It's a tourist trap in high season, and is prone to flooding in low season, but Venice is a remarkable city. It should even entertain the children, writes ADRIENNE CULLEN
YES, THERE’S barely room to move in the narrow streets at the height of tourist season. Yes, you’re as likely to be overcharged and badly treated here as anywhere else. Yes, there’s a pervasive odour of drains and ancient damp. And yet for all that, for my money at least, Venice is the most remarkable and beautiful city in the world.
In fact, even for the seasoned traveller, it can be overwhelming. When you leave behind the train, plane, car or bicycle that brought you here, step on to your first vaporetto, or water bus, and motor out into the busy lanes of the Grand Canal, that’s when you realise you’ve just stepped into a different world.
Everywhere you look are the film-set facades of waterside palazzos, some of them dating back to the 13th century, which despite their faded grandeur are an incontrovertible sign of the extreme and probably equally ancient wealth of their owners. If you rubberneck at night you’ll see the wonderful cut-glass chandeliers and priceless tapestries.
Four bridges span the Grand Canal, of which Ponte di Rialto, originally dating to 1181, is the oldest. Beside it you’ll see the city’s famous fish market, the Pescheria (pronounced “peska-ria”). Next door is the Erberia, the produce market, with its beautifully colourful display of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
As they pass by you’ll see the way locals live on the water: businessmen in pinstriped suits in their chauffeur-driven launches, house-moving launches packed with beds, mattresses and sofas, home-heating-oil launches, police launches and, criss-crossing between them all, the elegant gondolas of well-heeled tourists.
If you’re worried that this is an adult destination, unsuitable for little ones with short attention spans, the opposite is the case. They’ll probably be even more fascinated than you are. There’s so much to take in that I’ve known 10-year-olds reduced to silence.
Not that it’s a perfect world by any stretch of the imagination. The Most Serene Republic of Venice dates back to 827. It was ruled by a Roman-style senate headed by the doge, or chief magistrate, whose palace on Piazzetta San Marco is one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions. It dominated trade on the Adriatic from that point onwards, apart from a traumatic period in the late 18th century when it was conquered by Napoleon.
This is a city that plays the long game – and has often been pretty ruthless about it. So over the centuries it’s had a host of titles, most of them predictable though not inappropriate: La Dominante, La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, City of Canals and the Floating City – a marketing dream.
Venice may not seem very big, but it’s built over an extraordinary 118 islands, and you’ll probably come across the main districts, or sestiere, of Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce and San Marco. After a few days the names will be tripping off your tongue.
You’ll probably also visit the island of Murano, to see its magnificent artisanal glass being made. And if you feel like an afternoon swimming and chilling on the beach, head for Lido, 10 minutes across the lagoon on vaporetto number 1. It’s also home to Venice Film Festival.
Piazza San Marco will hold most of your attention, though. Napoleon called it the drawing room of Europe, and with boutiques, galleries, museums, restaurants and bars under the arcades along three of its sides, it’s easy to see why.
At the eastern end stands St Mark’s Basilica, a remarkable sight with its great arches, marble decoration and Romanesque carvings around the central doorway. And standing free to one side is St Mark’s Campanile, built originally in 1156 and most recently rebuilt in 1912, after it collapsed in 1902.
There’s enough here to last you a month, but in Piazzetta di San Marco, just off the piazza and linking it to the lagoon, lies another trove, with the Doge’s Palace on the east side and the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana (St Mark’s National Library), described by Palladio as the most magnificent and ornate structure built since ancient times, to the west.
In the centre of the piazzetta tower two iconic granite columns, one holding aloft St Theodore, patron saint of the city before St Mark; the other holding a winged lion, the symbol of St Mark himself.
That view of the piazzetta and the two columns will probably be familiar from a thousand films, including the first of Daniel Craig's outings as James Bond, in Casino Royale.
In fact, to prepare for your visit you should read the novels of Donna Leon, whose likeable policeman Commissario Guido Brunetti has solved many a riddle here while impeccably describing the gastronomy, architecture and seamier business and criminal underbelly of the city. And, of course, the late Michael Dibdin's wonderfully laconic Aurelio Zen is Venetian, and his appropriately named novel Dead Lagoonis set here.
The other big literary connection is that the controversial American poet Ezra Pound lived and died here; he is buried on the cemetery island of San Michele.
MUSIC ALSO PLAYS an enormous part in the life of Venice. Probably the best-known building in the city is Teatro La Fenice, the opera house, which has twice burned down since 1792, most recently in 1996, after which bureaucracy and alleged corruption delayed its reopening until 2004. Now, though, it’s once again the cultural centre of the city. It’s a must-see.
