Italy certainly is the home of fine ice cream, and that’s no less true in Venice. Look around you in any part of Venice (especially in the more popular tourist areas during summer) and you’ll see at least two or three people licking their multi-coloured ice cream cones of home made gelati – ice cream in Italian.

You don’t have to walk very far anywhere in Venice to find a cafe or kiosk selling a dozen or more flavours, ranging from ones with exotic-sounding Italian names to more familiar ones and, of course, ubiquitous vanilla. But don’t be fooled, even the vanilla is so tasty you’d swear you’ve come across a real vanilla pod inside your ice cream.

What makes the taste so wonderful seems to be something that simply makes the flavours more real and authentic. many ice cream flavours today are synthetic and taste synthetic and lack the creaminess of ‘old-style’ ice cream. One spoonful of Venitian ice cream and you’ll be certain that you’re eating the real thing.

Finding the ‘best’ ice cream in Venice is a matter of debate, and sometimes legend. Some visitors will return home with dreamy eyes and tales of how they found the heaven of ice creams ‘nearby our hotel in a small alley’ but ask for details and few will recall the name or exact place of the outlet. But rest assured, ice cream vendors dot the city and you won’t have to walk very far to find one.

So whether you’re looking for a snack for yourself or something to motivate the kids with to endure yet another museum visit, you can’t go wrong with Venice ice cream.

The growth of the social Internet – where communities of participants exchange views and information online – has also seen an increase in the number of website offering travellers the opportunity to rate their experiences. One outcome of this has been an explosion of the number of personal reviews of hotels and other accommodation. I know, because I’ve posted quite a few reviews myself. 

Now, if you look at the ratings of a hotel, you may find fifty, or a hundred and fifty reviews, depending on the popularity and location of the hotel. The reviews will typically range from five star to one star, depending on how good the experience of the reviewer was. The site will then average all the reviews to give an establishment say, three and a half stars, or four, and so on, giving the reader an instant idea of what the standard of the hotel is.

However with so many rated hotels, so many reviews, and a limited time to make a choice, how to you work through these ratings? To complicate things more, a hotel will almost without exception have review ratings that vary from one star to five. How can people stay at the same hotel and have such divergent experiences? I’ve read reviews on the Danieli in Venice, probably THE place to stay, and can’t believe people having nothing good to say about it.

And then, increasingly, there’s the issue of fraudulent reviews. Some hotels are even in a ‘review war’ with their opposition, posting nasty and glowing reviews on respectively their opposition’s and their own hotels. Sneaky, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s simple ignorance. I once told a guest house owner, who was fairly new to the Internet, about a review site, and he promptly went and out of sheer ignorance plastered his own reviews on it, and worse, started taking on reviewers and commentators who had complaints.

All this means that travellers seeking opinions on hotels online have to become increasingly ‘review-savvy’ and be able to read between the lines a lot of the time.

Here are a few tips when hunting for your next holilday accommodation online, and judging the reviews and comments:

• Look at a hotel’s ratings across more than one website. It helps to compare comments and reviews across two or three websites. Different websites often cater for different audiences, and you may find a variance in the ‘flavour’ of the reviews. For instance, venere.com attracts mostly reviews by European travellers, while tripadvisor.com seems to attract mostly American and British reviews.

• What complaints to the one star ratings have? These ratings are generally done by ‘the-glass-is-half-empty types of people, yet they’ll give you an idea of what the worst is you can expect. I mean, how bad can a five star hotel be? But these ratings may help you if, for instance, you’re sensitive to noise, dirty bathrooms, and other particular niggles. They’ll also sometimes serve as warnings against certain rooms in a hotel that should be avoided. However they seldomly accurately depict the total experience of a hotel.

• If a review is to good to be true, it probably is. No seasoned traveller will ever use word like ‘gorgeous’, ‘fantastic’, and ‘absolutely brilliant’ in a review, and if they do, it’ll be sparingly and backed up with verifiable facts. Don’t take reviews that sound like television ads seriously.

• Look at the types of reviews a reviewer has done previously. On most websites clicking on the reviewer name will show all the reviews they’ve done, and that will also give you an idea of the consistency and character of a reviewer, and to some extent their trustworthiness.

Almost without exception a Venice cat will give up its spot in the sun (at least temporarily) to saunter over to a friendly-looking stranger for a quick rub and chit-chat.Judging by the general demeanor of Venice kitties they’re mostly well-looked after and quite content to be living surrounded by waterways and splashing boats.

'Beware of the cat'

So when you’re passing through Venice, make a point of saying hello to a cat or two. They fancy that!

Most of these bridges have been in place for centuries. In some cases, including that of the Rialto Bridge, what you’ll see today has replaced original wooden structures. When arriving in Venice visitors tend to stop at each bridge (especially at the top, much to the annoyance of fellow ‘bridge crossers’) to take a look, snap a photograph and marvel at the picturesque scenery. But after a while the bridges become ubiquitous, one hardly notices them while walking around the city, and some residents describe them more as a hindrance than a proud part of the city heritage. I mean, having to heave a grocery bag over bridge steps can only be fun for so long.

