (sestiere) of the Doge's Palace (photo below) and St.Mark's Square.


But San Marco, as a district, as many other things to see: for example Campo Santo Stefano, via XXII Marzo, the Fenice Theatre, Rialto Bridge, Church of San Salvador, and many others

Venice Language

The recent post about Venetian dialect raised a little curiosity.

Here you are other phrases in English, Italian and Venetian:

ENGLISH: what time is it?
ITALIAN: che ore sono?
VENETIAN: ti sa dirme che ora che se?

ENGLISH: he is a friend
ITALIAN: è un amico
VENETIAN: xe n'amigo

ENGLISH: tomorrow is Wednesday
ITALIAN: domani è mercoledì
VENETIAN: doman xe mercore

Living in Venice

A recent report published by Osservatorio Casa shows that the number of inhabitants in the entire City of Venice (not only the historical center, but the mainland too) is diminishing.

In fact, in the first 8 months of 2004, the total number went from 271.663 to 271.393.
This trend is even stronger in the historical center, above all at district #1 (San Marco, Castello, Cannaregio, Sant'Elena).

One of the main causes of the decrease in the number of inhabitants is the high cost of living in this city.

Venice Gondola

These small black boats are Venice gondolas:

The gondola is the most famous venetian boat. What many people don't know is that this boat is asymmetric, so that one only oarsman can row it, going straight on (and it's not easy!)

Venetian Mosaic

This is an example of mosaic in Venice:

The palace on the right is Palazzo Barbarigo, with its golden heavy mosaic facade facing the Grand Canal, near campo s.Vio

Venice Under Water

This is another photo of today flooding in Venice:

Venice Flooding: Today High Water

Today high water in Venice:

in the photo above, taken with my mobile phone camera, you can see a fondamenta (a street siding a canal) fully covered by water.