Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

[Pushkin]

So will Venice be issuing a limited number of $10 day-trip tickets per day?  Otherwise, I think most people will just pay the $10 and the city will be just as crowded.

[Host Bonjour]

On 4/24/2022 at 11:52 AM, TLCOhio said:

 

https://www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/1598443/italy-holiday-venice-day-tripper-tourist-tax

by Esther Marshall

 

On 4/24/2022 at 11:52 AM, TLCOhio said:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2022/04/21/venice-will-charge-tourists-a-10-entry-fee-from-this-summ er/?sh=8f6961610253

by Rebecca Ann Hughes

 

Thanks as always Terry 🙂 

 

(we're just adding the bylines for crediting purposes)

[slidergirl]

Thinking about the people who will go back to the ship to eat lunch rather than trying something local.   They may balk at that fee.  

And those poor tourists who are docked at Ravenna rather than Venice?   Are they going to stay in Ravenna because they don't want to pay the fee?  They are going to ruin Ravenna, too. 

[bennybear]

On 4/24/2022 at 12:19 PM, slidergirl said:

I love it!  venice is far too overrun with day trippers and cruisers.  I would have no issue with paying the fee.  i may end up in Venice on my wanderings this summer for a day or two, but I'm thinking against it just because of the crush of humanity.  Was thinking Ravenna, but with cruises embarking/debarking there now, it may be off my list, too.  

Venice is magical if you stay there, at night the day trippers are gone and it’s wonderful.    Try staying in more off  the beaten path areas like Castello or Cannaregio.    We would see two bridges over and it would be packed, while on our bridge there were a handful.  The hordes stay on the well  trodden path.  
 

Edited April 29, 2022 by bennybear

[slidergirl]

Stayed there for a long weekend on the up to Innsbruck back in 2003.  The difference between daytime and nighttime was huge, even back then.   I shudder to think what it is now.  

[frantic36]

12 hours ago, bennybear said:

Venice is magical if you stay there, at night the day trippers are gone and it’s wonderful.  

Totally agree with this. I have stayed three times now in an apartment on Giudecca and would happily go back again to stay for a week.  

[slidergirl]

I still remember being in an alleyway that lead out to the Canal.  It was a nice, sunny, Winter day.  All of a sudden, the sun disappeared.  No clouds - a large cruise ship appeared.   I won't miss that a lick!

 

 

[bennybear]

Like this one? 

[slidergirl]

7 hours ago, bennybear said:

Like this one? 

Yup.  But, bigger I think.  

[WESTEAST]

14 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Yup.  But, bigger I think.  

Reminds us of the time we were on the terrazza of our hotel watching a massive ship sail by with people standing on all decks - we thought they looked like upright matchsticks as they were so rigid and small due to the height! 

[TLCOhio]

On 4/30/2022 at 12:18 PM, WESTEAST said:

Reminds us of the time we were on the terrazza of our hotel watching a massive ship sail by with people standing on all decks - we thought they looked like upright matchsticks as they were so rigid and small due to the height! 

 

Appreciate ALL of these great comments and follow-ups.  Many nice and interesting visuals, especially by bennybear.  Keep up the great sharing!!  Lots to love in Venice.  

 

From the London/UK Daily Mail three days ago, they had this headline: “Drinking wine in a flood and locals battling blizzards: Venice from a whole new angle, captured in images by a local photographer that get beneath the city's postcard-perfect skin” with these highlights: “It's Venice - as you've never seen it before.  When most people think of Venice, they picture romantic, dreamy scenes of gondoliers punting along the Grand Canal and sunshine spilling onto the polished pavestones of Saint Mark's Square. They don't usually imagine people battling blizzards and men in wellingtons and waders drinking wine in flood waters. However, these scenes all feature in Venezia - Through a Venetian's Eye, an eye-opening new photobook about the city compiled by Venetian photographer and local Federico Povoleri and published by Teneues. The 224-page book aims to give readers a 'whole new perspective into the soul of the city'. ”

 

Here is more from this review: "His black-and-white portraits of the city’s people, architecture, and daily life show everything you thought you knew from a whole new angle: enchanting, gripping, and intimate. Povoleri has created a wistful love letter to his hometown while warning us of the creeping destruction that threatens this incomparable beauty. Povoleri helps us see the magic beneath the endlessly photographed surface, a magic that reveals itself only to those who respect and understand the former sea-based republic."

