Everything I did in Venice this June was rushed, except for the last morning–and even that was just a brief reprieve before my family and I were forced to move as fast as possible, back to the hotel, and then to the airport. It's a shame that I didn't have more time to take in the Venice Architecture Biennale, which I highly recommend visiting even if you don't care about architecture. If you'd like to see it, the Biennale ends on November the 23rd; plan accordingly. It was opened to the public starting June 7th, so be prepared to pay €20 for a one day pass that's valid for all venues.
The main exhibition housed in the Arsenale, Monditalia, has a wide scope; the exhibition showcases many different facets of Italian culture, using everything from dance performances and film clips to immigration case studies. Indonesia also has its own pavilion in the Arsenale: a dark room where short films featuring building materials are projected on several glass screens.
From left
to right: 1) Part of the Time Space Collateral event. 2) The Belgian pavilio at the Giardini. 3) A model of the Indonesian parliament building, mounted on the Austrian pavilion at the Giardini. 4) The Dutch pavilion at the Giardini.
It's an event where one might see the kind of person I aspire to be like–that is, someone who wears things that (on someone with less flair) might look over-the-top and unsightly, and yet somehow manages to pull off the look with aplomb.
The Biennale is also full of the kind of people who move from party to party, running around on the streets with glasses of wine in their hands. Once emptied, the glasses are placed in random spots: under a bathroom sink, on the railing of a balcony, or next to the bottom step of a flight of stairs. Not once have I seen a shattered champagne flute or a shard of glass; these people are either very efficient in cleaning up or incredibly graceful drunks.
Locations, from left to right: in the Belgian pavilion; studio mk27's film installation at Palazzo Mora; Arsenale; in front of the book shop in Giardini; in front of the Venezuelan pavilion
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Me at the Serbian Pavilion at the Giardini
Note: Bring sunglasses and dress in light, breezy clothes. This time of the year, the Venetian sun is unbearable.
Due to the rushing mentioned above, we weren't able to eat in amazing restaurants all the time. We did have a very good meal at this restaurant right next to Arsenale, although I can't remember what it's called. There were two other standout meals: dinner at a restaurant called Rosso Pomodoro (I loved the pizza and desserts) as well as breakfast at the Amancanal on my last day (try a set menu, or have the crab meat omelette).
From left to right: 1) Breakfast at the Amancanal. 2) Part of the Monditalia exhibit
From a previous visit, I remember Osteria alla Botte (excellent fresh bamboo clams and spaghetti) and Caffé Florian (hot chocolate and pastries). Regular restaurants by the side of the road usually serve seafood and pasta, with prices averaging at about €15-20 per dish. As for transport, water bus tickets are €7 per journey, although walking is much cheaper, sometimes faster, and almost always more rewarding.
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Venice is not a city where your destination is what matters most.
If you don't get lost in it at least once, you might as well not go.
Spend at least a week in this city. This time, I spent only three days and it was far from enough. As far as holidays go, it was unsatisfying, but it is impossible to be in Venice and not for a moment feel that everything is tinged with the color of an afternoon lifted straight from a dream. You can try to think of it as a dull, unremarkable place, but the rising voices of the singing gondoliers won't let you; the age-old windows, doors and walls that shape the alleys won't let you; the water, with its deep green waves and glimmering darkness, will not let you.
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