CITY GUIDE

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BIRTHDATE - 

• 25/3/421

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POPULATION - 

• 637,245

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AKA - 

• La Serenissima, La Dominante, Queen of the Adriatic", City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The Floating City, and City of Canals, Queen of the Adriatic Sea 

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MEANING -

• Named after the Veneti people who first lived here

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RIVER - 

• The Grand Canal, may follow an ancient riverbed - and 149 or more other canals

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HISTORY - 

• First controlled by the Byzantiums, they gained partial independence in 726.

• In 828 the body of St Mark was smuggled from Egypt and he became the patron saint of the city.

• Trade flourished and they became a powerful city-state warring against their rivals in Genoa.

• The Black Death devastated the city and they brought in a quarantine system.

• More wars with the Turks followed but the city stayed fairly well intact.

• Venice's influence waned after the Americas were discovered.

• In 1815 Venice became a part of Austria and then in 1866 it became part of the new country Italy.

• In WW2 Venice was unharmed but its' Jewish population was deported.

• In 1966 a massive flood poured into 16,000 homes.

• Tourism is the mainstay of the economy these days with many more tourists in the city than inhabitants.

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BEST TIME TO GO - 

• Of course it is the busiest and most expensive time as well - April to May and September to October.

• Between November to March it is a mild winter with possible flooding. February arcs up again with Carnevale.

• March is a good compromise.

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TOP 10 - IN NO ORDER

1. St Mark's Square

2. Harry's Bar

3. Gondola ride

4. Rialto Bridge

5. Bridge of Sighs

6. Doge's Palace

7. Grand Canal

8. Venetian Ghetto

9. Caffè Florian

10. Marco Polo's House

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FUN FACT - 

• Venezuela is named after Venice, it means Little Venice in Spanish

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AIRPORT & RAIL TRANSFER - Marco polo Airport (VCE) 15 km / Mestre / Santa Lucia

• VCE is 30 mins away. There are land based and water based buses and taxis

• There are 2 train stations, Venice Mestre on the mainland and Santa Lucia on the the island.

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SAFETY - 

• Watch those green steps, they are very slippery.

• Feeding the pigeons is illegal,

• watch out for pick pockets, scams including very high restaurant prices, 

• Generally quite safe though.

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FOOD - 

• Venice has it's own cuisine, a lot of it based on the fresh seafood they get out of the lagoon.

• Try to avoid the tourist traps and eat where the locals do.

• Try Sarde in saor (Sardines in onions), 

• Spaghetti in nero di seppia (Black - squid ink - spaghetti with squid, there is also a risotto version ), 

• Fritto misto (mixed fried seafood), Baccala mantecato (dried cos paste), Tramezzino (sandwiches), Risi e bisi (rice and peas)

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NIGHTLIFE - 

• Not quite like Rome but still plenty of bars to keep you entertained.

• Don't forget to pop into Harry's Bar (another one of Hemmingway's favourites) for a Peach Bellini.

• There is a casino here if you've got any money left.

• You can enjoy a few after dinner drinks at the restaurants though they will be closed by 11 or 12. 

• Campo Santa Margherita is a bar lined square popular with the younger set. 

• Cannaregio has a stretch of bars along the canal front.

• There are a few Rooftop Bars around which are good for the sunset.

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COSTS - 

• Not good. Don't stay too long. The cheapest times to come are January to March and November to mid December.

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GETTING AROUND - 

• Walk a lot and use the vaporetto to go                                                                                        for a cheap cruise and to get around.

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MUST DO - 

• Have a Peach Bellini at Harry's Bar.

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SHOPPING - 

• Le Mercerie

• Salizada San Moisè 

• San Samuele

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