You know about the museums and galleries.  You've been surfing off the lido.  And, the secret gardens of Venice are no longer a secret from you.  But, did you know about the rice paddies of Verona?  That pink flamingos migrate through the northern lagoon?  That living souls were bought and sold in exchange for Murano glass?  

Many people who read this blog are seasoned visitors to Venice.  You know a lot about her history, her treasures and her environment.  And, above all you know that no matter how much we learn there's always more to know.  On this short list, there may be something you did not yet know about Venice...

More than 20,000 birds visit Venice, and the almost 70,000 hectars of nature preserves in the Venetian lagoon, every year. These preserves include the barene – the muds flats within the lagoon – as well as the sand dunes at Alberoni and San Nicolo on the Lido, Ca'Roman on Pellestrina, and a swath of coastline near Chioggia.  

For the past two years, a flock of flamingos – Yes, pink ones! - has migrated through the northern lagoon each spring. There are sandpipers on the barene whose curved beaks are longer than the birds are tall. There are infinite varieties of ducks. On Sant'Erasmo, in addition to the expected farm birds, I have spotted wild ring-necked red pheasants, and colorful wild parakeets, while on the southern end of the Lido lives a flock of gregarious peacocks who don't seam to feel any need to limit themselves to staying on the farm.  

Of course birds such as sea gulls and pigeons can be hard to ignore in the center of Venice, especially when they engage in shenanigans like stealing sandwiches right out of people's hands. But, on the brighter side, it is not at all unusual to catch sight of a yellow-footed egret posing gracefully on the corner of an embarcadero. And, low-flying cormorants make a silly spectacle when they stand around airing their feathers atop the pilings in the lagoon. One day last summer a bird even flew into my living room, had a peck at the potted plants and, gratefully, flitted just as easily back out again.

"Trade beads" are probably the most globally seen Murano glass beads. Yet, very few people realize that they're Venetian. Even fewer truly grasp the historical and cultural significance of these particular beads. These days, they seem to be associated with virtually every culture except European cultures. Nevertheless, they originally came from Murano where, for hundreds of years, they were produced by the ton and shipped off on long voyages throughout the world.

​From the 16th to the 20th centuries Murano glass beads were traded as currency between the merchants of the Venetian republic and, particularly, the people's of West Africa who placed a much higher value on decorative objects than they did on European currency. So highly valued were these beads that they were used to pay for the purchase of human beings, earning them the ominous name "slave beads". 

While there certainly can not be a larger human impact of beads beyond their use as currency in the purchase of slaves, there were other significant impacts of the popularity of Murano glass beads that bear mentioning. For example, when the merchant sailors sailed off to parts unknown with their ships laden down with beads, their hard currency remained in Venice contributing significantly to the wealth of the Republic. Meanwhile, the impiraresse of Venice – the women workers whose job it was to string the billions of tiny seed beads produced on Murano for the luxury market – are known to have formed a labor union and gone on strike for better pay in the late 1800's, long before the labor movement began in Europe.

Rice has been cultivated in the Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont since the mid-1400's. Today, Italy is the largest rice cultivator in Europe. The vast majority of rice cultivated in the humid valleys of northern Italy is short grain rice – including the famous Arborio and the Vialone Nano IGP rice cultivated near Verona.  

Long considered a precious commodity, dishes made with rice, risottos, have a special place in both Venetian history and the Venetian diet. The beloved risi e bisi, a risotto of rice and peas, was historically served to the Doge in celebration of the feast day of San Marco, the patron saint of Venice. Risotto with eel is a traditional part of a Venetian Christmas Eve dinner. And, risotto di go is a gourmet specialty risotto, local to the Venetian island of Burano, made with “giozzo” - tiny fish caught in the lagoon - and the Veneto's Vialone Nano rice. Naturally, risottos change with the season as local chefs pair the rice with seasonal vegetables and freshly caught fish.  This week, it seems we're all having asparagus risotto!

Well prepared pasta is delicious of course, but you won't have tasted Venice before you've tasted a carefully prepared risotto.

