The capital of the Veneto region, Venice, is arguably Italy's most iconic city and home to famous international annual events such as the Venice Film Festival or the Carnival of Venice.
In the summer of 2020, my boyfriend Pascal and I were able to visit the city, which, due to the Corona pandemic, was emptier than it had been in years and probably will ever be again.
Thus, I decided to write about this beautiful city and the incredible experience I had visiting it as a nice conclusion to my articles about the amazing country of Italy, for now.
Venice, located at the head of the Adriatic Sea, is completely encompassed by the waters of the Venetian Lagoon. The city consists of 118 small islands separated by canals and connected by over 400 bridges, giving Venice a unique look that has earned the entire lagoon the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The heart of Venice is the Piazza San Marco, which is usually full of people but was almost completely deserted in 2020.
The square is home to the beautiful Doge's Palace and gorgeous St Mark's Basilica.
Doge's Palace was built in Venetian Gothic style in 1340 and is a magnificent work of art, which you can visit for about 25€ - 30€, depending on the kind of tour you book. Tickets and further information are available on the official website.
You also can visit St Mark's Basilica for 3€, its high altar retable and the Pala d'Oro for 5€, the Loggia dei Cavalli Museum for 7€ and the bell tower, which unfortunately is closed in case of fog and strong wind, for 10€. As in all religious sites in Italy, you must cover your knees and shoulders to be permitted to enter. Further information is available on the official website of the St Mark's Basilica.
As Venice is a city made up of canals, there are no roads for cars, so we parked ours at the Tronchetto car park on the edge of the lagoon. This cost us 22€ per day, which is considered cheap by Venice's standards.
Since there are no cars in the city, transport consists of water taxis and water buses, the so-called vaporetti, which can take you from Tronchetto car park to the city centre.
One of the most famous activities in the city is a ride in the iconic Venetian gondolas. Prices are negotiable, but a ride cost at least 80€ for 30 minutes. A far cheaper, but much less luxurious way to explore the city by water is to take the vaporetto line 1 that rides along the entire Grand Canal. This way you can explore Venice's main and largest canal, which is 3.8km (2.4 miles) long, and the 200 magnificent noble palaces that are positioned alongside it.
Most of these stunning palaces were built between the 13th and 18th centuries by prosperous Venetian families to demonstrate their wealth.
One of Venice's most remarkable sights, the Rialto Bridge, is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal.
Originally built as a pontoon bridge, it was replaced by a wooden structure and later by the current white marble design, that fascinates many travellers with its captivating beauty. The Rialto Bridge is often painted by artists, most notably Vittore Carpaccio in his 1496 "Miracle of the Relic of the Cross at the Ponte di Rialto", where it can be seen in its former wooden design. The bridge was also featured in Shakespeare’s play “Merchant of Venice”.
The Bridge of Sighs or Ponte dei Sospiri, is another picturesque sight in Venice. The white limestone bridge connects a prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace.
Its interesting name stems from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of Venice's beauty through the window of the bridge before being taken down to their cells.
Another marvellous sight of the city is the Santa Maria della Salute, a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, which can be visited free of charge.
It stands directly on the Grand Canal and near Piazza San Marco, making it part of Venice's beautiful skyline.
In the Venetian Lagoon, an about 35 minutes ride by vaporetto from Venice's city centre, lie several beautiful islands that are worth exploring. The two most famous ones are Murano, widely known for being the birthplace of the renowned Murano glas, and Burano, an incredibly picturesque place, due to its small, brightly painted houses.
Our hotel was situated in Venice's Sant' Elena district, located conviniently only a 15 minute walk from the city centre and one vaporetto stop away from the island of Lido, where you will find an 11-kilometre-long (7-mile) beach.
Food:
The Vecia Gina is an amazing restaurant right on the edge of the beautiful Parco delle Rimembranze in Sant' Elena. It serves incredibly delicious pizzas and, as it is located a little outside the city centre, the prices are quite low compared to Venice's standards.
In conclusion, though the city usually has problems with overcrowding, which luckily we did not experience, it is still definitely worth a visit as it is full of impressive culture, art, architecture and history, and thus more than lives up to its hype.