The Gondola's of Venice and How to Catch a Ride

The Gondola's of Venice and How to Catch a Ride

Venice's Grand Canal

When visiting Venice, almost everyone wants to do one thing: Take a gondola ride. It’s romantic, it’s iconic, and, like throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain, it seems like something you just have to do!

However, taking a gondola can be expensive. The city rate starts at 80 euros for 40 minutes (100 euros after 7pm)—and that price is mandated by the city, don’t expect to pay less. Every thing outside of these standard fees are negotiable, but buyer beware the Venetian culture has always being about making the sale. Venetians themselves seldom use a gondola anymore, except for a wedding or a funeral.

Today, only a few hundred gondolas are left in the city. Almost none have private owners. And 99 percent of the time, when you see a gondola, the only Venetian in it is—maybe—the gondolier. And that, of course, is a microcosm of what’s happening to Venice in general. The population has fallen from 120,000 residents in 1980… to just 60,000 today. And the population is still in decline. Meanwhile, some 15 million tourists visit each year. Gondolas first appeared in the 11th century, they were an essential mode of transport. Many were used as shuttles, taking people back and forth across the canals. Others had more ostentatious purposes: They’d be owned by upper-class families to roam the waters and, of course, to show off their own status. By the 16th century, more than 10,000 gondolas roamed Venice’s canals.

The steepness of the gondola prices, too, is an echo of what’s going on in the city at large. Venice’s prices for real estate, food, and other necessities have soared over the past few decades (yes, even while the population is decreasing).

And modern life is taking its toll on both the city and its gondolas, too. The wake from the powerboats that now cruise the canals, for example, actually speeds up Venice’s deterioration: Those ceaseless waves hitting Venice’s delicate, 500-year-old palazzi and churches, day after day, are damaging the cement and stones that hold the structures together. That same wake damages the gondolas; studies show that all those constant waves reduce a gondola’s life from 40 years to about 10.

If you take a gondola in Venice:

Negotiate the price in advance. The city rate starts at 80 euros for 40 minutes (and that climbs up to 100 euros for 40 minutes after 7pm), but lots of gondoliers charge more. Make sure you agree on the exact price, and on the number of minutes, before you climb aboard.

Be careful with a concierge. If you shy away from haggling, your hotel concierge can act as the middleman and do the negotiating for you. That’s nice—but it often comes with a big surcharge.

Know you can have 6 people in total. If you’re traveling with friends, it’s a great way to split the cost.

Remember that it’s expensive for a reason. Are gondoliers taking advantage of tourists? Maybe. But might they have reason? Yes. Venice is a pretty pricey city to live in, and the gondola itself is a big expense, setting a gondolier back some 20,000 euros for a hand-built version.

Carefully pick where you get your gondola. Not all gondolas have the same routes, but you can influence the kind of experience you’ll have depending on where you pick up a gondola. Grab one at the Rialto Bridge, and you’re headed for a trip down the iconic, bustling Grand Canal. Walk down to a side canal, where the water taxis and vaporetti don’t have stands, and you’ll have a more tranquil trip off the beaten path.

Get a receipt and there is no need to tip.  One of the best ways to ensure you are getting a fair cost is to ask for a receipt (scontrino), for every money transaction in Italy, you much have a valid receipt.  Those not giving receipts are doing business 'under the table' or in nero, and if you are stopped by a policemen and asked for your receipt and do not have, you get the ticket.  Secondly, there is no place for tips on an individual Italian tax sheet and Italian's do not tip. In Venice and some bigger tourist cities you will find many service providers sticking their hands out, it is only because they have come to expect Americans to tip.  A tip should be something you want to give to show your appreciation for a great job.

Be aware that you’ve got alternatives. If you simply can’t stomach the price, consider taking a traghetto, which crosses the Grand Canal. The price? Three euros.

