Ten guidelines for tourists from the City of Venice

City of Venice Information Campaign for Tourists
"Live the City--Venice is yours too, Respect it!"

There are those who would argue that Venice, Italy, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and there are those, like me, who would argue that it is the most beautiful city in the world. So, it’s no surprise when every year millions of tourists cross oceans and continents seeking their own intimate interaction with the city that, as far back as the 1300s, contributed to the Renaissance and controlled European trade with Asia and the Middle East. To understand Venice’s grandeur, past and present, all one needs to do is pause and look. Venice is a work of art, and her treasures are detailed in every corner, arch, façade, nook and cranny. A city so culturally rich that a lifetime isn’t long enough to discover all she has to offer. But Venice isn't a museum or an amusement park. It's home to approximately 60,000 people and a place of work to many more.

It was the mid-80s when I first walked through Venice’s labyrinth of calli: the Berlin wall was still standing, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, Madonna hadn’t yet traded-in her lace gloves for a leather bustier, and many who ate at the chicest restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles still opted for French cuisine and had yet to taste their first forkful of risotto or tiramisu. Then, fortunately, the wall came down; the internet sped up; gelato became an internationally recognized word; pre-9/11 air travel became easier; cruise ships filled ports and gave travelers an option; and many who had never dreamt of setting foot outside their country became informed tourists and discovered the art of traveling abroad. Yet in recent years as tourism has developed into Venice’s number one industry many visitors, certainly not all, seem to have forgotten or perhaps never considered simple polite behavior and respect for their surroundings.

This year alone local and international papers and social networks published far too many photographs taken of tourists behaving in ways which are deemed disrespectful to Venice, to the Venetians and to Italy. There was the group sitting in high water in the finest drawing room in Europe, their feet propped up on a café table, while their friends swam—in bathing suits—in a flooded St. Mark’s square; a middle aged man walking around town, his shirt-tails open and flapping in the breeze to reveal a physique that only a doctor should be forced to see, and twenty something year olds in flip-flops and bathing suits sunning themselves while sightseeing in a city where wearing shorts—except if you’re running the Venice Marathon—by local standards is considered unacceptable attire.  Some may find it funny to see people swimming in St. Mark's square, some may think a dress code anywhere, let alone on vacation, is outdated. But I can guarantee that the majority of locals, and the City of Venice, find these situations an insult to their city and their culture.  

So, the City of Venice, in an effort to welcome and inform tourists, has developed a list of 10 guidelines available in seven languages. The decorum list has been posted around town and fliers are being handed out to visiting tourists.  I've duplicated the list in English below to let you in on the guidelines, too. Have a look, and then feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below. If you want to give Venice a helping hand you can share the info with your friends, too. For information in other languages click on this link: http://www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/57560

·      Litter

Please do not litter.

Throw rubbish into the nearest waste bin!

Help us keep Venice clean.

(Local bylaw art. 9 and 23

Fine up to 500 euros)

 

·       Picnicking

Please sit on the bench to eat your picnic.

Remember that the entire area around St. Mark’s Basilica

(throughout St. Mark’s Square, Piazzetta dei leoncini, and right up to the quay/waterfront)

is a no-picnicking area.

Help us look after Venice.

(Local bylaw, art. 23

Fine up to 500 euros)

 

·       Dress

You may not walk around Venice in swimwear or bare-chested,

nor plunge or take a bath (swim) in canals.

Please behave respectfully in the city. You can find beaches on the Lido Island.

(Local bylaw, art. 12 and art. 23

Fine up to 500 euros)

 

·       Pigeons

As well as damaging Venice’s artistic heritage, pigeons

carry diseases. Don’t feed them!

Safe guard your health and that of Venice’s monuments.

(Municipal bylaw on environmental health and animal health

And welfare, art. 24 Fine up to 500 euros)

 

·       Graffiti and bill posting

If you deface Venice through graffiti

or flier-posting you are damaging the city.

Use the official sites for your posters.

Venice is a city of art.

(Local by law, art. 13; for graffiti:

Fines up to 500 euro.

Defacing important monuments is considered a criminal offence.

