A few days ago I saw a picture of Venice in a magazine. I looked at it for a minute or two, trying to decipher where the nondescript bridge over the canal was. The longer I looked at it, the more it took me back to the single day I spent in Venice last spring. It was my first and only time going to the sinking city and in that one day I saw enough, felt enough and lived enough to fill an entire lifetime with lush memories.
We had decided to stay outside of the city of Venice due to the fact that we were in a rental car and it was much cheaper and spacious. We were coming from rainy Sazlburg and after miles upon miles of vibrant mountains and misty meadows it seemed as though we were finally entering warmer climates. The manageable turnpikes turned into massive highways of freight trucks and weekend traffic. The landscape sprouted Cyprus and olive trees. The house turned to terracotta and finally, far into the distance, you could see the hazy shoreline of eastern Italy. As we exited the main road we entered the small town of Scorze. It felt as if I was taken my winter holiday in Florida. I was momentarily unimpressed by the nondescript landscape of suburban houses and grassy fields. Our Hotel itself, the Hotel Antico Mulino looked like nothing special. It was modern and clean, with a few of a tilled piece of farmland and it sat alongside a dried and murky riverbed, but the inside was very clean and sleek and the rooms, although not terrible special were also clean, with AC and boutique toiletries (always a plus). We arrived late and decided to eat at the hotel restaurant, I almost never do this, but since we were a train ride away from Venice and the village did not hold many options we just decided to stay put. It was amazing. The portions were small, super fancy, but some of the best food I have ever had and the local house wine was equally amazing. This was certainly not the cheapest option, but it was worthwhile.
The next day, after a descent continental breakfast at the hotel we were dressed in our summer best and headed for the train. After a bit of a panic over train times and scrambling to receive our tickets before the train left the platform, we were seated and watching the industrial outskirts of Venice pass up by. As I sat watching the stalled boxcars and abandoned construction machinery I was suddenly hit head on, in an instant of sun and brick by the city of Venice. It rises up as if from another world, and most certainly another time. It is there, in the middle of the harbor, preserved and heated through. It was almost a mad scramble off of the train and through the station, like not being able to scratch the middle of your back fast enough. One moment you are on the mainland, in the present and the next you are there in a different world.
There are things to see, the tourist things, the random things, the personal things, but it doesn't matter. You will see the main attractions, because the are obvious and all roads eventually lead to them, but this is also where the crowds are. There are swarms of tourists that is makes it near impossible to get a descent picture. There are also swarms of vendors, peddling every cheap and inauthentic things you can imagine.
There are two things that we did that you must do and one thing that we didn't do that I wish we did. You must just walk. Walk around, you will not get lost, I promise. Walk the street and allies, go into the shops no one is in, walk away from the crowds. My fondest and most vivid memories were from an abandoned square, a decrepit church or the back path behind ancient apartment buildings that led to private entrances into the canal. The contrast between the dusty white streets, the steadfast stone walls and the painfully bright and blue sky are fantastic.
The second thing you must do is take a ferry to one of the islands. We went to Murano and it is yet even further away from the known world. The slice of island closest to the ferry landing can be overwhelming with stores and tourists, but once you have walked away from all of that, there is a sense of quiet about everything. You can see a glass blowing demonstration, admire the boats and eat Gelato until your heart is content.
While you are on the boat, do the one thing I wish we did. Go to the cemetery. It is situated on its own island. It is lined by Cyprus trees and white washed and cast-iron walls and gates. It is mysterious and marvelous. It is a cemetery on water and it undoubtedly holds some of histories most interesting Italians, famous or not.
If this city sounds wonderful and unbelievable, it is, at times, but there were a few moments when I was beyond my capacity to hold in my anger. It is never easy choosing a place to eat and this may have been the hardest city to decide on dinner and when we did it was just ok. There are also too many people, all of the time and they all seemed to have a bit of a push, shove attitude. It is also expensive, hot and confined, but believe me when I say these are minor set backs. I would have maybe gone in more of an off season, but I think one full day was perfect and our decision to stay outside of the city was ideal.
Overall this is a city for the escapist. It is a romantic city and it can be a peaceful city, you just may have to work a bit harder and walk a bit longer to find this tranquility.
