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Sixteen and in Venice

by Janet Kidwell
(Delray Beach, Florida)

When I was 16 I went to Italy with my mother and sisters for the summer.

I had a friend who had a car and we picked up a young couple from England who were hitch hiking and drove them from Trieste to Venice. It was raining and my friend knew of a Bed and Breakfast where the couple could stay in Venice so we walked them all the way through the streets.

It was so much fun and a memory that will live with me forever.

Maria's reply: What a great story and thank you for sharing it. My husband says maybe you picked him up if it was in the late 1980's as he hitchhiked all over Italy when he was younger :-)

The Night in Venice

by Diane Lauren
(Stonewood, West Virginia, USA)

Venice is the most beautiful city in the world... the architecture is unsurpassed, the uniqueness of a city that isn't found anywhere else in the world and to think the entire city of Venice is build on wooden poles by the thousands.

Can you imagine the ingenuity of the people that built Venice well over eight hundred years ago.

This feat would be all but impossible today and the result...beautiful, marvelous, exquisite, romantic, unique, memorable Venice .

My only regret is that the tour of Venice that I was on only allowed for one day in Venice.

When I go back again I will spend at least two days there and I will walk the streets and bridges and soak in all the beauty. I will sit longer, have a glass of wine and soak in the magnificence that is Venice.

Maria's reply: I loved your description of Venice Diane. Thank you for sharing it.

I agree with you that you definitely need more than a day in Venice. I would say at a very minimum you need three days. There is so much to visit in Venice itself and then there is Murano, Burano, the Venice Lido - so many truly wonderful things to see.

Not only that but you should try to visit Venice in different seasons. Every season in Venice has its particular magic and is completely unique and very special in its own way.

The bright and vibrant Venice you find in summer is another world entirely from the evocative and misty days of Venice in December.

Plus if you possibly can you should spend the night in Venice too.

The canals, bridges and little lanes look beautiful at night and there is nothing lovelier than walking back from a restaurant, through Venice, to your hotel and feeling the life, color and history of this very special city in the very air that you breathe. Somehow at night Venice seems to soak into your very soul.

At least you have a very good reason to start planning and booking your next trip to Italy!

Beautiful Venice

by Brittany
(Mauritius)

Venice is one of the most magical, beautiful and lively places I have visited so far!

Everything about Venice makes me feel happy; the food, canals, people, atmosphere, boutiques and gondolas! I found it a whole new experience to be in a place where there are no cars whatsoever (as far as I could see)and to be perfectly honest, it is actually quite pleasant that way!

I loved the idea of having to hop on and off the vaporetto!
The idea is very similar to tubes but it just is not as exciting!

The idea of visiting Venice before I visited was not very exciting! I mean, what is there to do there exactly? But do not be fooled! There is SO much to do there that I never had time to see everything!

Another thing I wish I had time for was just strolling around the streets and shops and absorbing that magical Venetian vibe but I had a whole itinerary planned that I was following which sent me rushing from place to place trying to fit it all in!

If you are planning on visiting Venice I would strongly advise you to take it all slow because that's the only way to really appreciate the surroundings and enjoy it the most!

Another thing you should do is read about all the places you are going to see BEFORE you go so that you know exactly what you are looking at and then you can really appreciate each site for its history as well!

I highly recommend Venice to anybody who wants to go!

Maria's reply:

Thanks Brittany for sharing your experience of Venice. You are right about the cars - there are none. Something not many people know is that there are no bikes either.

I agree about taking it slow too. If your time is limited then a day tour of Venice is a good idea otherwise take it slow and explore some of the less well known parts of the city and places like Murano.

If you discovered a great place to stay while you were in Venice I would love it if you'd share it on my Venice hotel guide page.