Venice

One of a kind city, Venice is a magical place. Both mysterious and romantic, it became an obvious destination for all the lovers of the world. In an instant, you are transported to a different way of living which dates back to centuries ago. Just by looking around, it will take your breath away.

My Venitian Tale

Train stations are usually the least welcoming areas in most cities but Venice manages to change even that negative perception. When we got off our train from Milan, we stepped out onto a plaza which looks surreal. It was at the end of the afternoon and buildings were bathing in this warm golden light, gondolas and vaporettos were crossing paths on the canal. Our jaws literally dropped and we took a minute to enjoy the view. Thankfully, it was not rush hour and we were able to take our time rather than be pushed by the rush of tourists.

It really does look like a magical place that has emerged from the lagoon. And the extreme fascination and intense tourism may come from the fact that our collective unconscious knows that Venice is ephemeral.

Being one of the most popular destinations on the planet and being a small island in the middle of a lagoon sure means trouble in paradise for those who wish to discover this unique place.

Rule number one should be to avoid high seasons. I would certainly not come here on a hot summer day because even if you have decided to enjoy the Dolce Vita, hordes of tourists rushing through Venice for the day-visit, part of an express tour of Italy, certainly did not make that same relaxing and enjoyable commitment. You want to take your time but you do not want your time to be ruined by the popularity of Venice.

Our stay in Venice took place in early April. We pretty much lucked out on every level. Perfect sunny weather and it had a relatively quiet off season feel. We did not plan to go in a specific period to be honest. I knew we would have to take chances in regards to the weather and infamous tides (that can badly flood the city several times a year). Then again, it’s part of the adventure right? Go for it, hope for the best or make the best of what you have.

Important travel trip: "Always lower your expectations of a place that you have seen on TV, in movies/documentaries and that is overly shared on social media. Trust no one but your instinct when it comes to travelling."

Venice can be a young beast. If you let yourself be carried away by the flow of touristy things, you may end up very disappointed by your experience. However, once you take the road less travelled, Venice can turn into this gentle old lady and everything turns into full bliss. When traveling, you have to learn how to connect to the right energy of the city.

Let go of expectations and plans, and open yourself to what the city offers you.

Romance and magic have one thing in common: if you want to make the intention last and you want to make the action brief. Venice is best enjoyed over a period of 3 full days max. You can come back again but do not forget that Venice is an elegant lady and she may not want you to stare at her for too long or stick around for more time than necessary. Respect that and she will reveal her beauty … try otherwise and she will turn on you. You always want to leave some “unanswered questions" to anything magical right?

You can enjoy Venice by walking around; it sure is a beautiful place with lots of amazing things to discover. The way I see Venice is a little different. For me, Venice is this rich trading city where merchants built lavish palaces to host decadent parties. My plan was to be in full dolce vita mode which meant drinking an abundance of cappuccinos and a few aperol spritz watching the sunset. Even though I do not really drink, who can refuse an Aperol on the canal of venice at sunset?

Should you enjoy an overpriced cappuccino piazza San Marco? The answer is yes! 20 euros may be a high price to pay for a coffee and some frosted milk but where I am from, people already pay high prices if they go to Starbucks for some expensive ice, sugar and canned whipped cream. Just see this small investment as part of the overall cost of your trip. And just enjoy the sunshine looking at the busy plaza, listening to one of the live bands along the cafés. Just do not sit front row as it is not the best seat one can get. People will stop and step on your feet to take a photo or a video of the live band your expensive cappuccino is paying for. So unless you enjoy looking at tourist's waste … sit back, you’ll get a better view of San Marco.

The highlights of this trip for me were connected to food (and cappuccinos). That is all I wanted to do and that is all I did. I know Palaces can be intimidating but always dress casual/chic and all will be fine. The Gritti Palace sure is one exceptional place. The rooms may start at 1300 euros and go all the way up to 10K and more … but you may be surprised to see that the cost of food can be relatively close to any touristic restaurant around. Only here you will have an experience like no other.

The restaurant on the canal is ideal for lunch, the view, the service, the food, it’s just perfection. Try the souflé … and if you want to enjoy the same view, the same service and the same food with a more relaxed atmosphere, the gorgeous Riva Café is right next to it and to me, it is the most exceptional spot in venice to chill and come for Aperol Spritz sunset served with snacks after 7pm.

The Gritti Palace is a destination in itself.

I would totally be OK to come to venice for a couple of days and just stay here, being transported by boat to and from the Palace.

