The rules for survival are fairly simple: Walk fast like a venetian, turn your rubber boots into your favorite boots and don’t ever eat anything near the seagulls. Once you have learned these rules life will turn into a lovely ride.
Click here to read this article in Italian.
Where to live
Venice doesn’t really need an introduction, but its exceptional reality requires a slight change into the local vocabulary, so it is important to remember that the streets become calli, the squares become campi (fields) and the neighborhoods become sestieri; and these are 6 in total: Cannaregio, Santa Croce, San Polo, San Marco, Castello e Dorsoduro. None of the neighborhoods have “no-go zones”. The city is indeed a very safe community where everyone knows each other and that contributes to the overall safety.
Obviously, when living in one of the most famous cities in the world one must learn how to deal with tourists. Hence, the first advice is to pick a place near your point of interest, whether that is your school or office, in order to avoid pedestrian traffic. Students tend to prefer the area of Santa Margherita, in the Dorsoduro neighborhood or else in Misericordia or near the station, both in Cannaregio. Some students prefer to live outside the city. These areas unite the best of both worlds in terms of comfort, closeness to universities and rent prices.
How to get around
Inside the city you can easily reach anywhere by foot. All islands are connected by bridges which will allow to go from one sestiere to another very rapidly. If you would like to reach the bigger islands there are the traghetti or vaporetti (public transport boats), which work around the clock like other cities’ bus lines. There are other alternatives like gondole or taxi boats, but they cost a lot more money and are primarily used by tourists. Bicycles and electric scooters are forbidden in Venice, and those who are caught using them might be subject to fines.
It’s common for Venetians to own small boats in order to get around, you can use these to reach other islands or the continent. The cost of public transport is higher than in other cities, the price for a single way ticket is €7,50. For residents, the city releases a card called “VeneziaUnica”, which allows them to buy tickets at a reduced rate. If don’t live in the city itself there are also reduced tickets for inhabitants of neighboring towns, students or if you live in the same region (similar to a US state). You can find more information about this by clicking here.
When it comes to going outside of town, Venice is full of opportunities. The Ponte della Libertà (freely translated to Bridge of Freedom), which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, connects the city to the rest of Italy, uniting trains, highways and bus lines. In the sestiere of Cannaregio you can find La Stazione (The station), which connects Venice to bullet trains. Venice’s airport called Marco Polo is in the continent but was designed to be reached by boat, making reaching it from the city itself a very easy task.
Where to grocery shop
Just like any other service in Venice, the supermarkets also have a higher price. This is normally due to the logistical problems they face in operating and shipping goods in the city. Venice has no land to grow anything, so everything has to be imported from the continent. Supermarkets (like Conad and Despar) are usually small and not always complete. Consequently, locals prefer to shop from local neighborhood stores or else go to Mercato di Rialto, in the sestiere of San Paolo, where you can find fresh fish, fruits and vegetables every morning, except for Sundays.
Where to eat
You can find a multitude of restaurants, trattorie and osterie in Venice, mostly offering local foods and primarily fish based. Prices vary according to the area in which you are in and in isles like Murano and Burano you may find cheaper offerings, for example. Aside from local food, you will also be able to find many different kinds of food: pizzerie, Asian food, kebab food cards and places specialized in panini. In the areas where most students live you will be able to find many small bars which are called Bacari in Venetian dialect. Amongst Venetian youth it’s very common to meet your friends and go around different bacari trying out different foods and having some drinks. As usual, if you would like to order take out Venice is also served by the major players (Deliveroo, JustEat, and Glovo). Locals, on the other hand, tend to use Cocai which in Venetian stands for seagull, which is a food delivery app born during lockdown in 2020.
Services
You can find many libraries spread around the city, on top of those inside the big university centers. One of the largest is Zattere Library, found in the sestiere of Dorsoduro and boasts a view of Giudecca. The libraries are accessible to all students and otherwise. In the library at Fondazione Querini Stampalia, you can study surrounded by ancient artwork such as paintings and statues, and take advantage of historic books and manuscripts.
For those who are not satisfied with the many miles walked getting around Venice you can purchase a subscription to one of the many gyms around the city. These are, for the most part, small and crammed gyms due to most of them being adapted to ancient buildings.
During the summer, you can find beaches at the Lido, where you can rent a locker and umbrella in order to get changed and keep your stuff.
Free time
Venezia really is an open air museum, every one of its angles carries a small piece of history, and due to this, finding things to do is most certainly not a problem. All you need is to take the time to brave around the labyrinth of Calli to observe the architectural masterpieces spread around Venice. One example is the Bovaro staircase, or else you can visit numerous museums and more touristic areas, such as Palazzo Ducale or Basilica di San Marco.
If you want to go shopping there are many classic Venetian shops in the city center, and if you are looking for luxury you should head towards Calle XXII Marzo, close to San Marco. Or else you can visit Fondaco dei Tedeschi, where you can find the most important Italian and foreign luxury brands. On top of the Fondaco, you can find a rooftop, which you need to book in advance in order to admire Venice from the top.
If you are looking for entertainment you can find many movie theaters and as well as normal ones, such as Teatro La Fenice in San Marco. The city is rich in history and traditions. Other than its famous Carnival, there is another rather important holiday for Venetians: the Festa del Redentore celebrates the memory of the plague and is celebrated in the island of Giudecca in July.
The favorite place of Venetians is Campo Santa Margherita, Erbaria, La Misericordia or the Lido during the summer. These areas areas are overcrowded by seagulls but are also where most university students spend their free time on the weekends. There are also some nightclubs around, but they are not very common, with the exception of Muretto di Jesolo, which is a youth hotspot during the summer.
What to do in case of high waters
Lastly, Venice’s water problems are not much of a headache to Venetians as one might think. As a matter of fact, the water level only becomes problematic once it goes over 150cm (around 60 inch.), and hence very rarely. After the installation of MOSE, where the sea begins, these episodes have become even rarer. Piazza San Marco, being the lowest point, is the only place to flood when water levels go over 90cm (35 inch.).
When specific areas flood, you can use the elevated bridges to cross the calli without getting wet (don’t forget your rubber boots, of course!). Usually floods are solved in just a few days, without causing any major problems.
Written by Giulia Zini
At Kala Rent we provide you a smarter and faster way to find the next place you will call home. It’s as easy as sending a text on Whatsapp!
Our mission is to make anyone feel safer and assisted along the process on renting, especially if you are a foreigner moving to a new country. Check us out on LinkedIn, Instagram and on our website.
