Romantic Venice

Paris, Rome, New York? Nah, surely the most romantic city has to be Venice. Away from the busy crowds and tourist traps, Venice is a quiet, mysterious city full of little nooks and crannies perfect for exploring with that special someone, unless you’re arguing over a map that is. Here are my top six romantic things to do in this beautiful city!

A Bird’s Eye View: The view from the Campanile in Saint Mark’s Square is stunning, and what could be more romantic than sharing that view with your loved one? Well, maybe a trip up the Campanile on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, as you have more chance of having it to yourselves!

Eastern Castello: I think Venice is most romantic away from the hoards of tourists and Gondoliers shouting ‘Gondole! Gondole!’ expectantly at every couple that walks by. You can quickly lose the crowds if you head to Eastern Castello along the Riva degli Shiavoni towards the Giardini Pubblici. You will undoubtedly have to battle with a few street sellers along the way, but the further you get away from Saint Mark’s the quieter it will be. This is a lovely place to walk!

A Moonlit Walk: I was going to try and avoid romantic clichés, but it really is very romantic having Saint Mark’s Square all to yourself, especially if you’ve been treated to a Grom ice cream on the way. After all the day-trippers have left and the Venetians are safely tucked up in bed, if you are lucky, you can have one of Venice’s most busy attractions all to yourselves.

Spritz: Venice is full of things to see and explore, but sometimes the best moments are spent just watching the world go by. So, despite it being a little cold in February, I would really recommend sharing a spritz in Campo San Margherita. It is particularly romantic as the sun sets! Sorry, back to the clichés.

The Lagoon Islands: ‘Gondole! Gondole!’ The romantic duty of every couple heading to Venice? Or, the extortionate rip-off of  tourists? I guess it is a matter of opinion! But as a lowly student, I was not prepared to hand over a months food budget for this experience, so I am not qualified to tell you. However, a trip on the vaporetto to Venice’s surrounding islands can be lots of fun and of course romantic. Head to Murano for the glass, Burano for the colourful houses, and even further, Torcello for the beautiful mosaics. For those who really want to seal the romance with a bit of commitment, try sitting on the ancient, stone chair found on Torcello, known as Attila’s Throne. Legend has it that those who do will be married within the year.

Dorsoduro: Fondamente Zattere al Ponte Longo is a lovely place to stroll, with beautiful views of the Giudecca and boats coming in and out of Venice.

Finally, my real tip for enjoying the romantic side of Venice is to explore and get lost. Abandon the map, there is only so far wrong you can go in this city before you hit water. There are so many little bits of Venice to explore and I think the most romantic thing is discovering them for yourself.

Bologna: Christmas shopping and Bolognese

The last few weeks before the end of term are busy for the Venice students. However, if you manage to finish your final essay a little early (it is just about physically possible) and with the final free week, there is time to explore the Veneto and further. Bologna makes a perfect day trip, especially in the run up to Christmas, as it has beautiful festive lights and a Christmas market. Trains regularly depart to Bologna from Santa Lucia railway station and take between an hour and a half and two hours.

Famous for its Bolognese sauce, it is most definitely worth stopping for lunch. We headed to Ristorante Cesarina, a friendly restaurant that served delicious Bolognese and Lasagne. If you’re lucky, the waiter might even offer a sample of Balsamic glaze to try with bread (we must have looked like very hungry students). Don’t be tempted to buy it off the waiter though (we must have looked like very stupid students) as the price asked for, 15 euros, seemed a little steep when we saw the same bottle on sale in Billa for a few euros.

Head to the centre of the city for lots of shops, Christmas lights and a little Christmas market. The Christmas tree is Piazza Maggiore is beautiful!

A Very Merry Venice Christmas

The Venice term ends a couple of weeks before Christmas, by which time Venice is already looking festive. As the nights get longer, misty Venice looks beautiful with its Christmas lights and festive shop windows. Here are some of my favourite shots of Venice, taken just before the end of term.

Christmas trees go on sale a week before Warwick students head home. Locals pick a tree up just off Rio Tera de la Madalena in Cannaregio.

The Chorus Pass gains you entry into lots of Venice’s beautiful churches. Save a few to visit in December, as each church has its own Nativity scene. This Nativity scene was part of collection found just off Calle Scuola and free to see.

Christmas lights make the Rialto Bridge look festive.

Panettone pop up everywhere in the last couple of weeks of term! A delicious Italian, Christmas treat, a slice of Panettone goes perfectly with a cup of tea. The Billa Panettone is only a couple of euros and very tasty, it should be the staple to any Venice student’s diet at the end of term!

Head to Saint Mark’s Square to enjoy the lights reflected on the Campanile.

The last picture isn’t of Venice, but Treviso. Only ten minutes away on the train, Treviso makes for a lovely day out before Christmas. Find the amazing deli in the town centre for incredible spices, herbs and of course Panettone.

Have a very Merry Christmas, whether in Venice or the rest of the world!

Sicilian Sunshine

Travel Week is a very welcome break, half way through the Venice term. Most students head off to Florence for a few days, maybe stopping off in Pisa or Bologna too. However, really you can go where ever you fancy.