Padova, The Colli Euganei National Park

Exploring the Veneto and the Province of Padova

Travelling near Padua, on a clear day, it is hard not to notice the cone shaped hills of the Colli Euganei sitting out on the plain, just south of the city. The Colli Euganei, named after the indigenous people that once inhabited the region, were created by volcanic movement, and were made into a National Park in 1989.

The park covers 1900 square hectares and includes 15 communities, with Monselice, Este, and the Thermal Springs around Abano being most well know areas. Making this area a national park and has protected it from over development, and it has become an oasis of wilderness in within the industrial triangle of the Veneto. Wooded hills of oak, hazel, walnut, delicate Medittanean marquis are intermixed with terraced lands of fruit and olive trees, and grape vines. The history of the hills, the gastronomic tradition, and the slower off the path lifestyle makes the area perfect for the visitor who wishes to take a couple of days to unwind and immerse themselves in relaxation.

 The hills are well know for local farm products, that can be enjoyed in one of the many agritourism (farm house restaurant). The park is an unique Wine Zone and has 13 various DOC wines located throughout the area. Annual local events and festivals center around the harvest times and there are some specialities like Montagnana DOP ham and Seprino wine that should be tasted.

 

For anyone loving nature and a relaxing atmosphere the area has a wonderful mix of historical and artistic heritage within the Park; hamlets, castles, fortifications and religious buildings such as hermitages and convents, Este, Monselice and Montagnana, with their medieval walls; Arquà Petrarca, a fascinating ancient medieval hamlet; Luvigliano, Galzignano and Battaglia Terme with their splendid Veneto villas; the Abbey of Praglia and the Hermitage of Monte Rua.

The entire territory of the Hills offers walkers a myriad of paths immersed in nature, which you can enjoy with a stroll or by bike. There is an excellent climbing site in the center of the park, near Teolo, that has over 345+ bolted routes. After a hard day of activity you can make an appointment at one of the Euganei Thermal Baths, world-famous for the unique properties of the mud and treatments that can be enjoyed in the facilities of Abano, Montegrotto, Battaglia, Galzignano and Teolo.

Visiting the Doge's Palace in Veince

The Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) in Venice

One of Italy's grandest and most historical town halls, Vence's Palazzo Ducal (Doges or Ducal Palace) is a massive Gothic-Renaissance building built in 1309, and rebuilt after a 1577 fire. The public halls of the Doge's Palace are heavily decorated with canvases and frescoes by Venice's greatest artists: there are several works by Veronese and Tintoretto.

Getting to the Square:

The San Marks sign posted route turning left from the train station, walks you through the tourist maze and will take about 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on the crowds and how much you get distracted by the shops. If you cross over the stone bridge to San Simone, the green domed church in front of the station, follow the signs to the Accademia then to San Marks, a much nicer walk and you see many of the quite canals and cala Venice is know for.  You can also take the water bus (vaporetto) down the Gran Canal and start your adventure from the square, (this entering the city from the sea is the classic way to enter the city). 

Palazzo Ducale

To understand Venice and the unique place it holds in history, you should visit the Doge'd Place in San Marco. There are audio guides available at the main ticket counter that leads you through the multiple rooms.  There is also the "Secret Itinerary" Tour, if you wish to pay a the price but I do not think it is a must.  If you are a scholar of the history, yes you get a few more glimpses into the Republic's Myth but as a visitor you are not getting your money's worth.

The Palazzo once was the Doge's residence and the highest seat of power in the Republic, it was a symbol of power and put on display the richness and splendor of the State.

Out the back of the building, you cross over the famous, enclosed Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), named by romantic-era writers who imagined condemned prisoners letting out a lament as they crossed and got their final glimpse of Venice and her lagoon through the tiny windows in the center. The cells on the other side preserve the scrawls and graffiti of ancient prisoners.

The Bridge of Sighs crosses the Rio di Palazzo, so for the full effect you need to see it from the outside. Best vantage point: stand on the next bridge down the canal, a wide ponte crossing the Rio di Palazzo along the Riva degli Schiavoni. (it could be called the "Bridge of Tourists Looking at the Bridge of Sighs.")

