Sure you’re on holiday and it’s tempting to linger in bed but you’re not snoozing in an ordinary city. This is Venice and the best time to experience the city is early morning. That’s when locals still outnumber tourists, cruise ships have yet to dock, high-speed trains haven’t arrived and thousands of visitors inside and outside the city are still sleeping.
Get up and enjoy the show. 7 or 8am will do but anything later than that and you’ll miss the spectacle of Venice preparing for a new day. Any large campo (square) like Santa Margherita or San Polo will do. Each has its own unique routines so just take a front row seat on a red bench and enjoy the city from an early angle.
You’ll see university students on their way to classes, parents accompanying children to school, bakers carting loaves to clients, fruit vendors laying out their stands, retirees walking dogs, musicians on the way to the conservatory, ladies dragging trolleys to the butcher, laborers hammering at streets, cleaners collecting liter from the night before, swallows flying in the sky above, tourists sunning themselves at outdoor cafes and a whirlwind of activity that only happens in the morning.
When you’ve had your fill or your stomach complains head to a bacaro or bar to quench hunger and contemplate your new vision of Venice. It’s a rewarding scene, which doesn’t last long and gradually makes way for the rest of the day.
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Everything is so, so true! Some years ago I have been one of those university students going to classes, and I have never been happier of leaving home on a winter day to go to school!
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Thanks. It must be nice to go to school in Venice. Probably better than Pittsburgh where I went. Ciao!
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