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Travel
Venicela Serenissima Take 6 in
By Amanda Fulginiti
Trying to tackle the labyrinth that is Venice can be a daunting task, especially when you only plan to have a three day stint to experience all that the city has to offer. So, if you are planning a trip to la Serenissima, here are a few tips to help guide you through the city like the locals do. alking is the best way to see Venice, especially if you go during Biennale season where stumbling upon free contemporary art exhibitions in abandoned houses, palazzi and lesser known churches is quite common. The best piece of advice anyone one can give you is to not be afraid to literally get lost. On the other hand, vaporetti (water buses) while convenient are often filled to the brim with tourists. But they can make for a good break when you are tired from ascending and descending bridges. They can also be a great way to take some excellent shots of the island itself and are a lot more affordable than Gondolas (over 80 Euros for about a ten minute ride as opposed to the 6 Euro Vap Pass that is valid for about an hour). Note that Venice is made up of six sestieri, or districts, such as the boroughs of New York City or arrondissements of Paris. The word derives from the figure six, Venice having been historically cut up in six quarters in the 11th century: Cannaregio, San Polo, Santa Croce, Dorsoduro, San Marco and Castello. These sestieri are connected by an intricate network of 3000 calli (the term for street in Venetian), rio or rii in plural (small canals), 420 bridges and three official canals: Grand Canal, Cannaregio and Giudecca. Beware wanderers that only three bridges cross the Grand Canal: Scalzi, Rialto, and the Accademia.
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Each district has its own buried treasure that no Fodor’s Guide or Lonely Planet will provide, so here’s how to Take 6 in Venice:
1. Dorsoduro: Spritz blitz! When you land in Piazzale Roma bus station or the Santa Lucia train station you are closest to Sestier Dorsoduro. This has become a very student-ritch area because the humanities university Ca’ Foscari and the Architecture University has many of its buildings located in this area. It is also now recognized for Campo San Margherita (or as it is written in Venetian Campo San Margarita). This is where many flock to enjoy the typical drink of choice in the Veneto, namely Spritz - a special Venetian aperitivo based on white wine, a bitter and seltzer water. There are five choices to be made ranging from the sweetest to the most
bitter: Bianco, Aperol, Campari, Select, or Cynar. Note that if you sit down, drinks will cost 2.50 euro. If you go during Happy Hour (roughly between 5-7) drinks will be served with patatine and olives. Heading towards the edge of Dorsoduro is Zattere, a long walkway that overlooks the island known as Giudecca. There one can enjoy an aperitivo at Bar El Chioschetto while watching a truly Spritz remarkable sunset. It is easy to see why Tintoretto was called the painter of light when his inspiration came from a city where the sun seems to brighten the colour palette of each building. If you follow the length of Zattere all the way to Punta della Dogana this is the ideal point to watch the sunrise light show since it overlooks Piazza San Marco, Lido and Giudecca. Sitting at the point, one can watch all the buildings from a distance slowly change colour. If you do this on a Sunday you can later attend mass at Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. The dome of the building is now emblematic of the city and was a constant inspiration for Canaletto, the Venetian artist known for his views of Venice.
2. San Polo: Walk-in cinema Turning over to a new district, San Polo can be thrilling in terms of the film festival and its very own Cinema Aperto. Starting from the end of July to the end of August, nominees from the last Cannes film festival can be viewed in both English and Italian. Later in the season, movies from the Venice Film Festival can be seen. Watching a movie will never be the same again when your black backdrop is The finishing touch of any replaced by a 500 year old church and Gondola is the ferro, the several typical Venetian styled palazzi.
3. Cannaregio: More cicchetti please! Before heading out to watch Clooney’s latest hit, you may consider having some cicchetti and, of course, some aperitivi with some friends. Cicchetti are small snacks or side dishes, typically served in Venice. Common
ornament that adorns the bow of the boat. According to Venetian lore, the ferro’s “S” curve is meant to mimic the bends of the Grand Canal, the six prongs - the six sestieri and its rounded top - the shape of the Doge’s (chief magistrate) hat.