Getting voted off the island

Any Venetian citizen could accuse someone of misdeeds by writing the denunciation down and slipping it through specially placed "Lion's Mouth" slots in the Palazzo Ducale's walls. While this activity sounds like prime breeding ground for backstabbing, it was a highly regulated procedure. All accusations had to be signed and witnessed, and if they proved merely to be slanderous and not actionable, the would-be denounced was in serious legal trouble of his own.

The real governing of the Venetian Republic was not done here in plain sight. True power was wielded in a network of low-ceilings, wooden-plank corridors and tiny offices wrapped around this public palace like a clandestine cocoon, the entrances hidden behind secret doors set into all those fancy oil paintings and carved woodwork of the public rooms. Here private secretaries kept records and compiled accusations made against people both lowly and high-placed.

The only way to see this inner sanctum, is to take the· 90-minute "Secret Itineraries" tour.  The "Secret Itineraries" tour will show you where the Council of Ten met to decide the fate of the Republic, the inquisition room, and the "plumbio" the lead lined prison cells where your guide will probably tell you about Casanova's famous escape.

After the tour, you are free to to tour the rest of the palace's public rooms on your own.

Who was the doge?

The Palazzo Ducale is Venice's ducal palace, and in old Venetian dialect, the duke was called the doge or doxe, after the Latin dux, a military leader (which is what dukes originally were; the title of "duke" was the feudal equivalent to "army general.") In Venice, the doge was the head of state, but acted in essence as the highest-level servant of the Republic.

A doge was elevated from among the aristocracy, was almost always of an extremely advanced age (they served for life, but no one wanted a Doge to have power for too long), and was chosen through a process filed with so much chance and round-robins of elimination as to be thoroughly fair and random.

The doge was paid a ridiculously enormous salary so that no outside force could afford to bribe him, and his every move was supervised. The system worked surprisingly well. From the first doge elected in AD 700 until Napoleon deposed the last one in 1797, only twice was the office betrayed by traitors or major corruption.

Things to Consider when visiting Venice

• Planning your day: Touring the public areas takes about 45 minutes—maybe an hour to 75 minutes if you stop to read all the informative plaques. The Secret Itineraries tour takes roughly 75 minutes (after which you'll likely want to wander the public spaces for another 30 minutes or so).
• The standard admission ticket to the Doge's Palace actually covers four museums on the square its name is: "I Musei di Piazza San Marco" so you might as well use it to pop into at least the Museo Civico Correr, though if you're pressed for time, go ahead and skip the less interesting Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Archaeological Museum) and Sale Monumentali della Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (fresco-ed, monumental rooms of the Marciana Library).
• If,  you are planning to also visit the Ca' Rezzonico and at least two of the other sights; like the Ca’ Pesaro or the Glass Museum on Murano: go ahead and buy the Venice Museum Pass; it'll save you money.
• Visit after 1pm—and buy your ticket ahead of time at Venice Connected—and you can get an Afternoon Ticket at a slight discount.

Verona Italy

7 Top Attractions in Verona, Italy… Beyond Romeo and Juliet

Although it’s most famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Verona has much more to offer than its connections to the star-crossed lovers! In fact, there’s little evidence that anything like the Romeo and Juliet story actually took place here… but it is indisputable that you won’t be short of sights in this beautiful city, even if you ignore Juliet’s “balcony” and “tomb.” (The city’s rich culture and history, in fact, even have landed it on the World Heritage list!).

So if you’re traveling in northern Italy or heading to Venice, you simply can’t miss Verona. Located just a half hour away from Venice by train, it makes an excellent day trip!

Still not convinced? Here are 7 of our favorite sights in Verona.

Piazza delle Erbe

By day, Piazza delle Erbe is home to a market (if one that sells mostly souvenirs and trinkets); in the evening, it fills with locals and tourists sipping Campari and enjoying aperitivi at the outdoor cafes. But no matter when you’re passing through the square, look around you! With its Renaissance-era palaces and lovely central fountain, this might just be the prettiest piazza in all of Italy.

