My wife and I are traveling to Venice and since I'm a photographer I'd love to wander the back streets -- er, uh canals -- to capture the quite beauty of the city.
Can anyone suggest the best neighborhood or area where we should head?
Thanks for any help!
No, not really. Just be prepared to put some miles in rambling through this great city. You might try to head to the farthest parts of the city from St. Marks Square.
As always, choosing the time of the day is important so you can take the photos in the best light of the day.
If you have control of the days you're going to be there, you might try to visit the days when fewer cruise ships are anchored.
See if you set something up with Alessandro Schezzini. http://www.schezzini.it/
Tour No 2 The "Off Beat"
Thanks for the replies! David, I've already booked our days, but where can I check which days are cruise ship days?
Basically, any place away from the Ferrovia/Rialto/San Marco pathways. But, a few specific suggestions on where to wander...
San Polo--roughly north from the Frari or Campo San Polo to Campo San Giacomo Dell'orio, then west towards Ponte Scalzi.
Cannaregio--basically the whole west-to-east length of the sestieri that is north of Rio della Misericordia, then all the way through the northernmost part of Castello. Pass through Campo San Francesco della Vigna, then head southeast towards the Arsenale. Then wander back to Campo Santa Maria Formosa.
Dorsoduro--start at Campo San Trovaso, head west towards Chiesa San Nicolo dei Mendicoli. Then, work your way roughly north and east towards Campo San Pantalon.
Also, head to Sant'Elena, at the extreme eastern end of Castello. Although the paths here aren't as old and windy as the older parts of Venice, you won't see many other people.
Go to Burano and Torcello if you can. Eric's suggestions are great, also the area around the public gardens.
The ports.cruisett.com website lists ships in port and their capacity. Scroll down on the webpage I've linked and click on the port. (For some reason there are separate listings for Venezia and Venice, so you'll need to check those separately.) Select the month of your visit, and a day-by-day list of ships in port will appear. Click on one of the ships for your your first target date and look for the entry for your port. The "Port Load" column will give you the total capacity of the ships in port that day. Repeat the process for the other days of your visit.
I just spot checked, and figures approaching 11,500 popped up for Venice. And practically all those passengers will be strung out between the Rialto Bridge and St. Marks!
Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio is my favorite campo in Venice, and wondering San Polo's twisted calle and rios is very rewarding.
Much of Cannareggio in contrast is less interesting to me, due to the long straight sidewalks and wider canals. It is good for running if you want to get some exercise, but just not as scenic as San Polo.
But the area around Chiesa Santa Maria dei Miracoli is nice, and the little church itself is lovely.
http://www.chorusvenezia.org/en/church-of-santa-maria-dei-miracoli
I go out of my way to walk past it whenever I can. And The walk from there over to Campo Santissimi Giovanni e Paolo is another good one.
Oh man, what a lot of great suggestions! I'm glad I asked.
Thanks to all!
Here is another website for cruise ships at Venice:
http://crew-center.com/venice-italy-port-cruise-ship-calendar-2016
Basically they come in almost every day. Most arrive in the morning, disgorge the passengers, and depart in the evening. They tend to use certain well-trodden routes around San Marco and Rialto in groups following a guide holding up an umbrella. You will rarely see them in San Polo, Dorsoduro, or other areas well away from San Marco.
When we spent a month there last October, it became out nightly ritual to go up on our rooftop terrace ( Altana) at 6 pm to listen to the church bells and bid "good riddance" to the huge ships.
I neglected to mention another favorite scenic spot---Punta del Dogana, at the tip of Dorsoduro, with great views across to San Marco.
The garden of Palazzo Soranzo Cappello, Santa Croce 770, Rio Marin
This is the garden described in "Tha Aspern Papaer", the novel by Henry James. The building itself houses administrative offices, but during normal working hours the public are allowed to enter. Enter through the garden gate, but if it is closed, just walk in through the main doors, unlock the door leading to the garden and the place is yours.
The garden is very romantic, you can see photos if you google. Palazzo soranzo cappello. We have visited a few times, and mostly we were the only people in there.
I neglected to mention another favorite scenic spot---Punt del Dogana, at the tip of Dorsoduro, with great views across to San Marco.
And waving good-bye to the cruise ships.
Also, sunrise over the lagoon. Venice is often misty in the hours around dawn.
Venice is a great place to just wander and find your own back streets too. Definitely get out in the early morning hours - not only is the light great but places are deserted.
