I do not love Venice
Everyone must visit the three sisters of Italy: Rome, the serious one dedicated to preserving the glories of Italy’s Roman heritage. Florence, the studious and artsy one. And lastly Venice, the flashy younger sister who knows how to flaunt her beauty.
photo via Flickr by Brian WallaceSo say the Italy travel experts. At the risk of having the pigeon poop of San Marcos Square dumped on my head, I say: Not Venice, the beautiful darling that everyone falls in love with before they have even set foot in Italy.
Venice? Don't bother.
“But it is so ROMANTIC,” Venice fans sputter.
Ahh, yes, the famous romance. Funny how they have been able to continue that marketing campaign. And right after advocates tell you how romantic Venice is, they say, “You MUST see her at night.”
Well, of course you must if you are looking for romance. Gilbert and Sullivan had that wonderful line in Trial by Jury, “She may very well pass for forty-three in the dusk with a light behind her.” Old hags look so promising by candlelight.
Like everyone else, I thought I would fall in love with Venice. People travel by boat instead of car-- romantic charm! Bridges arch gracefully over canals--aesthetic charm! And history lurks in every doorway, down every cobbled street--historic charm! Oh yes, Venice is lively, too, with residents shopping at open air markets and having a coffee at the neighborhood bar.
Instead of this imaginary city of dreams, I found a tourist ghetto of musty smells, peeling plaster, the cries of mendacious merchants selling seedy souvenirs. I was visiting a ghost town abandoned by residents and positively choking on tourists. The numbers aren’t pretty: about 62,000 inhabitants in the historic city, swamped by as many as 20 million visitors a year. Yes, that’s about 200 tourists per Venetian. And a goodly number of the latter are, well, preying on the former. The wide sweep of San Marcos Square shrank with the dozens of hawkers all trying to get my money. Violin music drifting from the historic coffeehouses lost its charm when the bill for a dish of ice cream arrived and I had to fork over the Euro equivalent of twenty bucks.
;)
photo via Flickr by vieux banditThe appeal of outdoor markets like the famed Rialto farmer’s and fisherman’s markets is buried under a welter of tacky souvenir stands. Not content to peddle Murano glass baubles made in China or faux-antiqued jewelry or religious icons, the aggressive salespeople peddled low class jokes. I fled after seeing one too many men’s briefs displaying a key part of David’s anatomy. Never mind that Michelangelo’s David belongs to Florence. His male member has been claimed by Venice. Is there a connection there to the “Casanova” tour of the Doges Palace?
Is there nothing right with Venice? Yes, of course. In a couple of places I could almost forget the sinking feeling of being caught in a bad remake of a Fellini movie. That sinking thing is literal, since Venice sinks into the sea at an alarming rate and hotels have to issue boots to guests so they can cross the squares. Ahh, it is so romantic to slosh around in muddy water. But I digress. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is a happy retreat that houses excellent modern art and a peaceful, civilized café overlooking the garden where Mrs. Guggenheim and her favorite dog are buried. Careful attention has been paid to the manicured gardens and the sparkling white plaster façade.
photo via Flickr by Thomas LokOne historic establishment gave me an afternoon of delight, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Rocco—also known as St. Roch--earned his sainthood by banishing the plague.
The group of merchants that invested in this religious lodge meeting place (not a school as my elementary Italian made me think) was honoring the saint’s name. I imagine they needed to cover their bets in case anybody caught on to thumbs on the scales or inferior spices passed off as genuine Indian. They hired a guy named Tintoretto to decorate the place and he did one heck of a job. The deal he made reminds me of Scheherazade stringing out her stories day by day. In exchange for his exclusive services painting enormous murals for the Scuola, the group gave him allowances which eventually included a lifetime pension.
He painted huge story-telling scenes of the Bible on every available wall space, the ceilings, and even the stairwells. These lively scenes, if painted as individual canvases, would surely be worth millions each. But here enormous rooms are covered with them and you can spend as much time as you want marveling at them for a suggested donation of 7 euros—free if you are under 18. When I was there, I wandered with a headset and used conveniently placed foot-square mirrors to see the ceiling without a crick in the neck. No crowds. No hucksters. No t-shirts. No puerile penile briefs.
My husband, who had reached his museum quota for the day, sat on the steps of the church next door and was treated to an impromptu concert by a street-musician string quartet. Free. No 20-euro dishes of ice cream required.
In retrospect, my distaste for Venice was born in the city’s basic nature. Why was there a Venetian Empire? Because the inhabitants were merchants. Through no fault of the current tourist industry, they no longer control the seas (in fact, the seas are controlling them), but the mercantile strain still runs strong.
I glimpsed a clue to Venice in the proliferation of carnival mask shops, more ubiquitous than the convenience stores that dot every street of my country. You may not be able to find a bottle of aspirin on every corner in Venice, but you can buy a painted, feathered, bejeweled new persona to hide behind.
If tourists rush to Venice expecting to recreate the 15th and 16th centuries, the city will provide the facade. Just don’t fall for the tourist posters that show everything with a rosy glow. You need to fill in the blank spaces with souvenir sellers. And mix in musty smells and peeling paint.
Vera Marie Badertscher travels whenever she can, reads constantly, writes about it all from her home in Tucson, Arizona, and blogs at A Traveler’s Library (atravelerslibrary.com ). Learn more about Vera at pen4hire.com.
14 Comments
Reader Comments (14)
I completely agree!
But, I have to say that we had a fantastic time in Venice (in June 2008, with our two children). I turned heel in San Marco square the day we arrived and we essentially stayed away from all tourist areas for the rest of our visit. We walked for miles around the rest of the neighborhoods and had a very enjoyable time - including a long visit to Scuola San Rocco and very reasonably-priced lunch and gelatos in a neighboring campo. That's how more people should experience Venice in my humble opinion.