Arena of Verona

Built in the 1st century A.D., this amphitheater was Verona’s answer to Rome’s Colosseum (although actually, it predates the Colosseum by almost 50 years!). Still remarkably well preserved, today it’s home to Verona’s summer opera festival.

Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore

This beautiful church dates back to the 4th century, although most of the current building was constructed between the 10th and 12th centuries. Other churches in Verona drew much of their inspiration from its early Romanesque style. Don’t miss the bronze door, with 48 elaborately-carved panels of scenes from the Bible, dating back to the 11th century.

Castelvecchio

With seven towers, a castle keep, and four separate buildings, Verona’s 14th-century fortress, Castelvecchio, is the city’s most imposing building. Today, it’s also home to a museum of art, sculpture, coins, and other artifacts, with a collection of paintings that includes pieces by northern Italian masters Mantegna, Bellini and Pisanello.

Porta Borsari

This ancient Roman gate, which once marked the southern entrance into Verona, is a great—and beautiful—example of the way in which ancient ruins are layered into the modern city of Verona.

Duomo of Verona

Verona’s main cathedral, or Duomo, is stunning. But don’t just see it from the outside: The interior of this 12th-century church is incredibly elaborate and filled with gems, including a painting by the Italian master Titian.

Arche Scaligeri

Tombs don’t get much more elaborate than these! Just around the corner from Piazza delle Erbe, these five Gothic funerary monuments, considered some of the best examples of Gothic art, are hard to miss. They belong to members of the Scaligeri, who ruled Verona in the 13th and 14th centuries. Make sure you duck into the tiny, lovely church of Santa Maria Antica behind them.

Fascinating Facts About St. Mark’s Basilica

St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the most fascinating churches in Italy

St. Mark’s Basilica is one of the most-visited sights in Venice, and a must-see on any traveler’s Italy itinerary! But with a history that stretches all the way back to the 9th century A.D., it’s also a church with a lot of interesting stories and legends behind it.

Here are six of the most fascinating facts about St. Mark’s Basilica!

The basilica began with a swashbuckling tale of kidnapping

St. Mark’s has pretty interesting origins…

The first St. Mark’s Basilica was built on this spot in the 9th century to house very sacred relics—relics that had been stolen! In 828, merchants from Venice stole the body of St. Mark the Evangelist, one of the four Apostles, from Alexandria, Egypt. According to the legend, they snuck them past the (Muslim) guards by hiding them under layers of pork in barrels!

While at sea, a storm almost drowned the graverobbers and their precious cargo, it’s said that St. Mark himself appeared to the captain and told him to lower the sails. The ship was saved, and the merchants said they owed their safety to the miracle.

The entire story is pictured on the 13th-century mosaic above the left door as you enter the basilica.

There’s enough mosaic here to cover 1.5 American football fields…

Just one of the dozens of mosaics in St. Mark’s Basilica…

There are more than 85,000 square feet (or 8,000 square meters) of mosaic in St. Mark’s Basilica… or enough mosaic to cover over 1.5 American football fields! The mosaics were done over 8 centuries, mostly in gold, and the result is astonishing. Enter the basilica at different times of day to see how the light makes the colors, and scenes, look different.

…and there are more than 500 columns

Just another example of the sheer size, and amount of amazing stuff, in St. Mark’s is the number of columns. There are more than 500 columns and capitals in the basilica, and most are Byzantine, dating between the 6th and 11th centuries. Some classical, 3rd-century capitals are mixed in, too!

A lot of the basilica’s treasures came from the Crusades—and from Constantinople

The bronze horses of St. Mark’s Basilica, originally  from Constantinople!

The Fourth Crusade, in particular, gave St. Mark’s Basilica a windfall. After all, this was the Crusade that ended, in 1204, with the conquest of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
The result? A lot of treasure was shipped to Venice, and installed in St. Mark’s Basilica—including the four bronze horses, icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, enamels of the Golden Altar-piece, relics, crosses, chalices, and patens!

