Tag: Venice

Libreria Acqua Alta: A Curiosity in Venice

Very small, the entrance to this other world is hidden in an alleyway of Venice, a bit off the usual tourist stream. If it weren’t for various piles of old maps, prints and books lying around in front of the door, one would hardly suspect this treasure for book nerds like me. There’s always something special about bookstores and libraries for me – they are so calming and so inspiring.

Looking for the best places to stay in Venice?
Get the best price here

And the Libreria Acqua Alta is not only that: it is magical. A total work of art. Thousands of stacks of books, old, new, a mess, it’s cramped, dark, yet fascinatingly beautiful. It’s like being in the middle of a Harry Potter book. In between all the books, there’s always a bowl of cat food, because the (I think) eight cats want to be fed, too.

You can find even more of the “Dolce Vita” on my Italy blog!

The most unusual bookstore in Venice

Books are stacked everywhere—whether in an old gondola or in a bathtub—the possibilities for storing books are endless. Creative chaos around every corner. The name Acqua Alta becomes immediately clear when you see the “emergency exit”: One little hop and you land in the canal that runs along the back of the store. Just a bit of typical Venetian high water—and the bookstore is flooded.

Unfortunately, Libreria Acqua Alta isn’t really a hidden gem anymore, so during peak hours you have to jostle your way through the store with dozens of other tourists—and if you also want to snap an Instagram photo in the particularly Instagrammable spots, you’ll have to wait in line for at least a quarter of an hour. Crazy, right? Still, it’s worth a visit!

Address: Libreria Acqua Alta, Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa 5176 – Castello, 30122 Venice
Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

***

Recommended reading:

Here’s another special bookstore: Livraria Lello—the Harry Potter bookstore in Porto

You really have to want to go to Venice a lot if you dare to travel there in August. In general, all of Italy is on the verge of absolute vacation collapse around August 15, the most important and significant of all Italian holidays for travel. On the Assumption of Mary, “Ferragosto”, all of Italy is on vacation – and this does not go unnoticed in Venice. Small stores lower their shutters, quickly written notes announce company vacations (“siamo di ferie”) and wish a nice summer.

Venice in August: vacation mood in Italy

Instead, the rest of Italy will be visiting Venice, or at least part of it. But they are not really noticeable, because in addition to Italian tourists, half the world from near and far is still a guest. Not to mention the day-trippers from the huge cruise ships that invade Venice every day – yes, you just have to say it. Everything must be seen before the ship departs, quickly a photo between the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square, a short gondola ride with one of the beautiful gondoliers and absolutely an ice cream, in the wafer, with scoops piled so high that the photo of it becomes particularly instagrammable – although it is far too much ice cream for so little time.

You can find more tips for Italy on the Italy Blog

Especially when the mass of visitors and the summer heat make sightseeing even more arduous. Venice in one day is an impossibility anyway. Therefore, I wouldn’t exactly recommend high summer as a travel month – but still: Even tourist crowds and summer heat couldn’t spoil Venice for me. I just wanted to go to Venice so badly – because although I’ve been around Italy quite a bit professionally and privately, I only knew the city from stories.

Sightseeing in Venice – the tips: Where to start?

There is much to discover in Venice, art, history, architecture; and the fascinating geographical location with all the canals does her by the way. Seeing it all in a few days is a challenging undertaking, there are still the islands around Venice like Burano or Murano or the city beach on the Lido to discover.

St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace in San Marco

The heart of Venice—an absolute must-see, both day and night. Many vaporetto lines stop here, so chances are you’ll pass by anyway.

In St. Mark’s Square, you’ll find St. Mark’s Basilica (note: admission is free, but you’ll still have to wait in line depending on the number of visitors), the Doge’s Palace with its beautifully romantic façade, the Campanile (which you can climb for a few euros), and various long-established cafés like Caffè Florian, where you can enjoy what’s probably the most expensive cappuccino of your life and, in the evening, be treated to sentimental love songs performed by the café’s own orchestra. It sounds cheesy, and it is. But there’s just an undeniable charm to sitting in this magnificent square and listening to the string section play old-school pop hits. By the way, if you don’t want to pay for a seat, just stand at the edge.

Finding the way to St. Mark’s Square in Venice is easy even without Google Maps: on many street corners and in many alleys the way to Piazza San Marco is marked, “La Piazza” is simply the central orientation point in the thicket of Venetian alleys and canals.

