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my kinda town
"Back to Venice"
I flew into Venice Marco Polo airport on 19th October 2008.I bought a bus ticket in the airport for 3 euros and took the bus to Via Roma, a journey of circa 30 minutes. I sought out a room in the hotels around the bus and rail stations and was offered a single room for anything up to 90 euros, After some haggling, I got a room with shower in Hotel Villa Rosa for 50 euros , and a decent breakfast thrown in. The old man on reception was very friendly and told me his life story in 5 minutes, his daughter worked in London for Lehman brothers and his family had been in Venice since Marco Polo times. He explained to me that the Cannaregio Ghetto was so named because of the original jets of molten iron which were used to build it. He seemed obsessed with i ebraici – the jews – who lived across the canal in the ghetto and he advised that I should visit their excellent restaurants
As is well known, it is very easy to be ripped off in Venice, even in the small venezian cafes away from the tourist traps. I overcame this by studying carefully the price list in the window and asking for specific things, for example, the cheapest, yet usually very good, wine is vino commune from 70c per glass and cheapest sandwiches are usually tramezzini
which a decrusted curled up sandwich, very tasty. Even the street fruit sellers will attempt to rip you so establish the price in advance, i was charged 1 euro for 4 very small mandarin oranges.
"campo di s.s. giovanni e paolo"
Wonderful square with 2 amazing churches. Lots of young venetians come here at night.
"The Venice Experience"
There's nothing quite like the train trip across the lagoon as you leave Maestre and travel past the flotilla of workingboats. When you reach the steps asound Santa Lucia, you know you're back to that special place. What was it that spurred those emotions? the October gondola ride when you popped the question, never realising that the consequences of rejection would be a career change to the monkhood. Was it when you and the kids yelped at the treasures of the Guggenheim only to be asked to leave when young Sean regurgitated a pizza San Marco across the marble floors. No, it was the traghetto ride across the grand canal when your wife experienced a gondola ride for the price of a ham sandwich back home.
Have a walk around the Ghetto on any Friday night and you will probably take in a few hebrew parties. Interestingly, in those that I have seen, the ladies always appear subdued. Nevertheless,the music's always great and it pays testament to a tradition that has been on-going in Venice for centuries. The word 'ghetto' originated in Venice. The area is fascinating, particularly the 7-8 storey apartment block with 6 feet high rooms.
