A Day on the Vaporetto

There are some days when getting around is more interesting than the destinations. Today we saw some cool things at a grand palace, went to a place that is supposed to be cool but isn’t, and had a cool drink on an island we’d previously missed. And we got to ride on the Vaporetto, the Venetian ferry, 5 times!

First stop was the ticket office for a day pass each - hideously expensive but this is Venice. Then onto the Vaporetto. This is your standard Vaporetto. Tourists like to ride on the outside but there is often a crush.

First stop was the great palazzo, Ca Rezzonico, overlooking the grand canal. The architecture was grand but the paintings a bit boring. The fine art, on the other hand, was often amazing: Chinoiserie, carved stands, porcelain, chandeliers, sedan chairs and toiletry sets.

An unexpected joy was seeing Venice from above. Out one window we saw a cruise ship in the distance, like an apartment complex sliding across the horizon. 

Next stop was Lido, Venice’s famous beach island and home of the renowned film festival. As Australians we were prepared to be unimpressed but Lyn was still horrified. Lido has cars and buses and no canals! Imagine Sydney without a harbour, or Paris without boulevards, or London without Monopoly. And as for the beach... I wouldn’t sit on it without a tetanus shot first.

We comforted ourselves with a very good slice of pizza and caught the Vaporetto home for lunch and a nap.

Our last excursion was to the only inhabited big island we’ve never been to in the lagoon - Giudecca. It is a peaceful place. On the way we passed the island of San Giorgio which seems to consist almost entirely of its massive white church. Giudecca has about three but we only looked in at the most famous, Redentore. Lyn got to light a candle. 

As we admired the lagoon we pondered the impractical nature of the architecture. Venice could never, even in its pomp, have needed all these great waterside basilicas. On the other hand, anybody arriving in the city would have understood its wealth and power.

Afterwards we walked across the island past a dog park and apartment buildings. We stood on a little wharf we shared with a smoking, tattooed girl and her dog. A young man in a motorboat cruised past with his sound system blaring. The young people checked each other out. Ordinary life but with more water. This may well be our last ever evening in Venice. We found a restaurant and sat by the water with a Campari spritz and watched the gulls and boats. Then we caught the Vaporetto back across the lagoon. Lyn fell in love with a fellow passenger. Guess who.

So, trains and buses tomorrow. New adventures.