For fly (flier) posting: fine up to 412 euro)

 

·       Obstructing Traffic

Given that Venice’s calli, or lanes, are very narrow

you should keep to the right

and avoid lingering on bridges.

Remember not everyone is on holiday, lots of people

live and work in the city. So help us make Venice

a pleasant place for everyone!

 

·       Transport

When traveling on public transport,

remember to respect other passengers:

put your rucksack (backpack) on the ground,

avoid standing in the entrance, and store

your bags/luggage where the boat staff tells you.

The water buses are the only form of public transport used

by both tourists and locals.

Help us make Venice a better place to live in!

(Local bylaw art. 50

Fine up to 500 euro)

 

·       Acqua Alta (flooding)

Alternative routes exist in case of acqua alta (flooding).

Use the raised walkways.

Keep to the right, don’t loiter.

Discover how fascinating Venice can be at high tide.

(Note from me: I would have left this last statement out! Acqua alta is not very fascinating for the locals.)

 

·       Street Vendors

If you buy goods from unlicensed street

vendors you are committing a crime

as well as putting your health at risk.

These products are not subjected to

any form of control. They harm you, the crafts sector

and encourage exploitation of the weak.

(Italian law No. 80/2005 art. 1 par. 7

amended by Italian law 99/2009, art. 17.

Fines up to 7,000 euro + seizure of goods purchased)

 

·       Disturbing the Peace

Venice is just like every other city:

So respect the neighbors and keep the noise down

after 11 o’clock at night.

You can have fun without disturbing others!

(Local bylaw art. 29.

Fines up to 500 euro)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ArtNight Venezia: June 22, 2013 an evening you don’t want to miss.

ArtNight Venezia 2013

ArtNight Venezia is fast becoming the cultural summer event around town; this year the organizers—Ca’Foscari Universtiy and the city of Venice—have chosen Saturday June 22, 2013 for its third edition. From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. nearly 200 museums, galleries, book stores, concert halls, churches, educational and cultural centers will turn on their lights and open their doors to 400 cultural events, and welcome visitors looking to enrich their curious minds and souls. Free guided tours, concerts, literary readings, documentary films and musical performances will remind the world, and hopefully satisfy locals who often feel invaded at home, that Venice isn’t simply a tourist attraction, but a living, working, breathing conglomeration of magnificent culture.    

 

I was one of ArtNight Venezia's 30,000 spectators last year, and the year before. So, I can testify that it's an event where many of the city's buildings, usually locked up tight, splash light and life onto Venice’s otherwise dark canals and alleyways; a special night of the year when a secret part of Venice—the part I consider her heart—comes to life.

 

During ArtNight Venezia:

 

·       You might experience the sound of a choir spilling onto a campo, leading you up church steps and beyond heavy wood doors that stretch out like open arms, inviting you inside.

 

·       You might find the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista open, and step past the confraternity’s marvelous marble façade to enter the ground floor Sala delle Colonne, and its quiet hidden garden. Then climb one of the two monumental staircases to the Salone Capitolare—the grand room originally built to hold the school’s general assembly. (I like to imagine this salone filled with music, masked gents and damsels dancing over the masterfully laid marble floor.)

 

·       You might visit the Ateneo Veneto in Campo San Fantin to hear an author read an excerpt from his or her book, before taking a guided tour of the institution’s library.

 

·       Or you might accidentally discover a splendid cortile where—with a glass of prosecco placed in your hand—you settle down on cushion covered marble to watch a contemporary dancer project her art on a monastery’s 16^th century wall.

 

These are a few of the events I experienced during ArtNight Venezia. Some are included in this year’s program, too. A program filled with so many choices that it’s impossible to see them all. But that’s not the point. You can select and plan your own experiences or simply walk around town and stumble onto something unexpected. Whichever you choose, I’m certain you’ll find ArtNight Venezia delightful.

 

For full program information browse ArtNight Venezia at http://www.artnight.it/it/eventi

Or Join ArtNight Venezia on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ArtNightVenezia?ref=ts&fref=ts

 

 

What would Venice be like without her Gondoliers?

