Trip report - Venice and Carnevale (very long, sorry)

Posted by Chani (Tel Aviv) on 04/24/10 11:04 AM

My second visit to Venice, and it was as romantic and beautiful as I had remembered, though the weather was truly February, drizzling and chilly for 3 of my 4 days there.

I arrived late in the evening and the night clerk promptly saw me to my room, carrying my bag up the 51 steps to a quirky single room, down 3 steps to the bed (and balcony overlooking a back canal), or up 4 steps to the bath.

Friday morning started with a good breakfast, sitting in the dining room looking out the picture window at the lagoon (I was on the Fondamente de la Zattere in the Dorsoduro). It was a 5 minute walk to the Accademia vaporetto stop, but I had just missed one, so I walked another 15 minutes to the Piazza and the Doge's Palace, for the Secret Itineraries Tour, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and though I imagine it would be very, very hot in the summer months, it was really cold throughout the Palace. At the end I discovered that the toilets were heated. I had a very nice panini and glass of wine at the cafeteria on the premises, and the prices were not exhorbitant (just normal Venetian high). I quite enjoyed the audio guide as I wented through the rest of the Palace. I spent the rest of the day happily wandering the back ways of the city, in the rain.

Saturday morning I went to the Sephardi synagogue in the Ghetto, a beautiful place inside. I highly recommend taking the tour (not available on Saturdays) of the Ghetto and seeing the synagogues, all beautiful, all different. From the street, you wouldn't imagine there was anything to see at all. The rest of the day I just walked around, enjoying all the costumes, face-painting and goings-on, including a yummy cup of vino santo - though I looked for more, on subsequent days, I never found any.

Posted by Chani OP

Tel Aviv

04/24/10 11:04 AM

15791 posts

Sunday was the official beginning of Carnevale, and the sun shone on the city. I took the vaporetto from my hotel, with a wonderful view of the Grand Canal and the Piazza from the lagoon. Tons of people, and gorgeous costumes, all gathering for the opening ceremony in the Piazza. Wanting to avoid the crowds, even at the cost of missing the show, I went to the Correr Museum. I could not have planned it better. All the windows of the Museum overlook the Piazza and I had wonderful views of the stage and the processions. After the show was over I spent a couple of hours in the museum. I had bought the San Marco museum pass, 3 museums plus the Doge's Palace. The 3 museums are in one building, you just go from room to room, not really knowing when you leave one and enter another. Fabulous collections, well worth a visit.

I had heard that Venice is crowded during Carnevale, but until Sunday afternoon, the numbers of people had been similar to my previous trip in "shoulder season." But everybody was out walking now, around San Marco, it was shoulder-to-shoulder, at the same pace as everyone, no slower, no faster, just waves of people, with pedestrian traffic jams at every "intersection." One group of Italians next to me (about half the tourists were Italian) said it was like walking in a Sicilian funeral.

Monday was sunny too, and the crowds had completely disappeared. I popped into a couple of beautiful churches on the way (walking again) to the Piazza, arriving at the Basilica just before 11.30, to see it all floodlit. There was only a very short line, and surprisingly, everyone inside was taking photos and no one was admonished. I spent the rest of the day wandering and taking more photos of the costumes before picking up my bag and going to the train station and on to Ravenna.