Italy is a country that will take all of your money away. First, everything made in Italy is beautiful, so you will want to shop. Also, everything cooked by Italians is delicious, so you will want to eat all the time. Then, there are the notorious pick pockets, a story I will tell further down in this post.
To avoid some of these high costs in Venice, we stayed in the outskirts on the city and took a ferry in for a good, full-day city tour. The outskirts offer budget hotels run mostly by Asians, but still offering Italian food. Good for the wallet, but not a great way to enjoy the Venetian nightlife.
Start the day with a visit to Piazza San Marco, and marvel at its beautiful basilica (Basilica San Marco). The basilica was closed off and had scaffolding everywhere (renovations!) so the free entrance only allowed a glimpse of about 25% of its interior. The area surrounding the square is dotted with artisan doing regular demonstrations of their crafts at their shops, so you can probably just follow a group and catch one for free. I got to see a lace making demonstration and a glass blowing demonstration while there, the latter of which was exceptional.
One annoying feature of the San Marco area is that it is filled with pigeons. I mean FILLED with pigeons… EVERYWHERE. And not just regular pigeons. These guys were bold, and not afraid of any of the tourists present. They have a false sense of entitlement, having been fed by crazy people who mistake them as pets (they are flying rats people!) and have the nerve to fly into YOU if YOU are in THEIR way. Sigh.
Other than this, Venice is beautiful, and you can walk around the entire city, which should be rewarded with some of the best gelati (plural form of gelato) you’ll ever have in your life.
If the sun isn’t too hot then a gondola ride is a must, whether you are with your loved one or in a group. (Alone may make you feel miserable, but I guess that depends on your self-esteem). Our 45 minute ride was enjoyable, especially since the smell of the sewage is unnoticeable when not under a fiery sun. Not matter how much we begged, our gondola driver refused to sing.
End the day by acquiring some Italian goods! Shopping is great, if you have money and patience. Customer service in Europe differs greatly from that in North America. And if you want to go in the fancy boutiques, you had better look like you belong, or else you will be greeted with an excuse as to why you cannot enter. No “just looking” allowed.
Ten years ago I set a goal to visit 30 countries by my 30th birthday. With no plan or country list to fulfill this goal, I decided to let life take me where it wished.
“See Simi Travel Blog | Adventures of a travel snob“, is just that. The account of an ex-20-something year old exploring the world, usually solo, and on a very limited budget.
Every other week I try to tell you a story about the friends, food, fun and fails I’ve had along the way.
