The beauty of Venezia

Boats parked along the canal of Murano Island.Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, The Italian Job, James Bond: Casino Royale and The Tourist have one thing in common – the films are all set in Venice, one of the most popular cities in Italy.

For many years, Venice, with its exhilarating scenery and uniqueness, has been an enchanting destination not only for millions of tourists but also for filmmakers.

Located on the northeast coast of Italy and made up of 121 islets linked by 435 bridges, Venice has long been one of the top destinations in Italy, famous for its small yet traffic-free streets and its winding canals.

Right in front of the Santa Lucia train station, the Grand Canal, the ‘main street’ of Venice, fascinatingly cuts through the city center. Follow the signs and let your feet take you to fine attractions in the city. Most of the signposts will lead you to Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark’s Square) and the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge).

Piazza San Marco, which is the main square of Venice, is surrounded by fancy stores and sidewalk cafes and restaurants.

The Basilica di San Marco (Saint Mark’s Cathedral) with its Romanesque-Byzantine architecture stands beautifully tall in the center of the square, boasting five cupolas built in the 10th Century to house the body of St. Mark the Evangelist.

Climb up to the bell-tower — and former lighthouse — adjacent to the basilica to get a view of Piazza San Marco.

Next to the cathedral, there is the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), once the political and judicial hub of the Venetian administration until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. Make a stop at the Rialto Bridge, the main bridge crossing the Grand Canal which is over 400 years old.

Near the bridge, check out the district of mercati di Rialto, a lively food market that opens from morning to afternoon and offers fresh produce like fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers.

Lots of little souvenir shops can also be found around the area, selling attractive yet colorful carnival masks, lacy wide-brimmed hats, wooden Pinocchio-like key chains, t-shirts with “I Love Venice” printed on them as well as soccer merchandise, such as jerseys, banners and scarves.

When my friends found out about my recent visit to Venice, the first question that popped up was: “Did you go around the city by gondola?”

Their jaws dropped when I mentioned the fee to rent a gondola. Gondolas are often regarded as a romantic form of transportation, but they are actually mostly rented by tourists. In day-time, the fare for a gondola ride is ¤80 for a 40-minute trip with a maximum of six people per gondola. An additional 20 minutes will cost you ¤20 more.

The fee climbs at night as the gondola operators will charge around ¤100. The services during the gondola trip, such as singing and telling the history of Venice and Venetians, will make you dig deeper into your pocket for more euros.

Instead of spending ¤80 on a gondola ride, I decided to take the vaporetto or water bus, the main public transportation in Venice in the form of boats that cruise the principal waterways. At a cost of ¤18, you can make the most of your 24 hours exploring the city by water.

Take the #1 vaporetto, which goes along Canal Grande (Grand Canal) from the ferrovia (train station) and makes many stops, to get a good overview of the city.

Along the way, you can catch a glimpse of beautiful yet unique buildings, such as the Fontego dei Truchi and Museo di Storia Naturale (palace and museum of natural history), the Casino di Venezia (Venice casino), the Fontego dei Tedeschi (German warehouse) and the church of Santa Maria della Salute.

In crowded quarters, you will notice a number of street vendors offering cheap branded bags like Gucci, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Prada, laid out simply on canvas on the cobbled streets. Don’t get tempted because they are mostly illegal vendors selling ersatz goods.

Many street vendors play cat-and-mouse with local police as they sell fake fashion items to tourists while struggling to avoid fines for selling counterfeits.

Visitors swarm Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square), surrounded by Procuratie Nuove (the “new” Procurators building) and Basilika di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica) and the Campanile di San Marco (Belltower of St. Mark’s).Purchasing phony designer items could see you facing prosecution with fines of thousands of euros, cleaning out your bank account before you even wrap up your vacation. Venice might have many magnificent museums and lively squares, but one of the best things to do is to take some time wandering along the canals off the beaten track.

Make sure to spend some time on some of its islands, further away from the main tourist spots. One of the islands is Lido, a beach resort since the 19th Century with its villas and hotels, tree-lined avenues and some interesting spots like the Jewish Cemetery, the Fort of Sant’Andrea and the church of San Nicolò di Lido.

Take a vaporetto to Murano, home to the long and thriving traditional glass-blowing industry. Wandering around the island you will find dozens of shops displaying hand-crafted blown glass artifacts such as jewelry, accessories, goblets, sculptures and other art objects. Find out the history of Venetian glass at the glass museum, which has a collection of decorated objects and glass produced between the 15th Century and the present day.

Travel notes

• Getting around: The best way to get to Venice is by train, which stops at the Santa Lucia train station. From the station you can wander around the city on foot. If you decide to come by plane, you will arrive at the Marco Polo Airport. From the airport you can either take a bus or boat.

It tends to be difficult to get around Venice for people with reduced mobility, parents pushing baby buggies and visitors carrying luggage.

Many people opt for taking a one-day trip to Venice and deposit their luggage at Santa Lucia instead of staying overnight in the city even though one day is actually not enough to explore Venice, especially if you want to visit some islets.

For those who want to stay for more than one day, it is recommended to choose accommodation near the bus or train station and not to carry heavy luggage.

• Still want to go for a gondola ride? If you aren’t traveling in groups, you can share with other tourists since a gondola can accommodate up to six people.

• Note that there is a regular phenomenon in Venice called acqua alta (high water), which may occur in autumn and winter. It is a combination of tide and strong wind which can cause a large inflow of water into the Venetian Lagoon.

• Want to enjoy a peaceful Venice where there are no tourists roaming around? Wake up early in the morning when the shops are still closed and residents begin to go to work.

• Churches require a dress code for visitors. Dress properly – no mini skirts, shorts or camisoles if you want to enter a church. Or, bring a cardigan or scarf to cover your thighs and shoulders.