Many of the bridges have stories attached to them. Often their names refer to a legend from long ago. The most well-known of these is probably the Ponte dei Sospir – Bridge of Sighs -  which long ago was the crossing point for convicts on their way to jail. On a more positive note there’s also a legend that says that lovers who kiss on the bridge are assured eternal love. When visiting Venice. Make your visit more interesting by seeking out these ‘bridge stories’.

Recently a new bridge has joined the family in Venice. It’s impossible to miss, as it cuts through the air across the Grand Canal near the bus stop in a vivacious curve of steel and glass. Being an architectural anomaly among the renaissance and baroque buildings and decorations around it, the  bridge was bound to draw criticism and sharp comment from all. It doesn’t help, of course, that the Ponte di Calatrava – that’s the name of the bridge – was designed by a Spanish architect named (adding insult to injury) Calatrava. There has also been reports of people sustaining injuries while crossing the bridge  because of the slippery steps.

yet in a practical way it’s made life a lot easier, eliminating long walks and vaporetto rides in order to cross the Grand Canal when coming from, or going to the rail and bus stations.

So make a mental note before your visit to notice the bridges you’re crossing – you’re most probably stepping across a colourful and interesting part of Venice history.

Ask what people remember about St Mark’s and one of the things will be ‘crowds’. The tourist throng in St Mark’s, especially in summer, is something to be reckoned with, especially if you’re not staying for long and have to make the most of your time. Here are a few tips that will make your visit to St Mark’s more enjoyable.

1. Visit St Mark’s in the early morning or late afternoon. You’ll be avoid being pushed and shoved in long lines of people waiting to enter into the buildings on the Square. If you give early enough you’ll catch the Square almost devoid of people, which in itself is a great experience, especially if you’re a photographer.

2. Before you visit the attractions on St Mark Square, you have to hand in any bags you’re carrying at a deposit point below the Clock Tower. You don’t want to fall into a queue at the Campanile only to find that out twenty minutes later.

3. Similar to any other tourist spot in the world, curios and food bought on St Mark’s Square will be much more expensive than those located five minutes’ walk from the Square.

4. An exception to the above tip is coffee at Florian’s, a historic cafe on the Square. IT was visited by many of the painters and writers that visited Venice through the years, and was once considered a hangout of the intellectuals and politicians of the city. Be prepared to pay a premium for the priviledge though…

5. Authorities are encouraging people not to feed the hundreds of pigeons that live on the Square. That’ll be hard to resist if you have children though. Small packets of bird food is on sale, making it even easier.

6. There’s a LOT to see on St Mark’s, and it’ll take you a full day to take everything there is to see in. The most visited ones are the Doge’s Palace, the Correr Museum, the Basilica and the Campanile. They’re all worth it, but can become a bit tiring, especially if you’re not that much into culture and art. If you stay long enough you can split your visit over two days.

7. There’s a famous legend about an ill-fatged Doge that landed at St Mark’s Square, and walk ashore between the two pillars only to meet his end some time later. Since then superstitious types consider it bad luck to walk inbetween the pillars. Just so you know.

Then you’re sgtopped in you tracks by a flood of water covering the alley from side to side, and lapping at the side doorways. Anxioiusly you enquire around whether Venice has sunk overnight. Will only the rooftops be sticking out by nightfall? You notice that passersby simply acknowledge your concerns with a knowing smile or a comforting laugh.

You also happen to notice that they all seem  to be well prepared for the flood, as most are wearing rather fasionable wellington boots. Also, most doorways have contraptions in front of them preventing water from seeping into hallways.

This flood occurrence is what Venetians refer to as ‘acqua alta’ and it’s a fairly common phenomenon with which everyday life in the city has to cope with. What is it caused by? Well, Venice is located in a large but extremely shallow lagoon, which is subject to sea tides. When the tide rises water sometimes spills over into the alleys and campos, particularly during winter, when high tides are more pronounced than during other times of the year. The overspill varies from a few centimetres to half-a-metre, depending on the place and season.

There are various ways in which Venice copes with acqua alta. Water boots of all shapes and colours are a common sight and you’ll be able to buy a pair at most shoe shops. In many areas, including the main tourist hub on St. Mark’s Square, you’ll notice long, moveable  running boards that people walk along in areas that are under water. And as mentioned, flood prone doorways are protected by metal plates that stop water from seeping in.

The flooding is hardly dangerous, and even times where it has caused serious damage has been few and far between. Most certainly, it’ll rather make yoiur time in Venice more interesting rather than posing any kind of concern. It’s one of the quirks that make traveling to unknown places interesting and unique.
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