In our quest for the perfect cappuccino spot, we were lucky enough to have discovered a hidden treasure. The terrace of the Bauer Hotel overlooking the grand canal. When walking by the building on the street side, you would think it looks more like a giant post office or typical administrative building than a Palace. This part was the less aesthetically pleasing extension of the palace whereas the beautiful part is facing the canal. Once you cross its lobby all the way to a small double glass door leading to a small bar, you’ll finally get to the grand terrace of Bar Canale. The giant statue facing the Santa Maria Basilica and the gondolas passing makes this spot a must see. Here, ou can enjoy food and of course

a delicious cappuccino with a complementary “fighting pigeon device”

in order to keep your table “pigeon attack free”. Yes, Venice is in a rather comical battle with pigeons vs food. When here a long bamboo stick will be your personal device (do not worry just waving it will have the birds turn around) the Gritti Palace has opted for a more radical device a "florescent water gun” that the waiters will not be afraid to use to protect you. Those pigeons are reckless and they will dive on your table face first sending your 20 euros Aperol flying across the table, to snack on a peanut.

Seagulls do eat too and even though they are not likely to attack terraces they may ( but I have not seen any doing that) I sure saw a tourist being deprived of his sandwich right from his mouth while casually crossing piazza San Marco. And you do not want a giant seagull fighting your face for two slices of bread and some ham. First you’ll lose your budget lunch (and will have to get another one. It will end up costing you the price of a pizza sitting down somewhere) but also you have everyone around you taking photos and filming your attack. Unless people are kind to airdrop you the material after, I do not think it is worth the experience.

There are still parts of Venice that are quiet and feel far away from tourists.

The city is divided into districts. San Marco and San Polo are the heart of the action. If you move further south across the grand canal, you’ll discover Dorsoduro. A quiet, beautiful area pointing to the east. It is known as the best walking area of the city mostly because it is further away from the big center of attractions but certainly still in the beauty of this city. You can find some affordable hotels here and if you do not want to walk all the time (even though the Ponte Dell'Accademia is a beautiful spot overlooking the grand canal) you can make the most of the only gondola crossing the canal directly--a smaller connection. Each ride is 2 euros and it connect the The Gritti Palace (how convenient) to a narrow street leading to the Basilica Di Santa Maria.

Today the number of locals has fallen down to fewer than 55,000 and keeps dropping every day … while the number of tourists keeps on growing to reach more than 20 million visitors a year last year. So what are the best survival options for Venice? Will Venice really be transformed into an amusement park like destination, with restrictions in numbers of daily visitors?

Will Venice decide to go back to its lagoon origins, before we can change her mind? As much as we try to protect this lady, it is up to her to decide what she can handle.

When I photograph a city in black and white it feels like I am capturing its soul.

"Campanile di San Marco"

"The 20 Euros Cappucino"

The way we experience the world around us is a direct reflection of the world within us.

"Masquerade"

"O Sole Mio"

"Bridge of Sighs"

"Paper Mache Faces"

Pigeon fighting device and cappucino at the Bauer

Aperol time at The Gritti Palace

Chic Tip: Water Taxis over gondola rides!

Murano

in 1291, the Venetian Republic ordered glassmakers to move their foundries to Murano because the glassworks represented a fire danger in Venice, whose buildings were mostly wooden at the time and in order to preserved its craftmanship. If today a non compete agreement would most likely be ebough, back then Glassmakers weren't allowed to leave the area. Risking being assassinated or having their hands cut off.

Murano is slowly dying and visitors (once probably considered spies) are welcome. Photography or filming may be forbidden in some showrroms in a last attempts to preserve an industry under siege.

A visit to Murano will only take a couple of hours of your day if you wish to see one of the last remaining glass masters in action during the week.

Is Venice Sinking?

Based on the fact that nothing lasts forever, Venice is slowly going back into the lagoon where she rose from. Sadly, Venice is slowly fading away and it is not an urban legend. Venice is truly drowning.

Usually, the prt of the city floods from October until late winter: a phenomenon called acqua alta. If St Mark’s Square does indeed get flooded, 90% of the rest of the city remains above water.

Since 2000 there were more highest-category floods recorded than in the preceding 50 years. Severe acqua alta events have been known to cover nearly the entire city, with homes and businesses throughout Venice having to be evacuated.

It’s the result of changes in the way the lagoon has been managed. The volume of motor-powered traffic on Venice’s canals has doubled. The foundations of more than 60% of the buildings on the Grand Canal have been damaged by the wash from the water buses and barges, and the situation has worsen since Venice became one of the Mediterranean’s biggest ports for cruise ships.

As we finalize this issue, a cruise ship lost control and slammed into the dock. I really hope this will be a wake up call for Italian officials who turned a blind eye to this problem.

As I encourage people to visit Venice, I also urge people to be responsible tourists, and in this case it means avoiding vacationing on those gigantic ships cruising in front of San Marco. It is time to ban them for good.

We can’t turn away from climate change, social consequences and political choices that are shaping the fate of our planet. The Mediterranean Sea is expected to rise by up to 140 centimetres (over four feet) in the next century. Studies have warned that Venice will be underwater by 2100.