Pack your bags! Here are our favorite Venice attractions and activities!
Italians (at least many of them), may already know that Venice… actually floats! Unlike Amsterdam or Saint Petersburg, it is not just furrowed by canals, bordered by roads and pavements.
But here’s a Venice sightseeing tip: In this city, canals are the only available communication route, bearing in mind that part of the city extends over a handful of beautiful islands that are scattered across the Lagoon.
For this reason, the lagoon city can only be crossed on foot or by boat. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles and even roller skates are strictly forbidden. But this is not all. At times Venice may find itself… under water!
The acqua alta phenomenon – the result of heavy rainfall and high tides – can cause the water level to rise by as much as a meter, forcing everyone to walk on raised plank walkways, or don rain boots (many shops, including tobacconists, sell disposable ones) in order to cross the city’s flooded calli, campielli and salizade.
Calli, campielli and salizade are Venetian words used to identify streets, squares and alleys while sestieri is the local word indicating the six districts the city is divided into: San Marco, Dorsoduro, Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Polo and Castello.
This division dates back to the 12th century and also includes areas such as La Giudecca, the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore (San Marco) and the Island of San Michele, home to the city’s cemetery (Castello).