The belltower of St. Mark’s Basilica

The Pala d’Oro puts the Crown Jewels to shame

Forget the glittering gems at the Tower of London: The Royal Family has nothing on St. Mark’s Basilica! The Pala d’Oro, a Byzantine altar screen of gold, is studded with hundreds of gems—literally. They include 1,300 pearls, 300 emeralds, 300 sapphires, 400 garnets, 100 amethysts, plus rubies and topazes.

That bell tower? It collapsed once… not so long ago

The 323-foot (98.6-meter) campanile of St. Mark’s dates back to the 9th century… but it had to be rebuilt in 1903. The reason? It collapsed! It had been reworked in the 16th century, and apparently not that well: It collapsed on July 14, 1902. (To be fair, it had survived several earthquakes before that!). Although it buried the Basilica’s balcony in rubble, fortunately, the church itself was saved. But the incident was embarrassing enough!

From 1903 to 1912, the belltower was rebuilt exactly as it had been… except with better, safer techniques.

Biking from Trento to Bassano del Grappa on the Valsugana Path

The Valsugana connects Trento with the Bassano della Grappa, and has been a nature migration route from the north to the Veneto plain for centuries.· Sections of the via Caludia Augusta Roman road runs through the valley.· The Valsugan bike route offers plenty to see along the route or utilize the route to move up and down the valley to ride some of the classic climbs.· There is a project to extend the route all the way down into Trento, from Tezza up toward Feltre following the Caludia Augusta route, and make a designated path all the way to Bassano della Grappa.

Length	81 km
Route	Marked bike path mixed with secondary roads
Elevation gain	Bassano della Grappa to Caldonazzo 290 meters Caldonazzo to Bassano della Grappa 55 meters
Best time to ride	From spring to fall.
Road Conditions	The entire route is paved

Most of the route is sign posted.  The actual path ends at the regional border between Trentino and  Veneto from there you are secondary roads.

Marostica and the Human Chess Match

Sitting at the foothills of the Asiago Plateau and not far from Vicenza and Bassano del Grappa is the town of Marostica. A lovely town is enclosed within the ancient walls of its castles and still retains the magical atmosphere of the past. The merloned wall built by the Scaligeri in the 14th century connects the castle on the hill (Castello Superiore) above the town with the castle (Castello Inferiore) below. Because there were two castles, the town could be defended more easily and it had complete control over local trade routes. The town, which has been awarded the TCI's "Bandiera Arancione" (Orange Flag), is famous for a human chess tournament. The Museo dei Costumi delia Partita a Scacchi is an exhibition of the costumes used in the game of chess.

The game takes place every even year so September 2012 is the time to see. 

The lower castle of Marostica

A few meters away from Castello Superiore is the Museo Ornitologico "Angelo Fabris", with one of the largest collections of birds in Europe, (more than a thousand specimens). It organizes flying demonstrations with specially trained birds of prey and guided tours of important bird sites in the area.

The Museo "Cappelli di Paglia di Marostica" is an exhibition about the local tradition of making straw hats. The craft skill of plaiting straw to make hats and bags was so important by the mid-17th century that the town's products were exported allover Italy, to Europe and North America.

The outer walls of the city of Marostica, Italy

The famous chess game is the ultimate expression of tradition, a magical moment for this town that is also known as the City of Chess. It is a medieval re-enactment that takes place every two years in the famous Chess Square, opposite the Lower Castle, which takes its cue from a legend. It is said that in 1454 two noble warriors were both in love with Lionora, the daughter of the Castellan of Marostica.

These warriors were forbidden to fight a bloody duel and a singular chess game was played instead. The live game of chess takes place on the second Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month of September in even-numbered years and involves more than five hundred players dressed in period costumes.

In the spring Marostica’s rolling hills are encased in an enchanting expanse of cherry trees in bloom, a soft white color gives the foliage a fabulous candor. Roana, Sandra, Francese, Bella Italia, Milanese and Romana: are some of the varieties produced in the area and are so good that they bear the PGI (protected geographical indication) mark.