Before your night at the opera, you might visit another must-see: Harry’s Bar on Calle Vallaresso, famous for its Bellinis – cocktails of prosecco and peach puree – and for the extraordinary cast of expats who’ve quaffed them over the years. The visitors’ book includes everyone from Noël Coward and Somerset Maugham to Peggy Guggenheim – whose fascinating art collection is open to the public at her former home on Dorsoduro – Orson Welles and Charlie Chaplin.
Venice is also the birthplace of the composer Vivaldi, known as Il Prete Rosso, the Red Priest, because of the colour of his hair. On the way to becoming one of the best-known composers in Europe, he wrote many of his pieces for the female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where he worked for almost 40 years. There’s still music at the building on Calle della Pietà, on Castello; it’s worth a visit for the atmosphere alone.
If you want to see Venice at its most extrovert, plan for February and the annual carnival famous for its masked ball.
If you're in the city between autumn and spring – playing Vivaldi's Four Seasonson your iPod – watch out for acqua alta, the exceptional high tide that floods the centre of the city. There's nothing for it, say locals, but to settle into a bar and enjoy an ombra (a little glass of wine) or two amid the camaraderie of adversity. Enjoy it. This will be a memorable and deeply authentic Venetian experience.
Venice essentials
Where to stay
Views on Venice Apartments, San Marco, 00-39-041-2411149, viewsonvenice.com. This is an ideal alternative to expensive hotels in the centre of the city. Views on Venice has a range of studio, one-bedroom and larger apartments for between three and 14 nights. Many are very central, in the San Marco area. Prices start from about €1,100 for seven nights in a well-located studio or one-bed.
Hotel Scandinavia, Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello, 00-39-041-5223507, scandinaviahotel.com. This former palazzo supposedly stands on the spot where Othello, the "Moor of Venice", met his love, Desdemona. A few minutes on foot from Piazza San Marco and Rialto Bridge, it has 33 rooms, ranging from €120 to €240 a night for a double, including buffet breakfast.
Hotel Danieli,Riva Degli Schiavoni, 00-39-041-5226480, danielihotelvenice.com. This five-star is by far the most striking hotel in Venice, with an unbeatable location a few steps from Piazza San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs, on the edge of the lagoon. Three palazzos, the earliest dating to the 14th century, were combined to create its opulent 225 guest rooms and suites. Prices from €500 a night for a double to €2,000-plus for a suite with a lagoon view.
Where to eat
Alla Madonna, San Polo 594, 00-39-041-5223824, ristoranteallamadonna.com. A charming, bustling no-nonsense place near the Rialto, which has been under the same ownership for more than 50 years. No reservations, but tables become available quickly. Serves Venetian-style liver and veal, plus cuttlefish, a local favourite.
Vini da Gigio, Cannaregio 3628a, 00-39-041-5285140, vinidagigio.com. Friendly, popular restaurant with canalside tables outside and wood beams inside. Favourites include pasta with radicchio from Treviso, and roast lamb with a crispy coating. It's also known for its extensive wine cellar, and for staff who offer good, not-too-expensive advice.
Osteria da Fiore, Calle del Scaleter, San Polo 2002, 00-39-041-721308, dafiore.net. One of only two Michelin-starred restaurants in Venice. Classic local specialities include squid-ink risotto, steamed sea bass with aged balsamic vinegar, and grappa-scented green-apple sorbet. If you fancy a table with a canal view, you need to book weeks in advance, so do it as soon as you've got your flights.
Shop spot
Murano.The island of Murano is where the famous glass is made, most if not all of which is blown by hand. It has been the mainstay of the island since 1291. You'll see the magnificent larger pieces in public buildings and private homes all over Venice. Even the smallest pieces are reasonably priced and uniquely Venetian. Take vaporetto 41 or 42 from the S Zaccaria stop near St Mark's.
Nightspot
Teatro La Fenice, Campo S Fantin 1965, 00-39-041- 786511, teatrolafenice.it. Even if you're not an opera buff, the place for a great see-and-be- seen night out is La Fenice, the magnificent opera house that has burned down twice since it first opened, in 1792. Its most recent restoration took eight years and cost an inexplicable €90 million. So enjoy it. There's glitz, glamour and a real sense of occasion here.
Get there
There are plenty of options to choose from, with regular direct flights from Dublin to Venice Marco Polo with Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com), Ryanair (ryanair.com), German Wings (germanwings.com) and Condor (condor.com). Flying time is two hours and 40 minutes.
