Ahead of your trip to Venice, it’s helpful to read all the travel guides and watch all the videos. Once you get there, however, if you wish to experience the authentic flavor of the city, there is only one thing to do: get lost.
Venice is a constellation of 118 islands linked by 438 bridges. In the historic center the districts are called “sestieri” because there are six: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, Santa Croce, San Polo and the best known, San Marco. The narrow winding streets criss-crossed by canals are not always well marked. You are bound to lose your way, there’s not much choice in the matter, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. If you pick a starting point and let your footsteps guide you, since you are walking around an island you will eventually come across something you recognize. As Venetian author Scott Stavrou writes, “In Venice, if you didn’t know where you were going, you usually ended up in the Piazza and since that was always true, maybe it was always where you were going.”
Venice is made to explore on foot, full to the brim with architectural interest and a great destination for history buffs. It won’t be long before you come upon a little “bacaro,” the taverns where locals gather to drink an “aperitivo” and nibble on some divine “cicchetti” snacks. Travelers come back from their time in “La Serenissima” (the name Venice carries from many centuries ago back when the Serene Republic of Venice was a sovereign state), with their best memories from those times when they had no idea where they were going.
The best place to get lost in Venice
As much as Venice looks straight out of a 15th-century painting by Bellini, it is a living, breathing city. When you lose yourself along its narrow secondary streets, you will come into contact with local life beyond the postcard: children coming home from school, people hanging their laundry, neighbors chatting in a corner. As with any visit to a foreign city, you are best to always remain alert and aware of your surroundings and valuables, but strolling around the smaller passages and bridges will reveal domestic vignettes that you would otherwise miss if you stick to the tourist sites.
An emblematic spot to start your exploration is St. Mark’s square, from where you can walk in circles all day discovering the shops, cafés and cultural sites along the way. To give your feet a break, taking a gondola ride in Venice should definitely be on your bucket list. The traditional flat-bottom boats gliding low on the water are as pricey as they are unique. Many visitors agree, though, that the ride was worth the splurge as it gave them a unique way of observing close-up details from a different angle that they wouldn’t have seen any other way. For a budget version on weekdays you can take the “traghetto” ferry across the canal, not nearly as romantic but a bargain at just shy of $3, and then there is the “vaporetto” waterbus. There network of 19 lines connects nearby islands such as Murano, known for its dazzling glass-making – which is yet another great spot to get lost in, and a destination that should be on every art lover’s list.
