How Venice Lived up to my Expectations: The Real Floating City

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There are few places more photographed, more renowned for their beauty than Venice. High expectations are unavoidable. You may think you know exactly what Venice has to offer. Could it disappoint you?

In Part One of this post I describe my own expectations of the floating city: Does Venice live up to the hype? The reality of dream destinations.

So how did it measure up?

Photo Op Heaven

Venice is beautiful, an intricate, perfectly formed masterpiece. That is my official line on the matter. No matter what else it does or doesn’t offer, the beauty is indisputable.

Enter by boat, leave the rest of the world behind and see this mystical floating island. It simply must be seen. It is completely unique, totally different from anywhere else in Italy, or the world. Visiting during Carnival truely makes you feel like you’re not just entering another world, but stepping back in time. My first images of Venice were seeing women decked in full Georgian gowns stepping onto the dock of an imposing palazzo for a masquerade ball. Wow!

Love at first sight

The moment you first lay eyes on Venice, as you float down the Grand Canal, lights glittering on the water, is so special. You are actually in that magical place you have only ever seen in photographs. Even as that moment fades Venice has a surprise round every corner and over every bridge.

Venice does make you reach for your camera at every turn. I longed to capture it all – not only the canals and palazzos but the tiny, adorable sotoportegos (covered streets) and narrow calles (streets).

Naturally, using Google Maps and taking a gazzillion pictures on an old iPhone means at some point it will decide to die on you. There is nothing that will make anxiety claw at your chest more than being in the most photogenic city in the world with no camera. (Thus my main tip for Venice is buy a paper map and take an actual camera… or just have a better phone than me!)

I was almost afraid to keep wandering in case I saw something so beautiful that I could not capture in a photo. However, technology disasters can be blessings in disguise! Sometimes the only way you will put away your phone and look up more is if it actually dies on you. So maybe let your phone die, let your feet guide you and absorb the beauty solely through your eyes and not a lense – even just for half an hour!

Ciao!

Ah shyness, nerves and solo travel, what a cocktail! I was so excited to use Italian again but it took me a while to build my confidence up – both in general and in speaking another language.

I found in Venice there was a mixture of people who would speak English and people who would speak Italian to you. There certainly seemed few who did not speak any English! Usually I attempted some Italian and occasionally the conversation broke down into English when I didn’t understand something!

Anyway I did my best – after not having practiced or spoke Italian for almost a year. It’s almost more frustrating being in a place where you know some of the language just not all – particularly when shyness holds you back. One of the things I am trying to learn on my solo travels is not to be too hard on myself – travelling solo as a shy introvert is a big challenge! I cannot expect huge confidence from myself all the time!

I found the people of Venice to be less overtly friendly and enthusiastic than the relaxed holiday resorts of Lake Garda and the Amalfi Coast. A very different sort of Italian to what I’m used to! But then it is a city after all. I must shout out to the lovely man from Panificio Pasticceria Garbo in Burano who told me I spoke very nice Italian!

All in all it reminded me how much I adore the Italian language and how I need to spend longer trips there to really improve!

Is This The Real Life?

Even in February the city was stuffed with tourists with many Italian tourists also there for the carnival.

I loved wandering the quieter streets away from busy Piazza San Marco and Rialto. I always catch myself looking to the locals, going about their work and lives, and wonder what they’re thinking – if they’re wishing everyone would just leave them in peace. I’m a very self-conscious tourist! I live in such a quiet place, nobody ever bothers me or takes pictures of my house or street! I cannot imagine what it is like for them.

Sadly, I didn’t have time to explore the Cannaregio sestiere, hailed as being the most authentic part of Venice. The closest moment of authenticity was grabbing some cicchetti from Osteria Al Squero on Fondamenta Nani where young Italians (and some other tourists) pack the narrow street outside and drink spritz by the canal.

Even in the most local places servers switch seamlessly between Italian and English. There seems to be no corner tourism hasn’t touched. More digging needed!

Is This Just Fantasy?

Venice is already a surreal, whimsical, fantasy land, so throw in some Carnival madness and it takes the city to another level.

