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Tagged With "Venice"

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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 5) Venezia (Venice)

Paul Heymont ·
Great pictures...makes me want to go back! Interesting to note: the Mayor of Venice has been very active lately in trying to get the large cruise ships re-routed to keep them out of the fragile space between San Marco and Guidecca...and last month hundreds of people swam out to try to block the ships!
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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 5) Venezia (Venice)

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for your comments, PHeymont. The cruise ships are BIG business in Venice, and certainly allow a lot of people to enjoy the destination if only for a day. But there are easily places the ships could park that wouldn't hurt the delicate lagoon, then shuttle people into the city.
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Re: Venice's ban on huge cruise ships suspended

PortMoresby ·
A big "Don't Like" for the lobbyists and court in Venice. What, I wonder, is the "practical alternative" for the city that's being irreparably damaged by the transit of these ships. I suppose the usual, take the bribe and leave it to their children to fix.
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Re: Venice's ban on huge cruise ships suspended

Paul Heymont ·
The only alternatives I can see are to build a new cruise port outside the lagoon. Chioggia might be too far, but perhaps just north of the main way into the lagoon, across the inlet from the Lido. That would provide land-based alternatives for other day trips from the boats, and could also be served by vaporetto-sized boats heading into Venice itself. Of course, I haven't consulted the folks who live there and run campgrounds there...
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Re: Venice's ban on huge cruise ships suspended

PortMoresby ·
A perfectly logical solution if, indeed, logic applied in a system that officially condones adding insult to the injury Venice is already suffering. I predict, not in our lifetimes.
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Re: Shhh! Your suitcase is disturbing my sleep!

Paul Heymont ·
Well...it turns out... Or anyway, maybe the flurry of media protests changed their mind... But the city commissioner for Venice (the Mayor was removed earlier this year for corruption) denies that there was ever a plan to ban the suitcases or fine the tourists. He did say that they cause damage, but the rules are intended at noisy freight carts. However you view it, here's the LATEST
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Re: Shhh! Your suitcase is disturbing my sleep!

DrFumblefinger ·
It seems so sureal an idea that it has to be true! A city that has no roads, making the only way to get to most places by walking signifcant distances down narrow lanes, wants to discourage its lifeblood, tourists. "K, granny, you can carry that 50 lb bag for 10 minutes, or pay a 500 Euro fine, or we head down to Florence. What will it be?"
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 9, 2014: Enjoying the Sunset

Paul Heymont ·
If this were a painting, it would be by Edward Hopper. Wonderful image...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 9, 2014: Enjoying the Sunset

Marilyn Jones ·
What a fantastic photo and description; a moment in time captured forever.
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Re: Belles lettres et de belles choses: A wanderer's gallery

Paul Heymont ·
An apology...I mixed my files and misidentified the girl reading her stack of bronze books; we met her in Seville, not Lisbon!
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Re: Belles lettres et de belles choses: A wanderer's gallery

Paul Heymont ·
Another find for the Belles Lettres category: The 19th-c sign atop the older part of Madrid's Atocha rail station.
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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 6) Murano and Burano

rbciao ·
Dr. Fumblefinger, Nice slideshow with great pics. We were in Venice in 2012 for 6 or 7 days and made an excursion to Burano as a day trip. The first thing we noticed was that tourism has reached the tiny island. There was a new docking station for the vaporetti and all sorts of kiosks selling the usual stuff. The first time we were there was in 2008 and it was a sleepy island that time seemed to forget. In fact, we came across four elderly ladies sitting on a bench gabbing and knitting. I...
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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 6) Murano and Burano

DrFumblefinger ·
Great memories, rbciao! I'd like to head back to Burano some day, maybe spend 2-3 days there, just kicking back and enjoying the ambiance. We were there in May and it was not at all heavily touristed at that time, though certainly the shops were there to lighten the load of your Euro heavy wallet! Their lace was truly beautiful and my wife just couldn't resist!
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Re: La Dolce Vita (Part 6) Murano and Burano

rbciao ·
I would like to also stay on Burano if I could find a place with air conditioning.
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Shhh! Your suitcase is disturbing my sleep!

