My husband and I are taking our children to Venice for two days. We want to spend less time doing touristy attractions and more local things. We would like to see a Gondola being built or spend time away from the city center. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Please be specific.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
rowing lessons at rowvenice.org
walk along the canareggio canal
Maybe a visit to one of the less populated islands (eg, Torcello)?
Also, joy rides through the canals by vaporetto can be enjoyable.
From your Munich post, I gather that your 4 kids are aged 19, 15, and 8 (twins). Venice can be a good place to let them do the navigating - whether reading signs to the tourist spots or turning away from those and letting them get you as lost as possible. After all, you're on an island and can't get off.
Rick's Venice guidebook mentions 2 workshops where you can see smaller boat parts being carved; see p. 333 or http://www.paolobrandolisio.altervista.org/home_eng.html and http://www.forcole.com/eng-workshop.html.
Colleen, I imagine the island of Burano would be great, although quite a vaporetto ride from Venice. Away from the couple piazzas with lots of shops and restaurants, it is really a quaint fishing village, with small lanes, canals, lots of boats, with small houses all painted in various pastel colors -- pink, turquoise, pale blue and green, yellow -- and a very small town, neighborhood feel. Supposedly the tradition of colored houses started so that fisherman could spot their own homes from the water. Lots of great food there at a variety of restaurants too. From Burano, it is just a 5 minute vaporetto ride to the island of Torcello, which is basically very rural, with a 10-minute path leading from the vaporetto stop to the church complex, the oldest church where Venice was initially founded. Also from Burano, right by the vaporetto stop, there is a pedestrian bridge across to the island of Massorbo, which is also quite rural and to which almost no one goes.
