Here I am with the review of‘When in Venice‘, a website on guidedtours in charming Venezia, the city where I studied and worked for over 10 years andwhere I left a piece of my heart.
Every time I go backto Venice I feel strong emotions: it’s a mix ofnostalgiafor the past – a part of my life that I intensely lived and remember – andexcitementfor being there again, like a kid at a funfair. Do you also have a place that means for you the same as Venice means for me?
Erika and Matteo, the young founders of the page,are registered tour guidesbased in the Venetian lagoon. Hailing from Liguria and Veneto, they both studied in Venice andfell in love with it. After having travelled and lived abroad for a while, they decided to settle down in this unique city, wherelightandwater change every daytheir shades and tones,contrasting yet meltingtheir immaterial, fickle essence with anthropic shapes and solid stone buildings.
Having to deal with Venice is not easy at all… Massive tourist traffic is leading to commercialization, high increase of prices and depopulation.Environment and sustainabilityarehot issues, since the relation and mutual influence betweencity and natureare very tight, and their balance as muchfragile.
As you can read, I feel this topic very near! That’s a reason why I findErika and Matteo’s choiceof staying and keeping onspreading the Venetian heritagevery brave. They offer their competence and knowledge to everyone who would like to discover Venice with curiosity and awarenessbeyond mass tourism.
Why do I like this webpage?
The design is clear and essential, with the addition ofamusing illustrationsby Francesco Gasparotto.
Twosmart toolsare at disposal: alittle Venetian dictionary, to help you understand useful words and find your way through the labyrinth ofcalli(check out the meaningHERE) anduseful tipsto feel like an insider and not only a tourist.
As Erika and Matteo point out: ”Millions of tourists visit Venice every year, but not many of them reallygrasp its unique charm. If you think you deserve somethingmore than the crowds, if you want to satisfy your curiosity, then we are here to guide you into adeeper travel experience. We are both official tour guides and Venetian residents: this city is our daily life, but also a never-ending adventure. Through our tours and this blog we aim to provide a picture of Venice that goesbeyond the bridges-and-canals thing.” And this is the best part, in my opinion! I completely share their will of showing a different Venice, from a closer point of view. I am trying to do the same for South Tyrol in my blog :-)
‘When in Venice’ recentlyintroduced the blog sectionwith a special post on Carnival Venetian fritole:I loved that piecefor the yummy photos and the granny’s recipe so much, that I replied with my South Tyrolean apple fritters post. Should you have missed it, clickHEREand read it. Moreover, the brilliant recall tofrittelle in Venetian artis for me a big plus, evidence of theirdeep knowledge of art and historyand of theirwillingness to sharewith all us!
Ok, I thing you got a good glimpse on it. So what are you waiting for?
Plan your tripto Venice andbook your tourwith ‘When in Venice’!
My hint:
Ask Erika and Matteo toinclude a food-and-wine stop in a bacaro(Venetian tavern) and taste all sort of goodies that a melting pot city like Venezia, multicultural since its early history, can offer. My favs:sarde in saor, baccalà mantecatoandmoeche!
I’ll wait forward to hearing from you about your past or future experiences in Venezia.