Whenever I see that a door to one of the document archives of Venice has been left open, I can't resist peeking my head in. The Republic of Venice was the home to the first trade union in Europe. It was the birthplace of modern accounting. And, of particular interest to me, and perhaps to all of us who can never seem to find the right charger for our mobile phones, somewhere inside those archives lies the first ever patent statute along with the records of the 2,000 patents that were issued by the Republic of Venice in the first 14 years that the statute went into effect. Those were the years from 1474 until 1488. Could the Venetian Senate have imagined, when they enacted that law hundreds of years ago that it would come to be adopted almost globally - Almost verbatim too! - and impact the daily lives of billions of people?

At it's peak, the Republic of Venice encompassed not only the Veneto coast and a large swath of the mainland, but also nearly the entire eastern Adriatic shore – the Dalmatian coast where one now finds the countries of Croatia, Montenegro & Albania – plus Corfu, Crete and, infamously, Constantinople. During it's peek as a trading empire, many more coastal territories, from Northern Africa to Asia, fell under the effective control of the Republic.   

Though, these days the territory of Venice and the Veneto are more limited to the lagoon and a portion of mainland Italy, there is still plenty of Venetian territory to explore beyond the city center. The lagoon itself covers an area of 550 kilometers, while the Veneto mainland stretches from Cortina to the north, Verona to the west and Chioggia and the Po Delta to the South. As you can imagine, recreational, educational and culinary experience opportunities abound in this territory.

Why, one could even go hiking in the morning, have a risotto for lunch, do a little shopping for Murano glass beads and pop into a document archive in the afternoon before gliding off on a sunset bird-watching cruise of the lagoon. Now that sounds like an amazing day in Venice!

2015 was an exciting, and exhausting, year in Venice.  It wasn't just because one never quite knew if it were going to rain...

Lets get the controversial news, which everyone has already read, out of the way first. In 2015, Venice elected her new Mayor, Luigi Brugnaro.  No matter what one thinks of the Mayor's work so far, the election had the effect of energizing political and social groups throughout the city. There were innumerable protests, rumors and social and political scandals in Venice during 2015. The ugliest building in the history of Venice was unveiled at Piazzale Roma. It is claimed, though the official numbers have not been released, that as many as 30 million tourists visited Venice. And, irony of ironies, Venice finished the year during which she finally regained some of her political independence following the moses scandal facing perilously low tides. Apparently, there are not enough funds in the city's coffers to pay for dredging the canals; One of the many reasons that there were so much outrage surrounding ideas for raising money for Venice during 2015.

Sometimes, Venice really does appear to be in a heads-I-win, tails-you-lose situation. Many writers-about-Venice voiced their disgust with both local politics and the local social code last year.  (These are two distinctly different, yet equally complicated, things in Venice.) I agreed with some, disagreed with others, and decided without much struggle to keep loving Venice anyway.

Good news gets so little attention from the press.... I found an incredible lot to respect, enjoy and celebrate about Venice in 2015.  In particular, I observed a community working day and night to increase access to authentic Venetian products and experiences and to raise international awareness of the living community in Venice.

An energized community, not only coming together, but also inviting strangers to participate, an increase in the availability and publicity of authentic Venetian products and services, and a dramatic increase in the type and number of unique experience offerings in Venice.  In other words, a slow but steady all around increase of "Venice and Venetianness" bubbling to the surface of Venice.  That's what I saw happening around me, slowly slowly, in Venice during 2015.

Did it really happen? And, if it did, was it really open to everyone?  You'll notice that I've illustrated this post with public Facebook status updates.  OG Venice does not live in nor report on a secret, exclusive or "insider's" Venice.  Venice, at the end of 2015, was showing signs of becoming a more culturally accessible city; A place that even visitors had to chance live rather than just observe.  

What we tourists can do now to help this trend continue is search out, take advantage of, and share these opportunities as much as possible.  Now is the time to volunteer, buy local and go see your Venice. 

 Venice is a diverse and exciting city with unique experiences to offer travelers of every taste and budget.  Yes, there are more than a thousand years worth of history to learn about by visiting the historical sites of the City.  But there's more!  Within the many layers of the one-and-only Venice there are myriad contemporary adventures available for foodies, music-lovers, beachcombers, fashionistas and anyone else lucky enough to get their feet onto the cobble stones in this incredible city.  These are fifteen ways in which few people know that its possible to experience Venice today.  