I've got some posts on our trip to Venice here.
I completely agree with you --- we searched through Venice trying to find a store to buy some basic toiletries and couldn't find one. But, there was a line out the door to get into the Venice Disney store. If there ever was charm in Venice, I think much of it has been lost. It truly saddens me.
Thanks Vera,
I'm really enjoying this new series. Many thanks for bringing your writing to the mix. Welcome to the family. We're lucky to add you to the ranks!
Funny thing about Venice...I arrived on a photo assignment ready NOT to love the place after hearing many traveler's recount their own tales of disappointment. But, despite myself, I had a great visit. Then again, it's rare that I don't.
Cheers,
Ellen
Thanks for the comments. Wandermom, glad you "discovered" Scuola Grande. I'll admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. Venice has its moments, but I was underwhelmed. So many people are carried away in fits of ecstasy that I just had to give another opinion. Akila--Yeah, shop after shop of souvenir masks and nary a stick of deodorant (which makes those crowds on the canal so much more appealing). Jeanne: So glad to be here.
vera marie, have you read the book "A THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE?" it's a wonderful true story about a woman writer/chef who gave up her life in the USA, moved to Venice to marry an unlikely Venetian, and what happens once she moves to Venice. It is not sugar coated at all and a delightful read.
Judie
Judie,
I'm adding that book to my reading list NOW!
Thanks for the tip.
Ellen
I visited Venice once and absolutely loved it. Give me the peeling plaster, the musty smell, the water in the square, the aggressive merchants. I was completely ready to accept Venice on her own terms. As you pointed out, Venice exists and thrived because of the merchant class.
I loved getting off the main island and taking the vaparetti as far as it would go and finding myself in the birthplace of Venice -- Torcello, population 20, with one heck of a church with Byzantine mosaics inside, and a tower with a stunning view.
I loved walking on the tables set up to get you above the water in San Marco square at one in the morning and sharing the place with about dozen other people.
I loved wandering the back streets and happening upon the tiny sqaures and churches and impromtu concerts and recitals.
But, as with many things in life, I suspect I love Venice the most because I was there in April and, well, you and thousands of other tourists weren't.
I cannot disagree, many of your complaints are the same as some of mine (fortunately, I know where the hardware stores are now). But Venice is my home, so much so that I worry I might have to live somewhere else someday. It's not a dream; it's a drug.
I feel sometimes that expectations are so high for Venice, for so many destinations in Italy, that it can be difficult to meet them. Venice is no different, she suffers from trying to satisfy the demands of too, too many tourists who are in such a hurry; the percentage that stay not even a day is astounding. That, and they all head for the very same place: San Marco.
I worry, though, not that we'll lose visitors, but that it will be the more respectful of them that stay away. That, I believe, is something Venice will never survive.
Only time will tell. In the meantime, I'll offer two additional reads that might give another perspective: 'Venice Is a Fish,' by Tiziano Scarpa, and 'the World of Venice,' by Jan Morris.
In the meantime...buon viaggio a tutti, and keep up the good blog. :)
My wife and I have been to Venice 3 times. We loved it! Sitting in the Piazza at night listening to the three orchestras was very romantic. We went to the Piazza at 3 AM one morning and the head violinist was playing for 3 friends in the middle of the Piazza. They invited us to sit with them and offered us free wine. Memorable! I love the history and the many beautiful churches and art works.
Maybe you need a guide to show you the beauty and quit looking at the peeling paint.
P.S. Don't go to Rome. Some of the best sights are in ruins!
Hi all--I figured that this slightly tongue in cheek article would elicit some strong opinions. I have been to Rome and wanted to spend much more time there exploring those fallen down stones, to Florence and wanted to move right in, to Le Marche, which is unspoiled countryside with a medieval village on every hilltop.
Many defenders of Venice blame bad experiences on the hordes of tourists (particularly, as Nan says, the insensitive ones). But I would remind you that it is not the tourists who have those stands on every corner displaying explicitly decorated boxer shorts .
Thanks so much for the book recommendations, Judie and Nan. They are now on my list. My own reading for Venice included Stones of Venice and the mysteries of Donna Leon.
Vera
My initial reaction to Venice was the same as yours. But we had been on a train forever (actual from Salzburg Austria), it was pouring down rain, and I had an earache fit to split my head. I'll never forget stepping off the train and thinking just how filthy and cheap everything looked - if my friends had suggested we get back on the train and try another city, I would have been the first one in the carriage.
But the weather the next day was magnificent, and my ears FINALLY popped from coming down out of the mountains, and I completely fell in love with Venice. One of my favorite memories of the two and a half weeks we spent in Europe was riding the "bus/boat" around Venice at night, just seeing the sights and hanging out with my friends. I don't imagine I'd want to live there, but I sure wouldn't mind seeing it again.
Venice is sinking! Go now! Take a snorkel and a wet suit. Soon it will be a diving trip or a submarine tour. Yes, I enjoyed some of it too but mostly it was soggy and smelly. Vicenza, 30 miles or so west was much more pleasant. Wonderful architecture and art......and dry feet!
I am afraid, i am not agree with you. I believe that everyone has different attitudes and experiences . However i respect to your thought.... Thank you for sharing your idea....
I certainly am not a lover of Venice but I started to like it once I escaped the main square and walked the back streets with its quiet cafes, empty churches, street life (kids playing soccer, Mum's hanging washing between houses, quiet canals) and mesmerising tangle of streets. Venice seems to sneak up and capture your senses the longer you spend wandering and exploring.