Paul Heymont ·
Well, the headline's not a joke. The city council has passed a law taking effect next May that imposes fines up to 500€ for dragging suitcases with hard wheels along the alleys and bridges of Venice. The claim is that the noise drives everyone...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 18, 2015: The Winged Lion of Venice

DrFumblefinger ·
    The winged lion is a symbol you see everywhere in Venice -- palaces, flags, statues -- everywhere.  It seemed a somewhat unusual mascot for a seafaring power and made me wonder what the origin to the symbol was.  Turns out the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 9, 2014: Enjoying the Sunset

DrFumblefinger ·
  One evening as we were returning to our hotel near St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, slowly cruising down the Grand Canal on a  vaporetto (water bus) , the sun began to set.  In the last moments of daylight, that magical time of day...
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Changing Trains in La Serenissima

PortMoresby ·
  My English friend and I left the beautiful apartment on the Anfiteatro in Lucca , she home to Bromsgrove in the West Midlands, and I toward Budapest and my old friends with a guesthouse near the famous synagogue.  I was treating myself to...
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Venice to reduce cruise ship traffic

DrFumblefinger ·
Because it is believed the ships are threatening the sinking city, the Italian Government will reduce by 20% the number of cruise ships allowed into the lagoon starting in January.   Here's that link if you're interested in reading...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Jan. 12, 2014: San Marco, Venice

Paul Heymont ·
Here's a close-up of the Lion of St. Mark, atop the Basilica in Venice. From ground level, it's difficult to appreciate the individual details of the decorated dome and roofs—there is so much that it is like trying to see a single tree in the...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Feb. 17, 2014: San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Italy

DrFumblefinger ·
Situated on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, across the canal from Piazza San Marco, sits this beautiful cathedral, one of the iconic symbols of Venice.  The church was built by the Benedictine order between 1566 and 1610....
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Sept. 22, 2013: Wandering the Back "Streets" of Venice

Paul Heymont ·
   At night, after the day-trippers leave, Venice takes on a quieter and more mysterious personality. Here, a narrow residential calle connects one of Venice’s small canals, in the Cannaregio district, to a small square with...
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La Dolce Vita (Part 5) Venezia (Venice)

DrFumblefinger ·
  (Grand Canal, Salut Church, Old Custom House) So it was finally our time to visit the legendary travel destination of Venice.  With increasing excitement we journeyed from Florence through Tuscany and finally over the long...
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La Dolce Vita (Part 6) Murano and Burano

DrFumblefinger ·
(The canals of Murano) Venice is just an “island community” (actually it’s an amalgamation of 100 smaller islands) in the shallow brackish waters of the Laguna Veneta.  There are several other island communities in this...
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Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships

Paul Heymont ·
Venice's economy depends on travelers, but the city's life may depend on finding a way to limit their overwhelming presence.
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Little Venice: Unexpected London

Paul Heymont ·
Far from the most famous attractions of London, an unusual neighborhood along a stretch of the Regent's Canal
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Venice protesters block cruise ships

Paul Heymont ·
Protests by 2000 in small boats block cruise ships in Venice's lagoon over environmental concerns and 'over-tourism'
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August 9, 2019: A Walk along the Grand Canal

DrFumblefinger ·
A photo snapped just after landing in Venice's Marco Polo Airport.
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Frari Church, Venice (Where Gumbo was #318)

DrFumblefinger ·
Gumbo was visiting the beautiful Frari Church in Venice. The church is well know for its fabulous collection of art.
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Where to travel in Italy as a young couple?

Tony Swan (Guest) ·
Tony Swan offers suggestions for young couples traveling in wonderful Italy (sponsored content)
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Venice's ban on huge cruise ships suspended

Paul Heymont ·
The ban on huge cruise ships in the Venetian lagoon, ordered by the Italian government in January has been suspended by a regional court in the Veneto—Venice's region—on grounds that there aren't any reasonable alternatives. The ban was...
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Dry Canals: Paris on purpose, Venice by low tides

