Venice a Delight in November

Arthur Frommer recently extolled the virtues of Venice in the off season:

"My own first trip to Venice was made during the stillness of a November week, and November-through-March is now the only time when you can fully grasp the magical beauty of Venice. The tourist crowds are gone, the piazzas, calles, and museos are delightfully empty, and the entire experience is what people used to treasure in the days before Venice became as inundated as Times Square on a New Year’s Eve." ~ A Winter Week in Venice

I've recently returned from three days in Venice in November, and I can relate. Hey, we also went in late spring and Venice was a madhouse. You had to fight for your 2 square feet of space in San Marco. Who could tell if Venice was beautiful or not under such conditions? In summer, Piazza San Marco isn't "the drawing room of Europe" it's touted as being: it's more like a medical waiting room crowded with people in pain after the Dentist has run off to Istanbul with the dental assistant and the janitor.

But it's not just the lack of tourists that makes November such a great time to visit. The mysterious fogs, the slanting light, the pensive gondolier all combine to restore the magic of Venice. (You can click the pensive gondolier to see him bigger.) Heck, even watching tourists dealing with the acqua alta is a bit of fun, especially if you have boots or can steal some.

So, grab a bundle of those strengthening dollars, make a reservation to stay amongst the golden mosaics of the Domus Orsoni, and prepare to see Venice in a new light.

Oh, and if you can't afford a "real" gondola ride, just head over to the Grand Canal and take a traghetto ride for half a Euro. See the video I made in November with the Sony Handycam HDR-TG1 Camcorder I recently reviewed (makes a great gift, hint hint). View: Venice: Crossing the Grand Canal - Traghetto Santa Sofia.