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People have been saying that Venice only has a few more years for over 200 years now since the end of the republic, and it is still there, and still breathtakin

by lqet 7y ago

People have been saying that Venice only has a few more years for over 200 years now since the end of the republic, and it is still there, and still breathtakingly beautiful. However, I have been to Venice 3 times in the last 10 years. People here arguing that Venice is "full of people" have not visited the city, but only the cities attractions. It is as simple as that. Even in the peak season when the city center is massively overcrowded by tourists, you (literally) only have to walk 10 minutes from Piazza San Marco to find yourself basically alone on lovely squares in the middle of the day. It is at the same time extremely beautiful and eerie, because you suddenly realize that the square is not only empty because there are no tourists there, but also because most of the apartment windows are blind, with nobody living behind them. Offside the tourist routes, Venice largely feels like a ghost town. It is indeed sad, but if you stay in the city as a tourist long enough, you get why locals are leaving. The last time, we stayed there for 10 days in a small apartment, and starting with day 2, our hatred for the masses coming off the cruise ships like a biblical locust plague grew exponentially to a point where we completely avoided the city center between 10 in the morning and 9 in the evening.

drdeadringer 7y ago
What was the experience between 9pm and 10am?
- Udik 7y ago
  The city is mostly dead. At least, that's how it used to be 20 years ago.
- matwood 7y ago
  > What was the experience between 9pm and 10am? The time I went a few years ago it was pretty dead. I'm not a big Venice fan. It's a pretty city that's worth seeing before it sinks away, but I enjoy other cities for repeat visits. I mentioned in another comment a few weeks ago that if I wanted to visit Venice again I would stay in Rovinj, Croatia and take the local ferry over for the day. When I went to Venice we took the ferry over and stayed in Venice, and after seeing the Venice highlights really just wanted to go back to Crotia.
  - davidw 7y ago
    That's not just a quick ferry ride... it's like 3 hours, one way.
- selimthegrim 7y ago
  I walked from the train station to St. Mark's Square and I saw maybe five people total and like one kebab shop open on the way.
- tlear 7y ago
  Early morning is gorgeous, we stayed before near Arsenale and I would go on a run every morning around 6am. It is the most beautiful city I ever been in a that time. It is a tourists attraction mainly now but still running alone through it is pretty amazing.
deleted 7y ago
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sct202 7y ago
Are the cruise ships really the problem compared to tourists trying to stay in the city? The cruise ship visitors will crowd around the main attractions but at the end of the day they will go back on the ship and not compete with locals for housing.
- Udik 7y ago
  I guess it's still hard to live in a city that has half of its streets flooded by a mass of people and many of its shops and cafes converted into tourist traps. It's a serious problem caused by globalization, higher standards of living and cheaper transport: there are places that are becoming unlivable due to the sheer mass of tourism. And it's a problem that is very hard to solve, because a city must, almost by definition, be open; and because curbing tourism- even if it were feasible- means saying no to a huge amount of cash.
  - mcv 7y ago
    Amsterdam has taken step to curb the excessive growth of tourist shops in the city center. Tourism is fine, but the city has to remain livable for the locals. They don't want to turn into a tourist amusement park, which I guess Venice has already become.
- Celexior 7y ago
  Plus, the tourist from the ships contribute to the higher prices of everything. And they don't even sleep (and sometimes eat, because the cruise is offering the meals) in the city, so they just use the space.
epiphanitus 7y ago
Are the locals leaving or are these rental properties? I know there are a lot of places in the world where the wealthy will buy property and then only go there for vacations.
phil248 7y ago
I was amazed at how packed the tourist areas were, but even more amazed at how tranquil much of the rest of the city was. We found ourselves wandering around more or less alone a lot of the time. It was fantastic, and completely unlike what we had been warned about from people who had stuck to the busy areas.
bjourne 7y ago
I visited Venice about ten years ago. Definitely true that some parts are crowded and some parts empty. I visited the Jewish quarter (Venetian ghetto) midday and it was completely deserted. There was a closed Jewish museum, a run-down synagogue in need of repair, also closed, and a Holocaust memorial. But not a single sole in sight! I was completely alone on the square for several minutes.
- jhou2 7y ago
  Same here. I also visited the Jewish quarter and it was absolutely empty. There was also a painting nearby that depicted how it was centuries ago, filled with people, mothers, and children. Astonishing that it is completely deserted now.
ocschwar 7y ago
I really, really, really want to do a working stint in Venice. Just rent one of those apartments, VPN in to work and code all day. I know actually living in Venice is a challenge. It's a long walk to run any errand, and if you need something delivered it has to come by boat, on a schedule, and so you have to have your act together. But, if you mess up? You have to eat out. In Italy. There are worse things in the world. Really, all I need is wifi, which I hear Venice has, and for my 3 kids to be passable swimmers.