Paul Heymont ·
Two European cities are facing dry seasons in their canals, with record low tides exposing long-unseen areas of Venice's waterways, and Paris draining its iconic Canal Saint-Martin for cleaning and repairs. In Venice, abnormal tides this year, combined with a so-far dry winter, have left water levels about 70cm (more than 2 feet) below normal. As a result, routes for the city's vaporetti, or water buses, have been curtailed because they are unable to navigate in some of the smaller canals.
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Venice Carnival kicks off with "Flight of the Angel"

Travel Rob ·
Venice kicks off Carnival on Sunday in front of thousands.
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Feb. 20, 2016: Churches of Torcello

Paul Heymont ·
Torcello, the most distant of Venice's islands and once a rival of Venice, has almost no residents, but two splendid ancient churches.
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Doors of Verona and Venice

Sylvia ·
Sylvia shares more of the fabulous doors of Northern Italy.
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November 13, 2018: The Art of the Almond

DrFumblefinger ·
Marzipan is a popular treat in Europe and is often shaped into these beautiful small fruit-shaped sweets.
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

Paul Heymont ·
This is Venice the right way...slow and easy, drinking with the eyes. Perhaps an afternoon like this should be everyone's first day in Venice, and save the rest for later days. It would certainly change how one sees the rest of the city, including the famous monuments. Come to think of it, perhaps the secret of Venice is that it has so many secrets waiting to be found if one is not blinded by the brilliance of the high points.
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

DrFumblefinger ·
Greatest layover ever!
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

IslandMan ·
Another great article and pictures, PM. If Rome is called the "eternal city", what would you call Venice?
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

PortMoresby ·
Thanks, IM. I don't know if there are others, but one name for Venice is in the title. Did you have another in mind?
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

Paul Heymont ·
A quick search of Google for "nicknames for Venice" turns up quite a few... Queen of the Adriatic (as opposed to Pearl of the Adriatic for Dubrovnik) City of Water City of Masks City of Bridges City of Canals (surely shared with Amsterdam?) The Floating City City of Light (also, of course, claimed for Paris) and, from a friend here in Brooklyn: The Impossible Dream
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Re: Changing Trains in La Serenissima

DrFumblefinger ·
Sadly, we might need to add the "Sinking City" to the list. We were warned in a parable about not building a heavy house on the sand, but who would have thought that house would be so beautiful?
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Re: Frari Church, Venice (Where Gumbo was #318)

George G. ·
Fantastic artwork !!
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Re: Feb. 20, 2016: Churches of Torcello

TravelingCanuck ·
One of the many hidden gems of Venice and area. Unfortunately my one visit to Venice in 1988 did not include going here. My loss but another reason to return to Venice. Thanks.
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Re: Little Venice: Unexpected London

George G. ·
Also was delighted to see the unexpected Regent's Canal when we visited the London Zoo. My photo attached.
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Re: Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships

DrFumblefinger ·
Venice is really a fairly small place, and definitely has limited capacity to handle tourists. I can definitely see limiting the number of day visitors here, although I don't know that completely banning all of the cruise ships is their best solution. Today the business of Venice is tourism. Without tourists, it would not survive.
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Re: Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships

Paul Heymont ·
The issue of the ships is somewhat different from the number of tourists issue. because of their sheer size, they change the currents, channels and sea life of the islands in ways that would be different if anchored on other shores of the lagoon. Plus, at anchor in Venice, they tower over the buildings.
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Re: Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships

DrFumblefinger ·
Ships have lots of different ways of getting their travelers to a destination, if they can't dock there. Smaller boats to shuttle people back and forth are very popular with tourists and the cruise companies, and would work well here.
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Re: Venice again considers tourism caps, limits on ships

Paul Heymont ·
In this case, docking at Mestre and using bus or train to enter Venice could be at least a partial solution...
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Re: Venice protesters block cruise ships

PortMoresby ·
Good for them. I approve wholeheartedly of the people taking charge when their government has failed to protect them. There's a cruise ship ad running, possibly Viking, advertising their bigger (non-river) cruise ships. It shows a giant ship passing by the end of a small Venice canal, dwarfing the ancient buildings as it glides past. I'm astonished every time I see it, that this is an image that they believe will convince me to buy one of their cruises, seemingly oblivious to the fact that...
 
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