With great train links, inexpensive flights and not to mention impressive ferry routes, the world is your oyster in Venice, well Europe at least. I went to Sicily with two friends, a trip that we all loved (except the bumpy flight). Ryanair‘s cheap flights and out of season hotel prices (we stayed in the lovely Hotel Ambasciatori) make an inexpensive trip to this amazing island.

Here are a few photos of our much loved adventure to Sicily! I hope it inspires you to head to Sicily for a little bit of sunshine, beautiful architecture and delicious food for yourselves.

Palermo is a beautiful, vibrant and bustling city. The city’s noisy traffic and imposing, vast buildings is in stark contrast to Venice. The Sicilian people are very friendly, happy to stop and help if you are lost, and willing to talk slowly, for confused English students.

Palermo is a great place to base yourself in Sicily. In our short break, we didn’t make it Mount Etna, but did explore a little closer to the city. Take the bus to Mondello, to dip your toe in the water and walk along the beach (with a few odd looks from the locals).

A visit to the Roman remains of Solunto is definitely worth an attempt. Take the train to Santa Flavia; the remains are a twenty minute walk from the train station. It is not particularly clear which direction to go in, we were lucky enough to meet a kind lady, who gave us directions and even offered a lift if we wanted one. The to the remains is beautiful, past orchards of oranges and lemons and huge cacti.

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At the top of the hill there is a spectacular view across the Mediterranean and Tyrrhenian Seas. Notice how I have failed to talk about the actual Roman remains? Greeted with the words, “chiuso per un fuoco”, we didn’t actually get to see them! A fire in 2009 had made the sight dangerous to tourists, so we were restricted to a small museum, and thankfully the spectacular view. I would still recommend Solunto, but if you are really keen on the remains, check it is definitely open first.

So, if you fancy going a little further afield during in your Travel Week, I would definitely recommend Palermo! Sicily provides a very different side to Italy, one I am very glad I got to see.

Pioggia, ombrelli e stivali di gomma

I don’t think there is a better city to be caught in a downpour, or even a light drizzle for that matter. OK, so it can be pretty frustrating when you are rushing to a lecture, dodging tourists’ umbrellas for fear of losing an eye or two. However, Venice in the mist and rain, is beautifully romantic. The whole city glistens. Between October and December, Venice experiences some its wettest days. Wellies become a wardrobe staple, giving protection from the high waters and a little satisfaction, as you can splash in the water, unrestricted by the elevated boards.

The rain was worth braving to visit the Santa Maria della Salute on 21 November. A temporary bridge is constructed every year, allowing church goers to cross the Grand Canal.

Wet Venetians make there way to the Santa Maria della Salute on 21 November to celebrate Festa della Salute.

We all agreed it was madness to sit in a gondola in the rain, but I guess if you’ve only got a day and you’re happy to get a little wet to experience this unique experience, then fair enough! Look closely and you can see that the raincoat clad gondelier is Giorgia Boscola, the first female of her profession.

Wading through the aqua alta; getting a little wet is very much part of Venetian life. Planks allow much of the high water to be avoided. However, wellies or stivali di gomma are always a wise fashion choice!

Lions of Venice

The symbol of Saint Mark, the lion, can be spotted all over Venice. Here are a few of my favourite lions!

Venetian Life

Venice has long been associated with the imposing Saint Mark’s Square and the bustling Rialto Bridge. Studying and living in Venice provides the opportunity to see another side of Venice. Venice is very much a living city, which  flourishes in its unusual environment. Canals remain vital to the Venetian life, not just acting as a tourist attraction. Food delivery, refuse collection, taxis, police, ambulances, hearses and buses all get about on the canals.

The Canale di Cannaregio is one of the main canals of Venice, along which delivery boats make their way into the city.

Food shopping at the Rialto market, picking up fresh vegetables and an amazing array of fish is good fun. However, after lectures and a stint in a library, you will inevitably run out of time to hit a market everyday. Billa and the COOP are the two most common supermarkets in Venice and can be found all over the city. Not known for its supermarkets, they are often small and hidden away. It is worth working out where your nearest one is for a bit of convenience. Be warned, the cashiers can get upset if you don’t have exact change!

“Gondole! Gondole!” Is a call that often confronts tourists as they make their way around Venice. In reality, the boats that you will come across most in Venice are locals’ smaller boats and delivery boats, as well as vaporetti, transporting Venetians and tourists a like. 

Boats collecting rubbish do their job, rain or shine, high tide or low tide. Below is the rubbish collection boat going about its regular business during a particularly high tide. Bin collectors wear special aqua alta wellies.

Local Venetians sell wellies to unsuspecting tourists and commuters during an unusually high aqua alta, along the Strada Nova.

Little dogs are an intrinsic part of the Venetian way of life. With only a small number of parks and open space at a high premium, the picollo pooch is certainly the favourite amongst Venetians. During my studies, I did notice a Great Dane with his owner, every now and then. So I guess there are anomalies to this rule.
In true student style we hung our washing up inside the apartment. If you’re lucky though, you will have somewhere outside to hang your washing in true Venetian style.

Venice is most fun when you escape the main tourists trails. Step down a couple of little side streets and often you are by yourself. Venice is really quite a quiet city and it really is an amazing place to explore!