Non UK Verona and Venice

jpgreenwood

jpgreenwood

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jason
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I’ve been a fair few times, mostly for a romantic city break, and had my travel camera close by. I’ve got £70 flights (return) for January so heading back with a photography mate, who’s never been.
I know the touristy stuff but was wondering if anyone knows of any hidden gems?
We have approx 2 and a half days, 3 nights in Verona, and plan a day trip to Venice.
I’ve also been to Sirmione Lake Garda but we won’t have time for that.
My mate likes street photography. Thanks for any tips.
 
I found wandering around the city outside of the main sights to be the highlight when I've visited, particularly the Cannaregio and Arsenale areas. That said, you can't really go wrong. It's also worth checking out the water bus prices/routes as some of the other islands are worth a visit (Murano for example has interesting architecture) and it gives you a different perspective on things. I think from memory they did day tickets, which allowed you to roam and weren't overly expensive in the scheme of things. I'd have thought it'd be much less busy in January too, so seems a decent time to visit from a photography perspective. You might even get to see St. Mark's square flooded. Not at all jealous of your trip! ;)
 
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went to Verona 15 years ago - nice city. Suggest Vicenza as a day trip, there is a fabulous theatre there and the architecture is interesting....

Was in Venice a month ago and despite thinking we'd give the place a break for 2-3 years we're going in May! In Venice there is the island of Torcello (next to Burano), or if you stay on the main island itself take a wander up to San Francisco della Vigna, it is much quieter there, even more so than around the Ospedale. I found the place quite busy but I never get bored of it. Some of my photos from previous trips can be found on my Flickr
 
If you are only there for the day, Murano is quieter and has more space than Venice, but I think Burano would be too far, as it is a long time on the boat.

Opposite St Mark's Square is San Giorgio, where you can go up the bell tower and get a good view. It was fairly cheap, and no queue when we went last month.
 
I have been to Venice twice and Verona once. I have spent a week in Venice each time in a Hotel facing the Lido about 300m from San Marco. This meant we could explore Venice before 1000 and after 1700 when the day trippers were not present. Between 1000 and 1700, we visited Murano, Burano and other islands. In Venice there are things to photograph in every direction. Best to just wander off with your camera and capture what you see. We found much less to photograph in Verona but the restaurants were much better. On one of the evenings they set up a stage and musical instruments in the mains square planning to provide a free sample of the forthcoming Verona Opera season. As we sat there, Thunder and lightening started then torrential rain so they had to cancel which was a great shame. I am not really an Opera fan but a selection of the popular bits would have been attractive.

Dave
 
I love Venice, but half a day is scratching the surface of a very large thing. ;) :LOL:

As a general strategy, whenever you see a large congested area ahead, basically the entrance to the city in Piazzale Roma/Santa Lucia Station, Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square, go left or right, and things will quieten very quickly down the side streets/canals. You will find canals that will be calm like mirrors if no one has been down them for awhile.

San Giorgio Maggiore, as mentioned, can give lovely views back to the main part of the city, and St Mark's Square, from ground level, and much higher if you go up the bell tower. You do need to get a Vaporetto there though, and they are not cheap. Unless you want those views, I would stay to the smaller side streets on the main areas and walk. The more you walk the more you'll see. :)

I was staying in Venice in August, and went to Verona for the day. They were further from each other than I realised. :oops: :$ I only spent a couple of hours in Verona, and didn't see much. I wasn't in the mood to wander too much that day. :rolleyes: Hopefully you will see the parts I missed. ;)

You can see some of my Venice images here if you are interested. If there are any locations that catch your eye, let me know, and I'll show you where they are.

January will not have much daylight, so if you've not already thought of it, try and get there before sunrise to maximise what light you will have. At this time of the year St Mark's would probably already be quite busy at sunrise, so I wouldn't be rushing to get there, if that was possible. You can get an idea of how busy the main parts of Venice are at the different times of day by looking at the live webcams at various parts of the day before you go. One with the most webcams is Skyline Webcams, and there are more higher quality webcams on the I Love You Venice YT channel.

I hope you get a bright/sunny day to maximise what light you'll get, as it is all very narrow. ;)
 
Don't be afraid to go Cafe Florian on St Mark's square. The drinks might be pricey, but you do get a nice Aperol or Campari concoction with some crisps for €16 with very polite service, we go every time now. Just for the hell of it. Very nice interior.

Between Rialto and Accademia there is the 'Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo' a very nice and photogenic Spiral staircase
 
Don’t forget Verona either Romeo and Juliet’s. Courtyard with her statue with a very well rubbed shiny exposed breast and the balcony above , the amphitheater and gateway next door with a McDonald’s in it ,the outdoor markets it’s all very. Very photogenic
 
Thanks everyone. As stated in my original post, I pretty much know Verona and Venice and can navigate the main areas easily. I was just wondering if there were any hidden photogenic gems away from the main areas. A day in Venice will be ok for us and we plan a long day there. Maybe not sunrise but definitely sunset and lit backsteeet style photos. We probably won’t go to other Islands as my mate has never been to Venice and wants to see the main city .
 
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