Route: Venice
Area: Northern Italy
Date of walk: 25th November 2015
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 7.3 miles
Weather: Mostly white skies, cold
On the first day of our short stay in Venice we wanted to explore not only the San Marco area where we were based, but also the adjoining districts of San Polo and Dorsoduro. Having been to Venice before, we were well aware of how easy it is to get lost in the labyrinth of small streets. Wandering around as your fancy takes you is a good way to explore the city, but it can lead to going round in circles, so we decided to try and stick to a structured route as far as is possible, given the endless distractions that are on offer
We took with us the classic guide book by J G Links which, like the Wainwright Guides to the Lake District, is worth reading in its own right for the frank and sometimes very amusing descriptions of the surroundings. This walk is based on Walk 1 of his book ‘Venice for Pleasure’
We left our hotel near St Marks Square and after walking across the square and through some narrow streets crossed the Grand Canal via the Accademia Bridge. This took us into the Dorsoduro area, which we walked through to enter into San Polo
We crossed the Grand Canal again, this time over the famous Rialto Bridge which unfortunately was covered in sheets and scaffolding as it was being renovated. It was also covered with tourists, touts, and tat and it was a relief to enter back into San Marco and walk back to our hotel along quiet streets and canal sides which are much to be preferred to the honeypot areas
The route we’d chosen was a good one and illustrates very well the superlative beauty of this place
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
The day before the walk, on board a water taxi to our hotel
The Grand Canal and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Piazza San Marco
We arrive at our hotel - good planning Gilly!
Having checked in, there’s time for a stroll along the side of the canal
Looking along the Canale dell’ Arsenale
The sun sets behind Santa Maria della Salute, known simply as ‘the Salute’
As the sun goes down we can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store…
…dawn next day, a long exposure shot looking across the canal from our hotel to San Giorgio Maggiori
The Salute again from the hotel balcony
Another long exposure shot from near the hotel looking across to San Giorgio Maggiori
Salute again
An hour or so later we start our walk and approach Piazza San Marco
Palazzo Duicale - the Doge’s Palace
Looking back
The Bridge of Sighs, which would give convicts their last view of Venice as they passed from the Doge’s Palace to the New Prison
We walk through the colonnades of the Palazzo Ducale
It’s high tide, and temporary raised walkways are laid out over the flooded areas
A fashion shoot was in progress as we walked through the square
Rio de San Moisè - a couple of minutes away from St Mark’s Square yet completely deserted…
For me, these are the best parts of Venice - deserted streets, no crowds and an atmosphere of gently decaying beauty
The leaning tower of Santo Stefano
One of the many inviting views down alleyways along the way
A short detour along Calle Dose da Ponte for a view of the Grand Canal…
Statue of Nicolo Tommaseo at the Campo Santo Stefano
The Accademia Bridge, one of only four bridges to cross the Grand Canal
…and now looking the other way towards Salute
Looking along the Grand Canal as we cross the bridge
Having crossed the bridge we are now in the Dorsoduro area of the city
Santa Maria della Salute - ‘Salute’
Interior of Salute seen through a fish eye lens
Il Redentore on Giudecca - every July a bridge of boats is built over the Giudecca canal to celebrate deliverance from a plague
We follow the canal side for a while…
… before heading back into the town to walk past the San Trovaso gondola boatyard, first opened in the 17C
In the heyday of the gondola there were over 10,000 of these boats plying the canals, now it’s around 350
Freshly painted gondola
Lovely colours and an atmosphere of decaying beauty as we wander through Dorsoduro into the San Polo area…
Having crossed the Rialto Bridge (which I didn’t photograph for the reasons mentioned in the introduction) we are now back in San Marco
St Marks Square again, and from here we retrace our steps back to our hotel to end a truly wonderful walk