by lqet 7y ago

drdeadringer 7y ago

What was the experience between 9pm and 10am?

Udik 7y ago
The city is mostly dead. At least, that's how it used to be 20 years ago.
matwood 7y ago
> What was the experience between 9pm and 10am? The time I went a few years ago it was pretty dead. I'm not a big Venice fan. It's a pretty city that's worth seeing before it sinks away, but I enjoy other cities for repeat visits. I mentioned in another comment a few weeks ago that if I wanted to visit Venice again I would stay in Rovinj, Croatia and take the local ferry over for the day. When I went to Venice we took the ferry over and stayed in Venice, and after seeing the Venice highlights really just wanted to go back to Crotia.
- davidw 7y ago
  That's not just a quick ferry ride... it's like 3 hours, one way.
selimthegrim 7y ago
I walked from the train station to St. Mark's Square and I saw maybe five people total and like one kebab shop open on the way.
tlear 7y ago
Early morning is gorgeous, we stayed before near Arsenale and I would go on a run every morning around 6am. It is the most beautiful city I ever been in a that time. It is a tourists attraction mainly now but still running alone through it is pretty amazing.

deleted 7y ago

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sct202 7y ago

Are the cruise ships really the problem compared to tourists trying to stay in the city? The cruise ship visitors will crowd around the main attractions but at the end of the day they will go back on the ship and not compete with locals for housing.

Udik 7y ago
I guess it's still hard to live in a city that has half of its streets flooded by a mass of people and many of its shops and cafes converted into tourist traps. It's a serious problem caused by globalization, higher standards of living and cheaper transport: there are places that are becoming unlivable due to the sheer mass of tourism. And it's a problem that is very hard to solve, because a city must, almost by definition, be open; and because curbing tourism- even if it were feasible- means saying no to a huge amount of cash.
- mcv 7y ago
  Amsterdam has taken step to curb the excessive growth of tourist shops in the city center. Tourism is fine, but the city has to remain livable for the locals. They don't want to turn into a tourist amusement park, which I guess Venice has already become.
Celexior 7y ago
Plus, the tourist from the ships contribute to the higher prices of everything. And they don't even sleep (and sometimes eat, because the cruise is offering the meals) in the city, so they just use the space.

epiphanitus 7y ago

Are the locals leaving or are these rental properties? I know there are a lot of places in the world where the wealthy will buy property and then only go there for vacations.

phil248 7y ago

I was amazed at how packed the tourist areas were, but even more amazed at how tranquil much of the rest of the city was. We found ourselves wandering around more or less alone a lot of the time. It was fantastic, and completely unlike what we had been warned about from people who had stuck to the busy areas.

bjourne 7y ago

I visited Venice about ten years ago. Definitely true that some parts are crowded and some parts empty. I visited the Jewish quarter (Venetian ghetto) midday and it was completely deserted. There was a closed Jewish museum, a run-down synagogue in need of repair, also closed, and a Holocaust memorial. But not a single sole in sight! I was completely alone on the square for several minutes.

jhou2 7y ago
Same here. I also visited the Jewish quarter and it was absolutely empty. There was also a painting nearby that depicted how it was centuries ago, filled with people, mothers, and children. Astonishing that it is completely deserted now.

ocschwar 7y ago

I really, really, really want to do a working stint in Venice. Just rent one of those apartments, VPN in to work and code all day. I know actually living in Venice is a challenge. It's a long walk to run any errand, and if you need something delivered it has to come by boat, on a schedule, and so you have to have your act together. But, if you mess up? You have to eat out. In Italy. There are worse things in the world. Really, all I need is wifi, which I hear Venice has, and for my 3 kids to be passable swimmers.