Oh, Toto…I don’t think we’re even in Italy anymore.
No matter what you know about any other Italian city, no matter how well the guidebooks try to explain it, there’s simply no way to anticipate Venezia, la strega (the Enchantress). As confusing as it is captivating, the labyrinth of canals and alleys confounds even the savviest of travelers. Most find that that just as they start to get their bearings…it’s time to leave!
If you knew Venice, like we know Venice…
Venice is simply a world apart, senza paragone, as Venetians say. First, there are only two modes of transport: your feet, and a boat. The absence of wheeled motor traffic contributes to the unique atmosphere. It also alters the pace dramatically, and makes a fundamental understanding of the city critical, but hard to come by on your own in only a day or two. The result: you’ll believe you’ve ‘seen’ Venice . . . but in the end, you’ll have missed many of the special experiences that make Venice worth visiting at all.
Please, not Venice without a plan:
Arrive on a Friday or Saturday, with plans to cover everything from the Ghetto to San Marco to cichetti bars in one or two days. Pay too much for a packed vaporetto heading for Piazza San Marco in morning or midday, stand in line to see the Basilica (you don’t have to) without heading upstairs to the museum, stand amid the throngs on the Bridge of Sighs, sit down at one of the bars with orchestras and be stunned by the €20 coffee. Follow the masses that circulate between San Marco and Rialto as you begin to become overwhelmed with the people, masks and glass stores. Take “free” taxi to Murano to be force-fed marked-up glass until you buy something, the return to San Zaccaria, realizing you’ve seen all you’ve allowed time for. Exhausted, you located the nearest restaurant posting a “tourist menu,” and pay too much for bad food.
You leave the next day, having missed so much, and thinking the city was hardly worth the effort.
Your most precious commodity: Time.
It’s true that Venice is made for wandering, and every angle produces yet another sigh. But when your feet have given out, and you’ve passed the same chiesa for the fifth time and finally find that famous trattoria (not worrying about a reservation) only to find that it’s full, don’t panic…just call Your Friend in Venice! We’re your Personal Venetian Lifeline.
We adore this city, and want to make sure you leave having experienced the best it has to offer: views, food, art, Venetians (we know the best guides, cooks, and we might even be able get you a singing lesson!), and more. We’’ll make your entrance as smooth as Venetian glass by providing custom arrival (and departure) instructions, arranging for porters, taxis, and even an escort if you like. We’ll meet you at your hotel with highlighted maps (you are here!), vaporetto tickets (complete with demonstration), and provide you with a complete introduction to the city — even a cell phone if you’ve decided you need one! We’ll advise you on current events, ways to organize your time during your stay, available guided tours, restaurant recommendations and reservations. You can even call us during your stay for last minute advice: Is San Tomà in front of us or behind us? When’s the next train to Verona? We just finished visiting the Chiesa di San Polo . . . is there good gelato nearby? Or, more commonly . . . now, where are we?
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