There are rich and delicious culinary traditions to discover in Venice from small bites of cicchetti prepared with regional meats, to local produce, to the cheese stalls at the Lido Market and family-owned pastry shops that have been operational for centuries.  And, incredibly, it is also true that the best foods in Venice are often the most affordable too.  (Tricky tricky Venice!)  So, if you're interested in food, don't wait until your travels take you away from this region of Italy.  Get the right guide and discover the tasty side of Venice! Some Venetian culinary experiences available to travelers are:

• Markets & Shopping for Food.  Explore the historic Rialto fish market, the vegetable market and specialty food shops of Venice.  Sample Veneto area D.O.C. cheeses, wines, breads and sweets.  And learn how to shop from Italian butchers, grocers and bakers.
• Cicchetti Tours.  It is a local tradition in Venice to spend a free afternoon or evening eating and drinking one's way through the city stopping at the best bars along the way.  Don't miss out!  Get out and socialize with fellow foodies over local cocktails and small bites of Venetian eats.
• Cooking Classes.  Cook and enjoy a multi-course Venetian meal under the guidance of one of the best cooks in Venice!  You'll get to shop the markets, learn how to work with ingredients that you might not have at home and eat a homemade Italian meal family-style in Venice. 

Wait a second!  There's a beach?  Where's the beach?!  A shocking number of people come to this city-in-the-sea and never realize that they're only a few minutes away the nearly 11 kilometers of beaches on the Venice Lido.  Yet, somewhere in those 11 kilometers of beach, there is a perfect seaside experience for absolutely every kind of beachcomber.  You could spend a day just luxuriating on a lounge chair outside of your own private cabana, go kite-surfing, take the kids out in a paddle boat, or go hiking and treasure hunting through the dunes in an undisturbed seaside nature preserve.  Some Lido di Venezia experiences to try are:

• Summer Sports on Lido.  Rent a bike, peddle over to the beach and then cool off kite-surfing, kayaking, windsurfing and swimming.
• Eco-Lido. Take a bicycle tour of the island and visit the nature preserves at either Alberoni or San Nicolo.  Explore the dunes and forests on the island and learn about the plants and animals native to the lagoon.
• Beach Clubs & Bars on Lido.  During the summer months, the party never stops on Lido.  Much of the 11 kilometers of beaches are occupied by beach clubs, beach bars and restaurants.  Club members lounge outside of private cabanas by day and move on to the club houses and bars for musical performances, dancing and literary events by night.  Grab your sandals and spend a day meandering up and down the beach exploring the club houses and potentially choose one in which to spend some days in the sun.

 Those who stay on the main streets miss out on the vast majority of all the amazing shopping there is to do in Venice.  They may even get the sad misimpression that Venice is homogenous with other cities, or worse, that "Venetian" shopping is limited to souvenirs and chotsky.  Don't fall for it!  Take one on or two turns away from that main street, and you'll discover a universe of treasures for the taking.  Antique books and furnishing, vintage shops, jewelry, leather goods, handmade shoes, italian designer clothes... Any kind of shopping that you'd care to dream up or imagine can be done in Venice!  Tell a Venetian friend what you're interested in and let them help you find it, or try:

• Artisan Shops in Venice.  Venice is rich in artisan traditions including the famous Murano glass and also tapestry, hand-pulped paper goods, paper machee, beading, jewelry making, wood carving and sculpture.  And, far from being stuck in the past, contemporary Venetian artisans bring a decidedly modern flare to their work.  Go see what's being made in Venice now and go home with works of art worthy of being passed down for generations.
• Antique Venice.  Venice is full of re-discovered treasures awaiting their second life.  In every district of the city you can discover the shops and workshops of restorationists who have antiquities from throughout the ages on offer.  Discover furnishings, scultpures, clocks, mirrors and myriad pieces of decorative arts that were built to withstand history.
• Vintage Venice.  Rummage for vintage designer clothing, shoes and accessories in Venice' vintage shops and neighborhood markets.  These stores were once such well-kept secrets that most Venetians didn't even know they existed.  Now, they're popping up all over the city and each is vying to outdo the other withe fabulousness of their collections.  