Cicchetti, Another Eating Option for Venice

It can be a little tough to find Italian food in Venice that’s good, authentic, and doesn’t break the bank. That’s why we want to let you in on a little secret: Venice’scicchetti tradition. (And stay tuned for a later post on our favorite restaurants in Venice!).

Pronounced “chee-KET-eeh,” cicchetti are Venice’s answer to Milan’s aperitivo and to Spain’s tapas. They’re small plates of food, usually nibbled over glasses of wine and among friends in the evening or at lunchtime. Served at bàcari (“BAH-car-eeh”), small, local bars hidden all over Venice, they’re also cheap, ranging from about €1 to €3. What’s on offer depends on the place; some bàcari lean toward fried offerings, while others specialize in fresh fish, meats, cheeses… the list goes on.

Try it as a pre-dinner snack, or make a whole meal out of it by ordering several plates. We like the idea of a cicchetti “crawl” ourselves. Especially because your meal of cicchetti probably comes cheaper, better, and in a more local atmosphere than food in most restaurants in Venice!

Cicchetti at a bar in Venice

Some tips: First, for an evening cicchetti crawl, make sure you start early (at about 6pm), since many bàcari close at 8pm or 9pm. Of course, if you’re just getting used to the Italian tradition of eating at 8 or 9pm, then that earliness might not be so bad!

Second, if you’re someone who can’t stand crowds or the possibility of having to wait in line and/or stand while eating, then be prepared to sacrifice—or at least seek out bàcari that are off the beaten path. Bàcari are where Venetians come to socialize and relax, and some of the more popular places, including those listed below, can get quite packed… which we think adds to your people-watching potential, but can be a little frustrating if you were hoping for a quiet, tranquil dinner!

Just to get you started, here are some of Venice’s most-loved places to find delicious cicchetti:

Ca’ d’Oro/Alla Vedova. Calle del Pistor, Cannaregio 3912. One of the most famous bàcari in Venice, this one’s both away from the city’s crowds and on the cheap (€1) end of things, ideal if you’re on a budget. Don’t miss the polpette, meatballs made of pork.

La Cantina. Calle San Felice, 3689. A stone’s throw from Alla Vedova, La Cantina features inventive dishes, using fresh ingredients like beef tongue or fresh ricotta. A local favorite.

This isn't just a popular area for tourists... it has some of the best bàcari in town!

All’Arco. Calle Arco, San Polo 436. Another one of Venice’s most-loved spots, All’Arco, near the Ponte Rialto, is packed at lunchtime with shoppers from the local fish market. Everything from calamari to liver to shrimp is on offer, and if it’s available, don’t miss the hot sandwich of boiled beef sausage and mustard.

Do Mori. Sestiere San Polo 429, Calle dei Do Mori. Myth has it that Casanova frequented this bàcaro, also near the Rialto Bridge. Even if he didn’t, it’s still thought to be the oldest in Venice, dating back to 1462. Ask for the “francobollo” (postage stamp)—a tiny sandwich with various fillings, it’s the house specialty.

Do Spade

Do Spade. Calle delle Do Spade, 19 S. Polo 860. Another bàcaro dating back to the 15th century, Do Spade has lots of seafood on offer, as well as a variety of vegetable and cheese spreads.

Cantinone–già Schiavi.Ponte San Trovaso, Dorsoduro 992. This family-run bàcaro, located across from a gondola workshop, boasts raw fish, meats, more than 30 wines available by the glass, and much more. Crowded with Venetians in the evening!

Al Ponte. Calle Larga Giacinto Gallina. One of the cheapest bàcari—and, therefore, places to eat—in all of Venice, Al Ponte has pasta and fish plates and a welcoming atmosphere.

Banco Giro. Campo San Giacometto, San Polo 122. A Grand Canal view, a variety of cheeses, fish, and wine, and a lively atmosphere. What’s not to like?