Mar 28, 2010
By Lisa T. Bergren
In Venice, ancient city of mariners and merchants, we rented a second floor apartment facing Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. This wide avenue, once a waterway, now a canal of stone and cement, swirls with grandmothers pushing children too old to be in umbrella strollers (but in them anyway), schoolchildren, businesspeople. Here, the tolling bell of a neighborhood church awakens us each morning, calling parishioners to mass. We hear the creaks and groans of shutters pushed aside, the metallic grate of gates opened in front of tiny shops and markets and bars.
Men set up temporary market stalls, hawking cheeses, bread, fish—and enormous piles of fresh, rose-colored shrimp. One vendor teases/taunts us, tearing off the raw crustacean’s head and legs in a practiced move and offering it to us as a sample. To see if they’re fresh? Or merely as a dare? I smile and shake my head and point back to the vendor, taunting him in turn. He shrugs his burly fishnet-hauling shoulders and sucks it out of the shell—like a pimento out of an olive—raises an eyebrow and nods in exaggerated appreciation. I laugh and purchase a mound for dinner.
We move on to the small grocer, pointing to cuts of meat and gesturing with our hands to show the butcher how much we want. He chuckles at our clumsy efforts, and we all wish we knew more Italian, but we muddle through. We return home to deposit our culinary treasures—crusty bread, garlic, olive oil, fresh, bulbous mozzarella, fat bell peppers, wine—all we need to make a wonderful local meal in our tiny kitchen. We take the afternoon to tour in relaxed fashion, off the beaten path, stumbling into tiny churches that smell of beeswax and feature soot smeared oil paintings, winding through alleys and over countless bridges. As the shadows grow deep, we return to the apartment and swing open the shutters, watching as the locals gather.
Across from us, five small, round tables are set up each eve in front of a small bar. Old women in stockings that cut into fat calves—far below the hems of their skirts—deliver tiny glasses of grappa to their silent, grumpy looking counterparts. All sit, facing out to the street, watching the next generation return home from work, teens rollerblade by, a team of young men in bright blue soccer uniforms pass a ball back and forth. Four men gather in a tight circle, gesticulating in the unique way of Italians, alternately laughing and shouting. A trio of women hover over a young mother, cooing and smiling at her infant. Another frowns at a couple of young lovers walking by. They shrug off her disapproval and move on.
It’s clear that there isn’t a stranger among them and that if we joined in, we’d disrupt their evening gathering. So we find contentment in simply being near enough to feel the ebb and flow along this stone canal, lifting our glasses and silently toasting our temporary neighbors. Salute. Cin-cin.
NOTE: This post has been entered into the Grantourismo-HomeAway travel writing competition, featuring posts about exiting the tourist zone and entering neighborhoods.
Have YOU spent any time in a neighborhood of a famous city, away from the teeming crowds? What was your experience like? Share your comments below!
Posted on Sunday, March 28, 2010
In Italy, Trip Reports, Venice
Tags: canals, family travel, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Grantourismo, grappa, HomeAway holiday rentals, HomeAwayUK, neighborhood, travel, Venice
love this. i'd be so happy to soak it in here, as you have. i have heard from friends that venice is remarkably not accessible for people with mobility disabilities. do you agree?
Sadly, I think this city would be beastly for someone in a wheelchair, between bridges with lots of steps and cobblestone streets. I've asked around but found nothing on a disabled person's guide. If I find something I'll post it here. One good thing–ramps and flat areas on the water buses that would work pretty well among the big sites.
Jessie, I found a couple of resources for you via @CraigGrimes:http://ow.ly/1yvZ2 andhttp://ow.ly/1yvYq
What a beautiful and truly evocative piece! And such a stunning image! Reminds us of why we love Venice so much and why we're excited to be returning. The picture you've painted is the Venice *we* love! Good luck!
Thanks for the inspiration, Lara. It was fun to go back in my mind…
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by LisaTBergren: I entered @gran_tourismo and @HomeAwayUK’s writing contest! Ck out my #Venice post: http://bit.ly/cchGHr...
Wow, what a beautiful entry. Evocative is certainly the right word!
Thanks, Simone!
[...] and second place in the competition. MatadorU student Lisa Bergren won first place for her entry, “View on a Venetian Neighborhood.” Matador Trips co-editor Carlo Alcos was awarded second place for “It beats watching [...]
[...] and second place in the competition. MatadorU student Lisa Bergren won first place for her entry, “View on a Venetian Neighborhood.” Matador Trips co-editor Carlo Alcos was awarded second place for “It beats watching [...]
thanks for your comment re: disability access. it's hard, and distressing.
[...] continue reading, please visit The World is Calling blog. Posted in Featured Posts Tags: Italy, The World Is Calling, travel, Venice « Our new [...]
And this post WON grantourismotravels.com's contest! Woohoo! NYC, here we come…
http://grantourismotravels.com/2010/04/04/bloggin…
Congratulations on the win! Your writing took me back to Venice…….beautiful!
Thank you! It made my whole month.
I hope to meet you someday, fellow CO traveler. 
[...] travel experience. Check out our entry here. I discovered this vontest after reading “View of a Veneitan Neighbourhood“ by Lisa T. Bergren from The World is Calling—the winner of March’s writing [...]
Awesome post. And congratulations for winning the Gran Tourismo Competition. You deserve it.
Thank you, Leela!
Congratulations on your win at Gran Tourismo. Salute! Cin-cin!
You made me smile…and want a glass of red all of a sudden…
[...] travel experience. Check out our entry here. I discovered this vontest after reading “View of a Veneitan Neighbourhood“ by Lisa T. Bergren from The World is Calling—the winner of March’s writing [...]
[...] West Indies Tips for Traveling with an Older Generation Paris with Teens Temper Tantrums on a Plane View on a Venetian Neighborhood Spring break in London with Teens Complete your Blog Hop play card for a chance to win one of [...]
Just thought I should let you know that this month Grantourismo is running a new competition with the theme 'Food and Travel', so if you have a memorable food experience from your travels please feel free to share it with us. We'd love to hear from you again!
http://grantourismotravels.com/2010/05/05/grantou…
Thanks, Anca! Crazy busy getting ready for Israel next week, but we’re going to try…
Venice is my honeymoon destination. It looks so romantic and very old world. I hope to visit there someday.