Venice is a beautiful and mysterious city that is slowly sinking under water. The city of 54 thousand inhabitants receives 23 million tourists every year. Most of them prefer popular routes: visit the square and the Cathedral of San Marco, ride a gondola along the canals, climb the Campanile of the Cathedral of St. Mark, go for a walk along the Grand Canal on a water bus. And it is for them that most restaurants and souvenir shops of dubious quality are designed. Today we will tell you where to go and what to do to feel like a real Venetian.
1. Relax in the romantic garden of Palazzo Soranzo Capello
In the Santa Croce area, famous for its grandiose palazzos (palaces) and churches, lies the Palazzo Soranzo Capello. Behind the facade of the palace, which houses the offices of the city administration, lies one of the most beautiful parks in Venice. Henry James and Gabriel d’Annunzio wrote about it, and all the sculptures decorating it are ancient Roman originals. The garden consists of two parts: a courtyard with fruit trees and statues and a pavilion surrounded by marble columns. You can get into the garden on weekdays, from 10.00 to 17.00, the only condition is not to have picnics and not make noise.
2. Head to the Cannaregio area for the Jewish ghetto, synagogues and palaces
Cannaregio is a quiet area in the northern part of the city, where a third of Venetians live. There are great shops, bars and restaurants and very few tourists. In Cannaregio there is the Church of the Madonna dell’Orto, where Tintoretto is buried, the Church of the Gesuati with paintings by Titian and the Jewish Ghetto – one of the oldest in Europe. On its territory there are three ancient synagogues, richly decorated with carved panels and mosaic ornaments in the fashion of the 18th century. On the territory of the ghetto there are many good restaurants and the famous Volpe bakery with traditional Venetian sweets.
3. Learn about life in medieval Venice in the historic garden of Palazzo Gradenigo
In Venice, gardens are still called “green gold” – in a city with a growing population, the area of which has not increased for centuries, and the only source of water was rain wells, only the rich could afford a garden. The garden of Palazzo Gradenigo is unique – it was restored in 2001 in the form in which it had been for centuries – with thickets of flowers and medicinal herbs, small fountains and gazebos. In the spring, when Japanese sophoras and wisteria bloom, a layer of white petals covers the ground. Several times a month there are excursions around the garden and palazzo, telling about medieval Venice. Schedule of excursions and registration – on the palazzo website.
4. See Santa Maria dei Miracoli, one of the most beautiful churches in the city
The Venetians call Santa Maria dei Miracoli the “Carved Marble Box” because the church is lined with pink, blue and white marble inside and out, and is shaped like a medieval box. This beautiful church was built in the 15th century to house the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, painted by Niccolo di Pietro. The inside of the church is as beautiful as the outside – the walls, choirs and altar are lined with multi-colored marble. Santa Maria dei Miracoli is open from Monday to Saturday from 10.30 to 16.30, ticket price 3 EUR.
5. Attend a classical music concert in a Renaissance palazzo
The problem with most chamber music concerts in Venice is that they are aimed at tourists and the performers are conservatory students. Venetians themselves go to concerts organized by the city’s musicians’ associations. We recommend visiting the classical music concerts organized by the Societa Veneziana di Concerti at the La Fenice opera house and in the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni, decorated with paintings by Tintoretto and Titian. Ticket price is on average 20-35 EUR. Also, one cannot fail to mention the mini-concerts of music from the 14th to 18th centuries, which are held by the Scuola di Musica Antica association. Concerts are held on Saturdays at 17.00 in the Renaissance Palazzo Querini Stampaglia. The cost of the concert is included in the price of the museum ticket (10 EUR).
6. Try the best Venetian snacks with a glass of Aperol Spritz
In Venice, it makes no sense to buy pizza and pasta – these are traditional dishes of the south of Italy. Try the traditional Venetian snacks of chicchetti with a glass of prosecco or spritz in one of the bars, which in Venice are called bacari. There are hundreds of them in the city, and every year the best bakari are chosen from among them. Here are the winners and their signature cicchetti: Al Merca (lamb meatballs and tuna-celery sandwiches),
Il Diavolo e l’acquasanta (marinated sardines, fried crab claws and cod puree),
Il Bacareto da Lele (mini sandwiches with bacon and artichokes, sausage and mushrooms),
La Vedova Cannaregio (cod and sardine croquettes with polenta),
Osteria al Portego (mini artichoke and prosciutto sandwiches, cod alla Vincentina and stewed cuttlefish),
Osteria Enoteca al Volto (pink shrimp with polenta, salad with peppers and sun-dried tomatoes). One cicchetti costs 1-3 EUR, a glass of prosecco or spritz costs 2-3 EUR.
7. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the city in the ancient market squares
The market squares of Venice lie far from the tourist trails; in the morning there are noisy markets, old people and children walk during the day, and in the evening young people gather in bars. Campo Santa Margherita in the Dorsoduro district hosts a farmer’s market every morning, and in the evening dozens of bars open on the square, which even students can afford. On Campo San Barnaba in Dorsoduro there is a museum of Leonardo da Vinci’s machines, a book market where you can find books from the 18th and 19th centuries, and a good restaurant, Ristoteca Oniga. At Campo Santa Maria Formosa there is a food market early in the morning, and the shops along the perimeter of the square sell cheese and prosciutto. In the bustling square Campo San-Giacomo-dell’Orio, old people sit on benches under plane trees, there are two inexpensive supermarkets on the corners of the square, and nearby there is an excellent ice cream parlour, Gelato di Natura.