The Carnival definitely lived up to my expectations. It’s a fantastic time to see the city, especially for the first time!

I didn’t realise just how many people walking around in costume there would be! I didn’t have a ticket to any grand balls and I’d decided against splashing out on a costume myself, so part of me wondered if I would really feel part of the Carnival experience. Truth is, you don’t need to spend hundreds of extra euros to enjoy the carnival (although I imagine those masquerade balls would be incredible!!) You can watch parades, snap photos of mesmerising (and occasionally terrifying) costumes, and even buy a handmade mask to join in!

If you want to see Venice with a little extra sparkle, this is the time to go!

Crowds?

I walked out the door of my B&B first thing and enjoyed serene streets and even the Ponte dell’Academia was quiet but by the time I reached San Marco the crowds were swelling.

My only moment of crowd rage was when I got stuck in a tightly packed crowd waiting for the Flight of the Angel in Piazza San Marco – hello claustrophobia! – but I gradually edged my way to the more relaxed fringes.

The area around the Rialto Bridge was definitely my least favourite. So many people rammed into a narrow space! At least in Piazza San Marco you have a little more room for the crowd to fill.

Crowds is one of the main things people complain about in Venice, but all you need to do is find a hotel in a quieter area, dip in and quickly out of the busier areas and visit out of peak season!

Honestly Venice in February was fine but I cannot imagine competing with cruise ship crowds in the summer months! Do you really want to have all that beauty hidden by crowds? Whack on a coat and enjoy the (relative) quiet!

Gondola for One?

It is true, the sheer beauty of the city makes for many romantic moments: sunset boat rides, lamplight twinkling on the canals. Too good to share I say! Plus you can guarantee your man would not get the prettiness of Venice. It’s a really girlie place – perfect to soak up solo! The tourists were a mixture of families as well as couples so no problems being grossed out by lots of smooching!

Going on a solo adventure to Venice might seem like an unusual choice but why not? Why should certain destinations be the monopoly of couples?

Getting Lost

Ha ha big surprise I got lost many times in Venice! It’s one of those places where if you wander aimlessly you will end up at places you want to visit but if you try to find somewhere you will walk around in circles for half an hour first. The Libreria Acqua Alta comes to mind! I could see it on the map, I knew where I needed to go, but could I find it? No.

Even when you take a route you’ve walked several times successfully you can still go very wrong. In Venice one wrong turn and you can find yourself nearly on the other side of the island. T

How to get lost in style

• Accept that you will get lost.
• Embrace it and enjoy the places you stumble upon.
• Dont panic (even if you’ve got blisters, your phones dying and every bridge starts to look the same).
• Look up and take note of your surroundings rather than relying on google maps.

Food Thoughts

I wouldn’t pick Venice as the place to eat in Italy. It was a mixed bag food-wise. My highlight was Al Vecio Marangon which had great style and ambience and delicious tagliatelle. The cicchetti I tried didn’t really live up to my expectations but then having eaten tons of tapas in Barcelona last year perhaps it is a tough comparison!

Anyway I wasn’t really visiting Venice for the food so as long as your expectations aren’t too high you will find something to enjoy.

So did Venice Steal My Heart?

In the most important ways Venice definitely lived up to my expectations and almost stole my heart. As my second solo trip and in my beloved Italy – where I’ve already left pieces of my heart – it did have a lot to live up to! Perhaps it lacked the authentic, lived-in feel of Barcelona or the wide open natural landscapes of sea and beach I crave. But I think the real difference is I didn’t have enough experiences there that went beyond the surface level. The places that touch us most usually do so because of the people we meet along the way.

There is no doubting the beauty, charm and elegance of Venice and nothing can match the moment you first lay your eyes upon it.

Venice is much more than the tick list tourist attractions. Wander narrow streets away from the crowds and really appreciate the beauty that lays before you. Keep your eyes open and get lost for a while.

Beautiful, challenging (to your sense of direction) and otherworldly, Venice is not without its imperfections but nothing worth having is ever easy. Crowds and maze-like streets can bewilder – but a little bewilderment is surely worth experiencing the wonder and majesty of Venice.