The great economic (see “Merchant of Venice”) and military (see “Othello”) power of renaissance Italy that gave birth to Marco Polo and Antonio Vivaldi is a beacon for tourism today. As the city sinks, frazzled day-trippers (like us) quickly devour the sights before it will be submerged. An island like Hong Kong, but with canals like veins to outrival Amsterdam or Bangkok many times over, this legendary city of the water remains a sight to surprise despite all the buzz. It is a tourist’s mecca with only 60,000 inhabitants, decreasing still from the inflated prices of demand-supply imbalance.
Grand Canal
Buramo
Da Ramano
32€, risotto for two person
Escape the hordes with a trip to Buramo, a 40-minute boat ride (6.5€ each way, starting at Venice-F.te Nuove) through the Adriatic that touches down in the many other islands surrounding the city. Buramo itself is touristy enough, but homely from the box-of-crayon monopoly-houses that lure fishermen in. Da Ramano, the risotto aficionado that welcomed such artsy-folk as Matisse and Hemingway, alone is enough reason to go. The crayfish risotto, caviar black from the ink, is a perfectly flowing al-dente with a sweet tingle. It is the best risotto I have ever had.
Traffic Jam
In Venice, it helps to stray aimlessly through the claustrophobic alleyways and escape the caffeine-wired, picture-snapping tourists and the crappy knick-knack shops in their following. The cold, stinky sea-chilled air has a mind of its own, regulating the hot sun-draped island. It navigates though the alleyways too narrow to fit an umbrella, under arches made for midgets better than you or Google Maps can. At night, these imposing architectural features make for a spine-chilling race out of Venice – a maze full of dead ends and sketchy characters.
Alle Testiere
Alle Testiere
The holy grail of Venice is Piazza San Marco, an open tract of land with the famed Campanile and St. Mark’s basilica. Scores of uniformed Gondoliers, though conspicuously missing the red scarf, sell the over-expensive yet essential ride though the canals of Venice (60€ for 30 minutes). At night, the young (and not-so-young) congregate either at Campo Santa Margherita or Campo Santo Stefano. For students, best is probably Il Caffè, an easy-to-find spot for the most disorientated.
Santa Maria della Salute
For some classy dining, Alle Testiere is tiny outgrowth with top-notch food. You are squeezed into a corner to enjoy cheese-stuffed ravioli with perky tomatoes and lavish swordfish for 20€. And surprisingly for Italy, bread, water and cover are all free. Gelato and cafés are ubiquitous and perfect for a break from the walking required to traverse this bridge-infested island.
Venice is a city worth seeing and experiencing. The crisscrossing scrawny roads, tourist packs and reliance on walking can be angering at times. But it is substantially different that words cannot supplant experience. It won’t go down that easily.