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Venice Lite

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The lion's share of St. Mark's visitors are in Venice for just one day and then move on to other sites in Italy. When I brought my parents and my aunt to Venice from Florence for the day we saw the sights but experienced very little. The city as so much to offer from opera to art and film exhibitions. This one day trip is posted with a request: treat Venice nicely. The six hour tourist may do more to damage this city than rising waters and it is my hope that your day in Venice may inspire you to return for a longer stay in the future.

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Author: Jennifer

Day 1 - Venice

I remember seeing a 60 Minutes interview with the mayor of Venice a number of years back. He was being interviewed because of his negative ad campaign targeted at curtailing, what I call, the six hour tourist. An image of a young girl with arms extended and completely covered in pigeons was part of the ad. For a city that survives, at least in part, on tourism it seemed a strange initiative. The mayor wanted to encourage people to come and stay in Venice longer in order to truly know the city, and to spend more money. A day guest spends very little money and leaves a lot of garbage for the city to clean up. Venice is a proud and beautiful city and it welcomes its visitors with open arms. As a six hour tourist you can do your part to get to know the city and leave it like you found it. Once you arrive in Venice, exit the train station and take the street to the left. Continue on through the winding streets following the signs for San Marco. Before you arrive to San Marco visit the Ponte Rialto. At San Marco you should visit the church, the campanile and one of the museums associated with the church. Before breaking for lunch at the Osteria Alla Botte, take a look at the Palazzo Ducale and the Ponte dei Sospiri. Your afternoon should be spent taking a gondola ride and then wandering the side streets of Venice by foot and staying off the path that leads directly from the train station to San Marco. Visit the Chiesa di S. Maria Formosa and the Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Derelitti.

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