Venice - Venezia

TuttoItaly

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Oct 17, 2010
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The city of Venice is among the most popular cities in the world, not to mention it's among the most romantic ones too. Who doesn't think about romantic gondola rides when they think of Venice?



The city, situated in northeastern Italy, consists of a total of 118 small islands. This is another fact that makes it unique: Venice is basically a floating city with the islands linked to each other by canals and bridges. Being one of the places listed as a World Heritage Site because of its cultural and historical importance, Venice is a magnet for tourists who enjoy romantic gondola rides, guided tours to visit museums and exhibitions or are curious about what the Planetarium has to offer.

Venice is also the place where some famous people were born. Did you know that Antonio Vivaldi, the famous opera composer, was born here? The great lover, Casanova also originated from the city of Venice and so did Marco Polo, one of the great world explorers.

Many tourists compare the city to a real life sized maze. The streets are pretty narrow and the fact that they seem endless makes them part of a great adventure. If you want to get to know the city better, do it on foot. Take a map with you though, it's easy to get lost in the "maze" but it's also a lot of fun!

When you think you have done enough exploring on foot, take a ride in a gondola and admire the city and all it's beauty. Don't worry, the gondolier is highly skilled, there are only a few licenses issued every year and right now, there are about 400 gondolas available.

If you're an art or history lover, you can visit the great museums and art exhibitions Venice has to offer. There's the Doge's Palace, in Piazza San Marco, which is in fact a collection of smaller museums, there's the Correr Museum, dedicated to the history of Venice, then there's the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, dedicated to modern art and many more. The Madness Museum is a shame to miss out on, so is Ca'Dario, Venice's Cursed palace. It is said that a series of unexplained deaths occurred here so if you're a fan of mystery and the unexplained, don't miss out on this particular place.

Venice is the host of about 2 million tourists every year. The best time of the year to visit Venice is in late spring and early summer but you can choose to come here just in time to see the Venice Carnival too, in February or March. It's a unique experience, just like the Venice Film Festival is.

Venice is, as you might have guessed, one of the most important destinations for tourists. Art, architecture, musical and artistic heritage make Venice a great place to visit.

The Grand Canal divides Venice into two parts, with three districts to its right and three to its left. All the six districts are slowly sinking though so if you want to visit Venice, you should hurry! All kidding aside, Venice is a wonderful place to visit. Whether you're on a romantic vacation with your loved one or on a family trip, you shouldn't miss out on what Venice has to offer.
 
Venice is one of the places I have on my "bucket list" along with a lot of other Italian cities. I know some people who have already visited and they all say how beautiful it is but also how expensive! There is one thing that I always wanted to know, and that is, does it smell, as some people claim?
 
Venice, Is an expensive city but you can find cheaper places to eat or have a coffee. Just avoid purchasing anything in the St Marks Square area as the prices are high. The same applies to any major tourist zone.

I have been to Venice quite a few times and the only time I noticed the smell that some people refer to was in July and near a small canal that had been drained. This is a normal smell of any river / canal that has been drained / dredged.

Other than that, I have never really noticed any other bad odours. Just the natural odour of sea water.
 
Venice is indeed beautiful and unique, like so many other Italian cities.

It can be expensive too, like Rome for example, if you do tourist type things in St Mark's Square.

I didn't notice the smell, but the fog was terrible (at Easter time) and sadly I couldn't see much of the city because of that.
 
I've been at Venice 2-3 times and every time I really like this city on teh sea.
Ii can be expensive, but if you eat on some of the smallest restaurant you can save a lot of money.
 
I've never been to Venice but it's on my "places to visit before I die" list :D

I might visit more of Italy this year, and maybe next year too. I love traveling but, you know, life gets in the way :rolleyes: ahahah!

I didn't know there was a smell, I guess it's only normal, there's water everywhere. The locals must be used to it already and tourists... well, they can look at it as an attraction.
 
I went to Venice on a school trip a few years ago and it was lovely. The weather wasn't great (there was a storm one of the days we were there so the whole city was flooded) but I would love to go back again when nicer weather is guaranteed. I didn't notice a smell. As for how expensive it was, I can't really vouch for how expensive accommodation and meals were as we stayed in Lido di Jesolo and got the boat in, but the shops in the more tourist-y areas (like St Mark's) were very pricey. Some of the smaller boutiques in the heart of the city are still expensive but much more worth the money. There's lots of fun things to do and beautiful sights to be seen - I particularly liked the Accademia gallery.