Rowing beneath the Bridge of  Sighs

The other day my eye caught a blog post on an acquaintance’s Facebook page titled: Top 10 things to do in Venice (riding a gondola is NOT one of them!). I, along with a few others, left comments; those that had taken a gondola ride in the past disagreed with the title and agreed that, well, how could anyone come to Venice and NOT take a ride in a gondola?

Some of my readers know that I am married to a third generation gondolier, therefore my comments might come across as a pitch to keep my husband rowing—believe me he, and his colleagues, don’t need my help. The majority of travelers who come to Venice do budget for the “once in a lifetime” chance to see Venice from the perspective only a gondola can provide. And though I skipped a gondola ride on my first trip to Venice—I was traveling with a girlfriend and we erred in thinking that a gondola ride was best left to lovey-dovey couples—I’ve since learned it’s not limited to romance seekers but is indeed the most special way to explore the lifeline of canals that twist and turn through Venice.

The Facebook page conversation went back and forth. I made my contributions, maybe filled with more enthusiasm for Venice and her gondolas than necessary, but then decided to step aside when a local Venetian’s comment turned to reveal “hatred” for the category of gondoliers—her reasons kept to herself as she has the right to do. But hate is a very strong word, and sentiment. And if instead this remark was applied to say the restaurant business? “Service at such and such a restaurant was lousy, the food was worse, therefore I hate all restaurants.” I wouldn’t have paid much attention to the comment.

Now, this post is not meant to point fingers at those who disagree with me or who see the gondoliers—based on their experiences—in a different light than I do. I know there are locals who are not fond of the gondoliers. This is nothing new. Even Venice’s cherished Commedia dell’Arte scribe Carlo Goldoni wrote in the 1700s that the gondoliers, a category he seemed to be intrigued by, were either loved or hated. Yet, the Facebook conversation pushed me to ask myself: What would Venice be like without her gondoliers? 

Most travelers see gondoliers as solely a tourist attraction, while many locals see them as loud, boisterous, and “they walk around town as if they owned the place”. Both points of view have a vein of truth and untruth. But I wonder, has either group ever stopped to think about the contribution the gondoliers make to their city—tourism aside—and the benefit a few hundred gondolas gliding through the canals bring to Venice on a daily basis? Without the gondoliers and their gondolas Venice’s fragile foundation would probably be in a much worse condition. The gondola is actually a daily deterrent to Moto Ondoso—the damage made by the wake and the undertow of motorboats to Venice’s foundation. The gondoliers’ presence on any canal, wide or narrow, force motorboats—often too much in a hurry to obey speed limits—to slow down. So, their presence alone helps protect Venice. 

Seahorse ornament on a gondola 

Another situation that involves gondoliers and their city, and has flared up more recently, but hasn’t gotten much attention is that a few gondoliers have been threatened, and not just verbally, by the people who traffic “designer bags” on the street. Not only are these people selling illegal goods, some set down their wares and block the gondoliers’ work stations. When asked to move most do, however some now understand that the city administration isn’t making the elimination of their illegal trade on Venice’s sidewalks a priority and have flashed weapons and broken bottles to threaten the gondoliers who challenge where they decide to “set up shop”. The gondoliers have formally brought this to the attention of city officials, the Carabinieri and the local media, not only in defense of their workplace, but for the respect and love they have for Venice, and above all to put a stop to the city’s decline. Yet the city administration, so far, has chosen to look the other way, leaving the actions taken by the gondoliers—sometimes peaceful, sometimes not—to be brushed off as being “racially motivated”. Don’t the gondoliers, who are licensed to work at their given gondola stations, have the right to do so in peace? Or does someone have to be harmed before the city will address and curb this problem? Doesn’t Venice deserve more respect, if for no other reason than for what she gives to her residents and all who travel to see her?

In closing this rather unusual post for my blog, the message I’d like to send is that the category of gondoliers isn’t made up of angels or demons. They are men of tradition who have families, work hard, enjoy life, at times exaggerate, and often let a few too many parolacce fly from their lips. As for my husband, and his many colleagues who have always shown me respect and kindness, I can testify that they love their city and their jobs, and neither they nor their category deserve to be hated. I think for all the reasons I’ve stated above that the city, and its residents, should instead give them a little support.