Author: Veronica Scroccaro

Venice is famous for its little winding roads, the romantic atmosphere around the canals and a trip by gondola along sumptuous historical palaces – but there is another side to Venice.

In fact Venetians don’t move through the city on gondolas, they don’t live in palaces and their life takes place far from the touristic attractions and main sites such as St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal. They walk very fast and very much and they live in the two main areas far away from the tourism center: Santa Croce/ Dorsoduro and Castello/ Cannaregio. Most importantly, they deal with water every single day, and water in Venice does not mean only from the sea, it encompasses the fog, the humidity, the tides.

Therefore, my suggestion to experience Venice in its uniqueness, would be a visit during the low season, winter.

The winter in Venice is terribly humid and if you are lucky enough you will experience the high tide. For this the best season is between November and February. Venice is equipped for the high tide with gangways along the main streets. Nevertheless, for a real experience, and to feel like a local, go to the nearest shop/seller and get some rubber boots. Keep in mind that the height of the tide changes and therefore you may want to check the forecasts in order to understand how much of your leg you would like the boots to cover 😊

During Day Number One, surely enough you don’t want to miss the touristic places, especially Rialto Bridge, the market area, and St. Mark‘s Square.

If you are passionate about its history and would like to visit something unusual, you can visit the prison where Casanova spent part of his life. I also recommend the tour of the Ducal Palace named “Piombi,” you can book it online. It is very interesting although it gives access only to a very restricted number of people and to only limited sections of the Palace.

When you are done cruising around the area, head towards Rialto Bridge and try to look for the empty tiny streets that are far away from where people would commonly go. Indulge yourself in this little reality of almost unknown restaurants and activities in close proximity to the usual crowds yet seemingly far away from them.

Once you have crossed Rialto Bridge stop and explore the area on your right, once upon a time the red-light district of the “Serenissima” Republic scattered with taverns and inns.

Once you are done with exploring this neighborhood, head towards the fish market, then cross the little bridge (Ponte de le Beccarie) and indulge your senses in the small roads, canals but also the tiny gardens that are just next to you, hidden from sight or passers-by, realizing the emptiness and almost silence of these streets against the turmoil of the crowd left behind.

Your next stop is “San Giacomo Dell’Orio.” This is a little quiet square where you can find some nice and good restaurants for either lunch or dinner. The price varies depending on the items. Typical dishes are fish-based but seasonal. Some of them are crab based (masenete, moleche, granceola, gamberi a la busera) or you may try the traditional codfish appetizer (bacala mantecato).

For the second day, you may decide to head towards San Polo or Santa Margherita. The latter is the very young and “lively” part of the city: located next to the well-known Ca’ Foscari University and it hosts mostly students and locals, therefore do as Venetians do and have an Aperol Spritz or a Crodino at one of the bars in the square. The average price is around 2 Euros.

For the afternoon you may wish to visit the Galleria dell’Accademia, just 15 minutes walking from “Santa Margherita” square and perhaps ending your trip having a pizza at the “Zattere”. Here you can experience once more the magic of Venice, enjoying the lights of the palaces on the water of the Giudecca Canal.

Bring your rubber boots and walk by the right side of the streets…Enjoy Venice!