 

My first visit to Venice was in December 1970, experiencing more of the "real life" there when the tourist crowds were not overwhelming this charming city with such excellent character and history.  Nice pix's bringing back wonderful memories!!

 

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-10888415/Eye-opening-new-photobook-gets-beneath-postcard-perfect-skin-Venice.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals and details from our first in these scenic areas!  Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

 

 

From this new book, here are three different visual samples as highlighted in this profile by the Daily Mail featuring work by Venice photographer Federico Povoleri.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

 

[cruisemom42]

Thanks Terry for the heads-up on this interesting new book. It will be on my wish list. I have visited Venice several times in the off-season, but now (at least pre-COVID) the city seems full of tourists at most every season except perhaps the few weeks between the end of Christmas and the start of Carnivale...

 

Relevant to the ongoing discussion above, another photo in the review of the book that shows the passage of a large cruise ship dwarfing the low Venetian skyline:

 

[euro cruiser]

Thankfully that scene with the cruise ship won't be repeated any more.

 

We arrived in Venice about a decade ago on New Years Day and during the following week we got to enjoy snow in Venice, it was lovely.  Not enough to become a messy hazard, just enough for atmosphere.

 

It wasn't wall to wall people as I've experienced in April and October visits but it wasn't what I would quiet either.

[bennybear]

@cruisemom42 wow that’s quite the photo!  We took our photo when we looked up and couldn’t believe it.  Although I loved sailing into and out of Venice, I too will be glad that these behemoths will be limited now.  Although I’m constantly amazed by those who only think about their personal convenience.   Sailing out of Trieste or Ravenna will be interesting for most.  
And in reality staying onboard and overnighting in Venice was over rated, by the time you got into town, it was very inconvenient.  Much better to stay there and explore the magic at night.

also heads up with the Biennale this year the art will be amazing and often private villas are open as venues. 

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate these very good comments, follow-ups, visuals, etc., from Cruisemom42, euro cruiser and bennybear.  Lots happening related to Venice.  

 

From the London/UK Daily Mail this morning, they had this headline: “Venice will charge tourists €10 to visit the city in world first as officials set up online booking system to combat overcrowding” with these highlights: “Venice will become the world's first city to charge tourists an entry fee in an effort to stem the number of visitors who throng its tiny island centre.  From January, day-trippers to the Italian canal city must pay three to ten euros (£2.60 to £8.60), depending on the season and whether they booked in advance.  Tourists who fail to show a QR code proving the payment will face a fine of up to €300 (£260).”

 

Here is more background from their reporting: "The miniature main island, which measures 2 sq miles and is populated by 50,000 permanent residents, was visited by 19 million people in 2019.  That's an average of 52,000 each day - and in peak season, that figure can double.   Local airport Venice Marco Polo is also Italy's fourth busiest, with 11.2million passengers in 2018.  Yet more than three-quarters of people who amass at Piazza San Marco do so for just a day.  That also means they spend far less money than those who stay overnight.  Guests who stay the night already pay a city tax of one to five euros per night and will be exempt from the reserve-and-fee system.  Guests who stay the night already pay a city tax of one to five euros per night and will be exempt from the reserve-and-fee system.  Venice last summer banned cruise ships from lining the lagoon city in order to preserve its World Heritage Site status.  Nearby industrial port Monfalcone, on the gulf of Trieste, instead became busy with the huge cruises."

 

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10975445/Venice-charge-tourists-10-visit-city-world-combat-overcrowding.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Early 2020 (right before Covid shut-down), many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia.  This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc:  Live/blog;

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/

[Host Bonjour]

On 6/19/2022 at 10:34 AM, TLCOhio said:

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-10888415/Eye-opening-new-photobook-gets-beneath-postcard-perfect-skin-Venice.html

 

 

By Sarah Holt for MailONLINE

 

On 7/2/2022 at 10:30 AM, TLCOhio said:

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10975445/Venice-charge-tourists-10-visit-city-world-combat-overcrowding.html

 

by Adam Solomons for MailONLINE

 

Thanks Terry as always!!

[Host Bonjour]

On 4/29/2022 at 2:17 PM, bennybear said:

Like this one? 

