Venice, italy

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAkefiLQK-8&t=1s

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I spent sometime getting extremely lost in the winding streets of Venice with the AREC 457 study abroad group in January 2017.  I hope you enjoy some of my tips and recommendations:  

Accommodation
I stayed with the rest of the class at the Don Orione Cultural Center, which believe it or not, is actually an old convent!  While it's likely hard to stay here as an individual, it had a nice location in the southern part of Venice right on the water and was about a ten minute walk from San Marco Square.  Since Venice airport is on the mainland, you'll have to take a boat to get to Venice; the Alilguna is a convenient option that will take you right from the airport to multiple points in Venice.  The bonus of taking the Alilgauna, is you get a nice boat tour of the island on your way from the airport.  
http://www.donorione-venezia.it/home-en​
http://www.alilaguna.it/en

Getting Around 
There are no roads in Venice, just winding paths and waterways!  As Rick Steve's says, you should just wander around because you cannot get too lost, after all you are on an island.  If you ever get tired of walking I recommend you take the Vaporettos, which is basically the public water transit service. The Line #1 Vaporetto takes you all along the Grand Canal and is itself a great way to explore the city on a nice calm boat ride.  

Things to do in Venice

1. Do a free walking tour of the city!  I chose to go on a walking tour that met at Campo San Geremia.  Our tour guide was a local Venecian girl named Lucia who was extremely personable and knowledgeable!  http://www.freewalkinvenice.org/ 
2. Doge's Palace - The "Doge" was the royal magistrate of Venice and built a beautiful palace on San Marco Square with ornate details and grand rooms that you can visit.  While there make sure you walk through the famous "Bridge of Sighs"!  You can purchase tickets to visit the palace on the palace grounds.  
3. Rialto Bridge - This is one of the most iconic landmarks in Venice!  Walk around the surrounding area and just enjoy the sights.  
4. Fondaco dei Tedeschi Rooftop - Adjacent to the Rialto Bridge is a beautiful (very high end) modern shopping mall.  Although I am sure you could do some luxury shopping here, the shopping is not the main attraction.  Located on the roof is a fantastic (and free) balcony that affords you beautiful views of the whole city.  Watching the sunset here over the the city was remarkable.!
5. Campanille at Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore - A short 5 minute Vaporetto boat ride from the main island of Venice you'll find this beautiful church and Campanille (Italian for clock and bell tower).  A short ride to the top provides some of the most remarkable views of the city and the surrounding landscape.  From this vantage point you'll see the Doge's palace, Piazza San Marco, Campanille San Marco and the distant mountains.  
6. Campanille San Marco - While this Campanille was closed while I was there, its definitely still a sight to see from below.  Rumor has it that the Campanille in Berkeley California is modeled after this monument, and it certainly seems like it is.   
7. Traghetto / Traghetti Ride - If you are a bit money conscious and do not want to spend a ton of money on a Gondola ride, you can ride a Traghetto; riding a Traghetto is just like riding a Gondola, only for less time and less money.  Traghettos are a quick way to get from one side of the grand canal to the other and only cost about 2 Euros
8. Cicchetti Crawl!  If you want to experience some local Italian food and wine, than I highly recommend you check out some of the many local Osterias.  Cichetti is like the Italian equivalent of Happy Hour, or finger foods; restaurants that offer Cichetti have affordbale glasses of wine (3 - 5 Euros) and offer tons of small and delicious snacks like mini sandwiches, meatballs, fried mozzarella and many more for ~ 1 Euro each. Check out the list below for some of my favorites!

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The Other Islands of Venice

1.  Visit the Island of Burano - The boat ride from the main island to Burano afforded you beautiful views of the distant mountains and local scenery.  Once on the island there were local lace shops, and some of the most colorful and beautiful homes I saw on the whole trip.  

Food
Food in Venice, like most of Italy, is amazing!  Here are some of the places I personally visited / had recommended to me:

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Cichetti 

•  Osteria Al Squero

• Baccarando in Corte dell'Orso
• Cantina Do Spade
• Al Merca
• Vino Vero
• Al Timon​

  Gelato

• Grom
• Gelatoteca Suso
• Gelateria Nico

      Restaurants

• Alla Zucca
• Osteria Alla Staffa

    
I'd also recommend you check out what Rick Steve's has to say about Venice!
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/venice-city-of-dreams 
https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/venice-and-its-lagoon ​

**Special shout out to Amber Egbert for all of her amazing travel recommendations for Venice and for all of the amazing students that made the trip so much fun! 

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places visited

florence, italy