Getting lost in Venice is the only way to see Venice. At least I think so. The main square – San Marco’s is packed with tourists and so is the waterfront near the square. The tourists come off cruise ships in hoards and people come for two days – they may not have a lot of time, so they don’t explore much – but this is 100% to my advantage. It was easy to leave these streets and Get Lost in Venice.

Venice is beautiful – this is now a unified thought. We all think it. Its winding, thin streets, its connecting bridges zig-zagging across the rivers running through the island city, and its boats putting along those rivers. Everything about Venice oozes romance and splendour. All the buildings have that ancient rustic charm.

But that romance is often squished when you are being bumped and scowled at by tourists all vying to take a picture in Saint Mark’s Square. I hate the feeling that groups of tourists omit – its rapid hostility – its their anxiety to see everything in their 1 day stop in the city. But why are they silly to think they can experience a place in 1 day?

So I walked away from it all. Venice is SO much more than Saint Mark’s Square. I walked down the smallest lane I could find and kept walking. I was stopped in my tracks – By the silence. I couldn’t hear 50 languages all yelling at each other. I wasn’t berated by the constant pushing of strangers to get to the front of anything. I found peace – I found the Venice I was looking for.

It was a different sort of magic. I passed old woman walking to church, and locals drinking expresso and smoking on patios looking out to the water. I heard children laughing as they played soccer down the skinny lane ways.

The water is at peace. Not a ripple or a current going through it. The buildings are reflected in it as if it were a mirror showing me the beauty of Venice twice. The boats tied up along the sides, still covered, waiting for the day to start.

Venice can be both an overwhelming experience or a calming one filled with wonder. You have to decide if you’ll walk away from the tourists and experience something more authentic, more serene. I advise you to walk away – find a private lane way, or the smallest path – those walks are my best memories of Venice.

I advise you to Get Lost in Venice.

Its shows you a NEW Venice!

Tweet