Magic Water City Venice – UNESCO World Heritage

Impressions of Venice

For a very famous place like Venice that is frequently mentioned in various works such as movies, TV series, and novels, I often don’t hold particularly high hopes. Because sometimes it is difficult to match the outstanding reputation for some over famous places.

When I went to Venice, I felt that I was not going to a new place to explore new things, but more like confirming whether it was consistent with what I had seen in films, news and novels. At the same time, I was very afraid of being disappointed.

But Venice is really special. Not only did it not disappoint me, but also I was even surprised that there are so many magical, charming and amazing sceneries in such a small city.

Arriving in Venice seems to be in a giant ship museum. There are all kinds of ships, large and small, in the canals and on the sea. The concept of water public transportation is brought to the extreme here, and the concept of land transportation is perfectly transformed to the water surface. Particularly, large and small boats are called public boats and taxi boats.

Visit Venice

The views in Venice

The views are very diversified when you walk around in Venice, this city known as a postcard is really well-deserved. Every corner is a beautiful scenery and the whole city is like a fairy tale world. In particular, such a special water city seems to exist only in dreams.

Venice has boats on the water, pedestrians and vehicles on the land, and birds in the sky. The three landscapes of sea, land and sky are integrated in an environment where ancient and modern times meet. These integrations and contrasts form its unique charm.

Walking through the alleys of Venice, passing through a canal from time to time, watching gondolas coming and going, I feel that people are both leisurely and busy. Generally, cities that go to the seaside have a feeling of reaching the end of the land, but Venice has made a perfect transition between the land and the sea, as if the land is slowly transitioning into the sea. Walking unhurriedly around Venice or gazing out from a boat is a unique experience either way.

Venice is very suitable for couples to visit and take pictures, and can leave many good memories. Venice is also a joy to visit alone, as it is a place to roam around as you please.

Some history about Venice

Some historians believe that original residents of Venice were refugees from northern Italy.  Venice developed during the 9th to the 12th centuries. Since 15 centuries, Venice had declined slowly.  Except lost in some important wars, particularly the population dropped radically because of Black Death of 1575-77 and Italian plague of 1629–31.

The English word “Quarantine” came from Italian words “quaranta giorni” (“forty days”) because ships needed to be in quarantine for 40 days before landing because of plague epidemics.

In 1987, UNESCO declared as World Heritage the Venice historical center of Venice that is composed by 118 small islands, and the lagoon where those islands lie.

Travel Tips

Accommodation

It is quite convenient to travel between various cities by train in Italy. I took the train from Bologna to Venezia Santa Lucia Railway Station (note: the Santa Lucia station is in the city center on island and not the one on the land, which is Venezia Mestre).

I booked a three-star hotel in the center of Venice Island on booking.com. The location of the hotel is very good so it is very convenient to go anywhere and to save a lot of time. Hotels in the center of Venice island are very expensive, but I booked the hotel very early so the price was ok.

Many tourist groups live in Mestre because the hotel prices there are much lower. But if you visit Venice alone, I suggest that it is more convenient to stay on the main island of Venice. Because you have to take transportation to reach the main island from Mestre, that is, it will take some time to go back and forth.

Transportation

It is convenient to buy a one-day pass in Venice, so that ships of various formats can be used. Thanks to the boats you can visit not only the main island but also some islands nearby that still belong to the municipality of Venice.

For example you can cross the island of San Michele that corresponds to the Venice cemetery, where the russian poet Iosif Brodsky and the russian composer Igor Stravinsky are buried. Furthermore, you can visit the island of San Giorgio Maggiore where the homonymous church locates. You can also visit the island of Murano that is world famous for its glass making.

Of course, many places are worth visiting on foot. You need to spend time in Venice to visit slowly because the fun of shuttling in the alleys of Venice is endless. Even sitting on a bench and looking around is a good way to relax. Especially when sitting facing the sea, watching different ships passing by, and watching seabirds circling in the sky, you will feel like walking into a world like a picturesque world.

Restaurants

Although the image of the Venetians is generally positive, there are also some negative descriptions in literary works. In addition to promoting business exchanges in the past, Venetian merchants were also famous for their greed in literary works. In reality, cheating tourists in Venice also happens from time to time.

When dining in a local restaurant in Venice, you need to check the price of the menu carefully in advance. Because the price clearly marked does not mean the price is cheap. Especially if the price is clearly marked, it is even more difficult to tell after being cheated. The consequences of not paying attention to the price of the menu caused by the sky-high bill can only be borne by yourself.

How to treat some unfriendly locals

Some Venetians are not very friendly, even rude. The locals have grown tired of too many tourists coming and going, so they have lost patience. Even the service industry sometimes is unfriendly to tourists. Some inner-city locals are exhausted from sleepless nights because of the noise of luggage wheels, not to mention tourists crowding boats with them on their way to work. The discontent of some locals occasionally erupt on some tourists.

Any city has its advantages and disadvantages. A small city like Venice bears the pressure of a large number of tourists every year. Some shortcomings are conceivable. Flaws do not conceal goodness, and the shortcomings of a city cannot erase its unique charm. Venice is a treasure city worth visiting because it has too many details to savor slowly.

The economic situation in the north of Italy is better than in the south. For an important tourist city in the north like Venice, tourism is one of the economic lifelines of the city. The relationship between Venice and tourists is complex and blended. The bustling and beautiful Venice attracts tourists from all over the world with its unique charm.

some books and films relate Venice

Books

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (1600)

Othello by William Shakespeare (1603)

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann (1912)

Q by Luther Blissett (1999)

Inferno by Dan Brown (2013)

The films below can be rented or bought

Author: Hua