 

I think they're doing the right things... it's important to protect Venice, otherwise there will be nothing left to see 😞

 

Most things have capacity limits for safety, why not historic places? It can still be visited, it just requires additional planning and a small fee. Doable.

 

Viva Venezia 🙂

 

[TLCOhio]

On 7/4/2022 at 7:31 PM, Host Bonjour said:

I think they're doing the right things... it's important to protect Venice, otherwise there will be nothing left to see 😞  Most things have capacity limits for safety, why not historic places? It can still be visited, it just requires additional planning and a small fee. Doable.  Viva Venezia 🙂

 

Appreciate these follow-ups.  Yes, we all want to save Venice and such a totally wonderful historical location.  BUT, as the article below notes, there is debate as to how it is done and at to what costs/impacts are associated with the desired/hoped solutions.  

 

From National Geographic magazine a week ago, they had this headline: “Saving Venice from flooding may destroy the ecosystem that sustains it" with this sub-headline: "A system of moveable walls, called Moses, protects Venice from colossal high tides that are worsening with climate change. But they’re also destroying the marshes that keep the lagoon alive." 

 

Here are a few of their reporting highlights in this story by Frank Vivano: "The occasional destructive acqua alta, which occurred just a few times per century before 2000, has become the new normal as sea levels rise around the globe. Of the 25 worst acque alte registered in Venice in the past 100 years, each topping 4.5 feet, more than half have happened since December 2009.  That has prompted Venetian officials to spend billions on a series of moveable walls to block high waters from the city."

 

BUT, there is more: “The audacious engineering experiment is a last-ditch effort to stave off a final disaster for one of the world’s most beautiful and fragile cities. But it poses fatal environmental risks to the lagoon’s equally fragile and disappearing salt marshes, whose protective structure and biodiversity have been giving life to Venice for 1,800 years.”

 

Interesting highly-detailed engineering aspects are shared in this lengthy article with many visuals.  The goal is good, however, there are other environmental factors to consider.  Right or wrong?  What are the highest and best priorities for what to save and how?  At whose expense?

 

Full story at:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/saving-venice-from-flooding-may-destroy-the-ecosystem-that-sustains-it

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio   

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 255,116 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Host Bonjour]

On 12/21/2021 at 3:55 PM, TLCOhio said:

Full story at:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/torcello-venice-island/index.html

 

 

Thanks for posting this CNN travel piece by Julia Buckley, Terry 🙂 

[TLCOhio]

From the Washington Post this morning, they had this headline: “An engineering marvel just saved Venice from a flood. What about when seas rise?”

 

In this story by Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, here are a few of their highlights: “Three years ago, a historic rush of water surged into this city, inundating restaurants and churches, tossing boats onto streets, and leaving Venetians distressed about a future with ever more extreme events. But this past week, one of those events arrived — a tide nearly as large as 2019’s — and residents barely noticed, aside from some wind and rain. The city was spared from disaster.  That’s because of a $6 billion engineering project designed to protect Venice from mass flooding. The lagoon city’s inlets are now guarded by 78 rectangular metal barriers, each the height of a five-story building, that are pumped with air and raised from the sea floor any time high waters threaten it.  It’s a landmark climate change solution, one requiring 30 years of planning and 20 years of construction, that has reduced fears of Venice turning into a modern-day Atlantis.”

 

Good news?  For now, correct!!  But, this reporting also shared: "The system that safeguards Venice could become stressed with even a 30-centimeter sea-level rise, its operator says — something that middle-of-the-road projections indicate could come by mid-century.  Venice’s experience shows the challenges of adaptation even when little expense is spared. Italy has made it a national mission to safeguard Venice, a maze of Middle Ages treasure built improbably over 118 islands."

 

Much depends as to how much the seas will rise for future decades.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/11/26/venice-floods-mose-barrier-climate/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 245,412 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[cruisemom42]

23 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

From the Washington Post this morning, they had this headline: “An engineering marvel just saved Venice from a flood. What about when seas rise?”

 

In this story by Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, here are a few of their highlights: “Three years ago, a historic rush of water surged into this city, inundating restaurants and churches, tossing boats onto streets, and leaving Venetians distressed about a future with ever more extreme events. But this past week, one of those events arrived — a tide nearly as large as 2019’s — and residents barely noticed, aside from some wind and rain. The city was spared from disaster.  That’s because of a $6 billion engineering project designed to protect Venice from mass flooding. The lagoon city’s inlets are now guarded by 78 rectangular metal barriers, each the height of a five-story building, that are pumped with air and raised from the sea floor any time high waters threaten it.  It’s a landmark climate change solution, one requiring 30 years of planning and 20 years of construction, that has reduced fears of Venice turning into a modern-day Atlantis.”

