Unpopular Opinion: Venice Was Not My Favorite

But we met the nicest local there who was kind enough to show us a way out that didn't require wading through canal water to the train station. (I'm not kidding.)

Most of our trip to Italy was amazing, and Venice was not all bad, not by a long shot, but it just wasn’t my favorite place we visited. Details of my favorite places are coming in future articles.

I mentioned last week how Mike and I accidentally found ourselves in Bologna thanks to the timing of flights available. And we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the city of porticoes and ragú.

Because we found ourselves further north than we had planned to venture on this trip, I decided we had to go to Venice if at all possible. Mike wasn’t necessarily against a day trip to Venice, but he had traveled to Venice a couple of years ago, so he was indifferent, at best.

What’s interesting about our decision to travel to Venice is that the reason I wanted to visit Venice is exactly the reason we should have stayed away.

Earlier this year, Venice found herself at risk for being placed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in danger. According to an AP News article back in September, “the UNESCO World Heritage Committee recommended Venice for the list of sites in danger, citing the negative impact of mass tourism, damage to the lagoon by large ships and oil tankers entering via the Malamocco canal, and climate change leading to more frequent high tides, as well as uncoordinated development.”

Basically, Venice is drowning, both literally in water and figuratively in tourists. And UNESCO has put the people of Venice on alert to take measures to conserve what makes their city culturally unique and historically authentic.

I thought by going in late October, we would have escaped the number of tourists we’d read about in the summer months. This was not the case. The narrow streets, the restaurants, the small shops, and the water taxis were packed with people. And I will do almost anything to avoid crowds of tourists.

But Venice was not all bad. And though it might sound like it, I do NOT regret visiting Venice. The canals and the architecture lived up to the hype, and I do predict that there will come a time in the near future when tourists will no longer be able to travel freely or easily to Venice. So, I am grateful for the time we spent there.

So, what did we do in this overcrowded town?

We Visited a Very Unique Bookstore

I’m a writer and a book lover, so I, of course, wanted to witness Venice’s unique bookstore Libreria Acqua Alta, which literally means “high water bookshop.”

Libreria Acqua Alta is unique in the way it shelves its books and for the fact that it opens up directly onto a canal. You can even wait in line and step into a Gondola from its backdoor for an Instagram photo. (I did not do this. You’re surprised, I know.)

Some of you might remember that I don’t purchase a ton of souvenirs when I travel, but I do enjoy purchasing books when I visit independent bookstores all over the world. Then, when I pick up that book, I remember the trip, fondly. Unfortunately, Libreria Acqua Alta is such a tourist attraction that it’s near impossible to actually stand in line to buy something, which is a shame. The only way they can possibly keep up inventory and stay afloat (again, literally and figuratively), is with income. And a constant flow of tourists who are only snapping Instagram photos and not purchasing anything isn’t good for business.

If you go to Venice, I do recommend visiting Libreria Acqua Alta, especially if you’re a book lover like me. It’s incredibly unique.

We Took a Water Bus to Murano

An aspect of Venice that I was truly excited to explore was the history of glass-making. Most of the venetian glass products and art that Venice is known for is made on the island of Murano. This includes everything from small trinkets to jewelry to elaborate chandeliers to unique works of art.

And Venice (and Murano) knows that this is something tourists come for. They have capitalized on glass products to such a large extent that it’s EVERYWHERE. Store after store on street after street is filled with glass products big and small.

While on Murano, Mike and I witnessed a glass blowing demonstration. I’m sad to say we did not get the best photo of this, but it was definitely worth the experience.

We also visited the factory and store where Murano clowns are made and sold.

Mike’s mother has a beautiful collection of these clowns that were most-likely hand-made in the 1960s and 1970s. The clowns above were hand-crafted recently with a bit of real gold, which drives their retail price up. The large figure holding balloons in one hand and a toy elephant in the other is priced between $4k and $5k. We did not purchase this. Ha!

Side note regarding our trip to Murano: Murano is less crowded than Venice. I strongly recommend wandering the streets in Murano to escape the crowds in Venice.

We Met a Kind Local Who Saved Us From Rising Water

When we got back to Venice, the sun was much lower in the sky, and we knew it was time to wander back toward the train station to catch our train back to Bologna where we were staying for another night.

But we still had time, so we attempted to stop and enjoy an aperitivo (a pre-dinner drink and snack).

And this is where Venice gets another point in the negative column. Italian culture almost dictates that late afternoon is the time to take a load off and enjoy a spritz and a small bite. Italians typically don’t eat dinner until 7 or 7:30, so this daily ritual is welcomed after a day of walking.

But in Venice, we were turned away from three restaurants around 4:30 that afternoon that weren’t at all busy because we weren’t ordering a full meal. Boo! This was not the Italian culture I was there to experience.

Being turned away, however, was probably a gift. Because unbeknownst to us, the tide was rising and we were pretty far away from the train station.

A couple of times a day, as most of us know, the tide rises, and in Venice, this means one thing: Sidewalks, shops, and restaurants begin to take on water.

I’m not exaggerating. People sit in restaurants in ankle-deep water and “enjoy” dinner.

With each narrow alleyway we wandered, searching for the path back to the train station, we ran into people coming from the other direction telling us that that way was no good or that it was washed out.

As the minutes ticked by, and with each path that was closed to us, we started to realize that we might have to wade through the canal water. Or that we might not reach our train in time.

And then we met a lovely gentleman who has lived in Venice for many decades. Though he spoke little English, he motioned for us to follow him.

Thankfully, he was able to successfully lead us around the flooded streets and to the street that would ultimately lead to the train station. But we would not have found that path on our own. At least, not timely enough to make our train.

Final Thoughts on Venice

I’m thrilled we were able to fit a day-trip to Venice into our travel schedule. There is something beautiful about the city that is completely different from other parts of Italy. And I worry that Venice will continue to change and possibly deteriorate as tides rise and tourism increases.

There is a lot of talk that parts of Italy will soon implement a tourism fee for people who wish to travel there. Venice has already voted to charge day trippers to Venice €5 on certain days starting in the spring of 2024. Will this cut down on the number of tourists, or will it simply raise tourism revenue for those places? I feel like €5 isn’t enough to cut down on the number of day trippers, but its definitely a trend travelers should be watching out for.

But while Venice and the system of canals were something I was grateful to see, I don’t know that I would rush back to this overcrowded city.

I will leave you with this poster that was posted outside the restaurant where we had lunch. You can see by this poster how the number of residents of Venice have decreased, and how the number of tourists visiting each year have climbed dramatically. This change in population and tourism is bound to have an affect on what the city is actually like.

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