We have a very short visit (3 1/2 days) to Venice. Rick's book has suggestions on time allotment for several sites, but does not have time allotment to visit Frari Church (1 hour listed in book),
Scola San Rocco,
Galleria dell' Accademia,
Santa Maria della Salute or
Church of San Zaccaria.
I would appreciate advice on how long I should allot for visiting these sites and possibly time allotment to walk to the first four sites listed starting at the Frari Church. Thank you! Grazie mille!
Posted by
Bendigo, Australia
1305 posts
I really like the Frari, because of the interesting monuments. Doge Pesaro, Canova, Titian, plus there is, mounted on the LHS towards the front, a small bomb that fell on the Frari in 1917 and failed to explode. An hour does it, maybe a bit less.
The Salute, for me, is a bit “meh”. Yes, big, awe inspiring but does not grab me. Half an hour tops.
San Zacharia is great, if you visit do get the ticket to the crypt; it floods at high water, giving a mirror like view. An hour tops.
San Rocco, I can’t comment. I know I have visited, but can’t remember. I guess that says something.
The Accademia needs at least two or three hours to skim the surface. The Feast at the House of Levi is one of Venice’s great works.
Getting around. First, yo need a paper map; phone maps in Venice are poor at best.
Each of your places of interest are about 20 to 30 minutes walk, if you do not tarry. San Zach is the exception.
From the Salute, either walk back and cross the Grand Canal at Academia and walk to San Zach via San Marco, and that’s an hour or so. Otherwise get the No 1 vaporetto from Salute to San Zacharia, about a 10 minute voyage, and then a five to ten minute walk to S. Zacharia.
Posted by
Washington DC
28584 posts
I remember being annoyed I had left San Rocco so late in the day, because I had to rush and missed some things. However, I was taking pictures of a lot of decorative elements, especially the floor, and I am sure I spent more time there than most would. Be aware that there are multiple floors to see, so you may think you're finished before you really are. I'm really bad at judging how much time others might spend at a location; I think I would have been OK with 1-1/2 hours.
The thing about walking around Venice is that there are all those little side canals. You need a bridge to cross each one, and there may be only one bridge available. There's not always a sidewalk running the full length of the canal. If you're not just enjoying yourself, wandering around, it's important to head in the right direction and toward a bridge. Otherwise, you'll sometimes end up at the canal you want to cross but have to double back to get access to the bridge you need. Plotting a route that minimizes the number of bridges to be crossed often will save time as well as energy.
Although I don't do it myself in Venice, you could ask Google to plot a walking route for you before leaving your hotel in the morning. I can't guarantee you'll always have connectivity as you walk around Venice; the narrow streets with 4+ story buildings on both sides are a challenge for cellular signals.
Posted by
OP
32 posts
Thank you for your insights!