 

Good news?  For now, correct!!  But, this reporting also shared: "The system that safeguards Venice could become stressed with even a 30-centimeter sea-level rise, its operator says — something that middle-of-the-road projections indicate could come by mid-century.  Venice’s experience shows the challenges of adaptation even when little expense is spared. Italy has made it a national mission to safeguard Venice, a maze of Middle Ages treasure built improbably over 118 islands."

 

Much depends as to how much the seas will rise for future decades.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/11/26/venice-floods-mose-barrier-climate/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 245,412 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

There was a new documentary on this very topic that aired on PBS in late September, right before I left for my October Med cruise departing from Venice. It was fascinating and actually showed the system working when acqua alta was expected.  

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2022/09/24/saving-venice-engineering-documentary/

[dani negreanu]

Thank you Terry @TLCOhio and @cruisemom42 for this encouraging info.

 

I'm wary of traveling to Europe during winter months, I really don't like the cold and the rain.

 

But in January we'll celebrate our golden wedding anniversary, and DH asked to see the Carnival in Venice.... in February, no less.

 

At least we'll brave the cold but not the "acqua alta" 😉. 

[TLCOhio]

On 11/28/2022 at 2:58 PM, dani negreanu said:

Thank you Terry @TLCOhio and @cruisemom42 for this encouraging info.

I'm wary of traveling to Europe during winter months, I really don't like the cold and the rain.  But in January we'll celebrate our golden wedding anniversary, and DH asked to see the Carnival in Venice.... in February, no less.  At least we'll brave the cold but not the "acqua alta" 😉. 

 

Congratulations to Dani with your upcoming 50th!!  Earlier this June, we celebrated our 50th.  Fun and exciting!!  Appreciate the helpful follow-up and details from Cruisemom.  

 

From US News magazine this past week, they had this headline: “Best Times to Visit Venice” with these highlights: “The best time to visit Venice is from September to November when tourists desert the city. Although the temperatures – which range from the upper 30s to mid-70s – necessitate some layers, the lowered hotel rates and the barren canals make it worth it. Winters are cold with temperatures in the 30s and 40s, while spring brings Venice's most beautiful weather. Summertime is peak season and  plenty of crowds. Although acqua alta (high water) can occur anytime between late September and April, it's most likely to happen in November and December, so make sure to pack a pair of rain boots if you plan on traveling then.”

 

As might have been mentioned earlier on this thread, my first two visits to Venice were in December of 1970.  It was magical as there were no crowds and we could explore, sensing life as locals would experience it.  

 

Full story at:

https://travel.usnews.com/Venice_Italy/When_To_Visit/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 239,966 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

From US News magazine this past week, they had this headline: “Best Times to Visit Venice” with these highlights: “The best time to visit Venice is from September to November when tourists desert the city.

 

Hi Terry -- I wouldn't necessarily believe what you read on this account. My DS and I visited Venice and Florence in 2018 in late November. The crowds in November in Venice were incredible. St. Marks square was packed during daylight hours and the narrow streets between St. Marks and Rialto were wall-to-wall with people going to and fro. It seemed to me like every gondola in the city was fully occupied.  

 

I had sold my son on the idea that Venice would be less crowded at that time of year. I had to eat crow. (And speaking of birds, the seagulls were very much in evidence preying on the tourists. We saw one swoop down and snatch a half-sandwich from the hand of a tourist who was walking along beside St. Marks and not paying attention. Wish I'd been quick enough to snap a photo. The look on the girl's face was priceless.)

[GreenFamily]

On 11/28/2022 at 12:58 PM, dani negreanu said:

Thank you Terry @TLCOhio and @cruisemom42 for this encouraging info.

 

I'm wary of traveling to Europe during winter months, I really don't like the cold and the rain.

 

But in January we'll celebrate our golden wedding anniversary, and DH asked to see the Carnival in Venice.... in February, no less.

 

At least we'll brave the cold but not the "acqua alta" 😉. 

Watch the movie Wings of the Dove to get inspired for your cruise.