The Castello district of Venice is widely known as "The Venice of Venetians".  But the lagoon, much of it only accessible by private boat, is really the Venetian's Venice!  Though both Venice and the lagoon are part of the world hertitage site of Venice - The architectural feat of the historic center of Venice could not have been accomplished in another natural environment. - most visitors miss the chance to enjoy the natural wonders and seafaring lifestyle of the lagoon.  Don't be one of them!  Hire a captain, or just a guide and a taxi, and get out on the water in Venice.  You might try:

• Pescaturismo, Fishing Tours in Venice.  If you've read a menu in a Venetian restaurant, or visited the Rialto market, then you know that fish are extremely important to Venetian cuisine.  But, did you know that you too can go fishing in Venice?  There are fishermen in Venice who will take you out into the northern lagoon in a professional fishing boat and show you how they bring in their catch.  Some even offer your opportunity to cook and enjoy your own fresh fish.
• Historical Island Tours.  No need to feel guilty about spending much of the day relaxing on a boat. There is sightseeing to be done in the lagoon too!  You can visit the islands of San Francesco Del Deserto, where Saint Francis of Assisi is said to have performed his first miracles, and Torcello which hosts the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, the most ancient religious structure in the lagoon. Go with a knowledgable historical guide and you will get an incredible amount of learning out of your day at sea.  
• Agricultural Island Excursions.  Yes, there is farmland in Venice!  As difficult as it is to imagine while walking the cobblestone streets in the center of town, there are a significant variety of fruits and vegetables being cultivated right here in the lagoon.  And, of course, there are local wines too! On an excursion between the islands of Sant'Erasmo, Vognole and Mazzorbo it is possible to visit a farm, shop and a local farm stand, learn tricks for cooking local produce, and visit a restaurant that serves only lagoon-grown food and wine.  You do need a boat.  But, there is no more down-home Venetian experience than this!  

Whoever said, "You can't have it all" must never have spent a night in Venice.  Between musical and theatrical performances, regional food and drink, art exhibitions and the sheer pleasure of strolling through the nearly-empty streets of the most beautiful city in the world with nothing to disturb you beyond the gentle lapping of waves against the sides of the canal, Venice really does have it all.  Here in the labyrinth there is nightlife galore, from sleek and sweaty disco dancing to opera that one imagines only angels could sing.  The trick, as with everything else in Venice, is finding the Venice-by-night that's right for you.   Some nightlife experiences you could enjoy in Venice include:

• A Musical Evening.  Non solo Vivaldi!  Be it rock, jazz, classical or opera, there is guaranteed to be a musical performance that will blow you away happening during your stay in Venice.  Unfortunately, because there is no one portal where musicians and venues publicize events, it can be challenging for visitors to discover the performances that will be most moving to them.  A local friend with an ear to the ground of the Venice music scene can let you know about performances happening during your stay and take you to the best shows.
• Wines and Cheeses of the Veneto.  Take a cicchetti tour to the next level.  Dispersed among the thousands of bacari in Venice, there are some excellent wine bars that specialize in regional and Italian wines and gourmet snacks.  Spend a relaxing evening exploring Venice sampling Italian wines, cheeses and specialty foods with a knowledgeable companion.
• Night Walk In Venice.  Venice is a wonderfully safe city, and there is no better time to explore and admire the historic center of Venice than late in the evening.  After the souvenir carts have been put to bed and before the fishermen start arriving at the market, you will find yourself in a silently proud wonderland of of architecture, history and art all illuminated by moonlight.  Bring your camera and get enviable uninterrupted shots of the places that deserve their fame, but can be nearly impossible to truly appreciate during the chaotic and crowded days.

You can now book all of these, and more, unique experiences of Venice through OG Venice Travel Guide! Many of these are exclusively available to OG Venice readers, and there is virtually no limit to the custom experiences that we can design for you.  We work with intelligent, outgoing and enthusiastic people who know contemporary Venice love to share their knowledge of and passion for Venice with visitors. Contact us, tell us what you're interested in, and we will show you your Venice!