Grand Canal: Venice’s biggest street

The Grand Canal: Venice’s Lifeline: Instead of streets, Venice has only canals, and boats of all kinds are the main mode of transportation. In that sense, the Grand Canal is the highway that runs through the entire city. You’ll probably end up traveling along it at some point anyway, but it’s worth taking a vaporetto early in the morning to travel the entire length of the Grand Canal and watch the city come to life.

Contrary to my expectations, Venice is actually a city of early risers—no trace of that typical Italian leisureliness. Even at night, Venice is rather quiet; once the day-trippers have left, there isn’t much of a bustling nightlife. Another lovely thing to do on the Grand Canal: watching the sunsets.

By the way, the (luxury) department store is also beautiful from the inside, the building used to be, as the name suggests, the trading place of the German merchants in Venice and later the main post office of the city.

Rialto Bridge and Rialto Market

The Rialto Bridge is both a bridge and a shopping street, much like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Small shops line the bridge on both sides. From the outer edges, you have a great view of the Grand Canal—unless hundreds of selfie sticks are blocking your view.

Right near the Rialto Bridge is the Rialto Market, where you can buy fresh fruits and vegetables the old-fashioned way. It’s all very traditional and a delight to behold. And don’t miss the fish market, right on the canal under centuries-old arcades—it’s worth getting there early.

Dorsoduro: Punta della Dogana, Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and lots of museums

Directly across from the Doge’s Palace is the Punta della Dogana headland—and this is also the best spot to appreciate the sheer size of the Grand Canal’s entrance, through which all merchant ships used to sail. Next door is the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, which houses works by Titian.

Even if you’re not a fan of churches, when you’re in Venice, you simply can’t help but take a look inside a few of these impressive churches. Many of them house works by the most famous Venetian painters—so you get a free museum visit thrown in.

Giudecca – the island of the Venetians

Sitting on the promenade in the evening with a glass of red wine, the Venetian water at your feet and the view of the sun sinking into the sea – definitely one of the highlights that make a trip to Giudecca worthwhile. Incidentally, the restaurants and cafes here are a lot cheaper and better than in San Marco – despite the spectacular view.

Giudecca is one of the islands off the coast of Venice; it’s actually more of a residential area. In the meantime, a few hostels have also opened up here. The vaporetto service to San Marco is excellent, and despite the extra cost of a vaporetto pass, it’s worth staying overnight on Giudecca to escape the tourist crowds a bit and observe everyday Venetian life.

Venice accommodations

Accommodations in Venice are a bit of a mixed bag: they’re expensive, they aren’t particularly nice, and they’re especially hard to come by during peak season. That said, I hope this post will inspire you to visit Venice outside of peak season, because Venice really doesn’t need any more visitors in the summer. I wouldn’t go back in August either.

Many visitors to Venice therefore prefer to stay in Mestre, on the mainland, since that means taking the train to Venice every day. That’s an option, but I really wanted to experience the authentic Venice vibe—and in the end, it was incredibly convenient not to have to embark on a long journey every morning or evening.

Although it also involves a daily vaporetto ride, Giudecca offers a truly Venetian atmosphere, which made it a much better choice in my opinion. There are accommodations for those on a tight budget, such as the new, trendy Generator Hostel or the Sunny Terrace Hostel, a former student dorm that’s converted for summer use. But you can also find more upscale accommodations like the Hilton Stucky, a new Hilton hotel housed in an old factory—with the best views and endless charm. Giudecca is still something of an insider tip, but that seems to be changing right now.

In San Marco, you’re right in the thick of things. The Hotel Alla Fava* isn’t anything special, but its location is fantastic thanks to its proximity to the Rialto Bridge. And it’s in a very quiet spot, tucked away between a church and a small canal. It’s almost unbelievable that the tourist hustle and bustle is just two streets away.

The Donà Palace boutique hotel, with its quintessentially Venetian grandeur, is also in a fantastic location—though, of course, much more expensive—but its Venixino bar is in an even better spot, and it’s my absolute top pick for an evening drink:

Tip: Right on the canal—which runs a few meters further on, passing under the Bridge of Sighs—you can sit here in a romantic, secluded garden and watch the gondolas glide by on the canal while sipping one of the excellent cocktails from the hotel’s bar. By the way, the bar isn’t just open to hotel guests.