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Piazza San Marco (Venice, Italy)
by garymarsh6
Piazza San Marco Venice.
I would be absolutely amazed if anyone who visits Venice does not end up in the Piazza San Marco at some point during your visit to Venice. The Piazza is the heart of the city where most of the main tourist and important sites can be found. The Doges Palace, The Basilica San Marco, The Campanile San ... Marco, The Torre Dell' Orologio are all found here at the square. So many historical and beautiful buildings surrounding the square make it The place to visit if you like. If you are arriving in the city from the International airport of San Marco the Alilaguna boat will probably drop you off near the Piazza just in front of the Doges Palace. Most of the water buses depart from here too.
Meandering through the alleyways and streets of Venice you will see signs directing you either towards Rialto or to Piazza San Marco. If you are lost in the side streets you could perhaps look towards the sky and catch a glimpse of the Campanile San Marco that looms above the square in order to get your bearings.
Historical features of the Square.
At the Eastern end of St Mark's Square you will find the Basilica San Marco, the Doges Palace, San Marco campanile and the Astrological clock. Some of these buildings have been here since the early 800's AD. At different stages throughout the centuries these buildings have been added to and improved especially as Venice became a major maritime Republic and an important trading centre. The Square was used for grand parades of both church and government not only that market traders plied their wares in the square. At the Eastern end of the square there is a smaller square to the left of the Basilica and the area in to the front of the Doges Palace is a smaller Piazzetta leading to the lagoon and waterfront promenade passing the two winged lions on high pillars.
The square is surrounded on three sides by imposing buildings built in the 16th Century housing shops and cafes in a colonnaded walkway above which are offices and homes that originally housed important government officials and important figures from San Marco. The pavement was originally built in the 12th century using bricks that were placed in herringbone fashion but due to the Aqua Alta (High tides from the Adriatic) and regular flooding the pavement was raised by one meter with improved drainage. The pavement was redesigned in the 14th Century and a pattern of squares of white Istrian stone was built into the brickwork which is thought to mark out places for the traders to set up their stalls.
St. Marks square today!
St. Marks square is still the place to head for if you wish to visit the Basilica and the Doges palace. The square is full of historical buildings and interesting buildings you could spend a couple of days here exploring all it has to offer. However as most people visiting Venice are likely only to be there for a couple of days there is a lot to pack in if you wish to see more of Venice. During the day time the square is full of tourists who flock here to these great buildings. The queues to enter these sites are really long so if you wish to get in to all these places get there early before the thousands of day visitors arrive by train, bus and cruise liners or leave some to later in the day when they have departed. Even when most of the people have left Venice is still packed with tourists but it is easier to find places to eat without having to wait for tables to become available. Walking around the square you will notice that some of the steps and pathways are quite worn due to the thousands of tourists who visit the square each day. There are by laws in place to ensure that you are not allowed to plonk yourself down and start eating a snack anywhere in the square you will be asked to move on by the police. There are virtually no places to sit and admire the architecture around the square unless of course you are feeling flush and sit with a drink in one of the expensive cafes surrounding the square.
Eating and drinking in St. Marks Square.
My advice is DON'T...... unless of course you have a very deep wallet or you really want to soak up the atmosphere or you are foolish with money and madly in love. To sit in one of the cafes or restaurants surrounding the square is probably one of the most expensive things you will do in Venice. The restaurants are pavement style cafes which allows you to soak up the ambiance of Venice and people watch at a price of course The bills are astronomical for example Euro 9 for a small coke plus Euro 6 Supplement for listening to the music. For coffee expect to pay around 18 euros. As for eating dinner don't expect any change from Euro 200 each for dinner. A bottle of wine starts from Euro 42 to Euro 300. You could probably get away with lunch for around Euro 100.
The restaurant.
The Grancaffe Quadri is one such restaurant. There is a large outside eating area and a small band stand with white drapes. Five musicians play music in competition with a restaurant on the opposite side of the square. You can also eat inside and there is a lovely restaurant upstairs too which is finely and tastefully decorated with a superb ambiance overlooking the square. We were not able to get a table overlooking the square so chose to eat elsewhere. To listen to the band playing Con te Partiro made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and sent a shiver down my spine. It really is something special but of course at a price. My advice is to find a café or restaurant off the square down one of the maze of alleyways where you can find much better standard of food at a far better price.
Shopping.
There is a variety of tourist type shops surrounding the square and high class shops selling glassware and costume jewellery. These high end shops do not display prices on some of the things but it will make your heart flutter when they reveal the prices. Do yourself and your credit card a favour and walk down the alleyways of Venice if you really want to nab yourself a bargain, well a bargain compared to the prices you will pay in St. Marks square. Murano glass can be bought far more cheaply in the little side streets as opposed to here.
Summary.
St. Marks square is a hive of activity full of tourists and lovers out to soak up the ambiance and beauty of this small area. It can be very busy during the daytime but much calmer once most of the day trippers have departed on their coaches or massive cruise liners. It certainly is the place to be during your stay in Venice not only for people watching but more importantly to visit the historical sites around the square. I absolutely adore Venice and although I have only visited the place twice and for only a couple of days each time we have packed an awful lot into our trips there. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, standing, queuing but it is well worth it. Historically it is a beautiful city with many beautiful buildings you won't be disappointed with it. Venice is a very expensive place but you can help save yourself a little money by eating and shopping away from St. Marks Square. Personally I love St. Marks Square very early in the morning and very late at night when there are less people in the square. Once in the square it feels quite safe but getting to the square when Venice is deserted can be quite spooky walking alone down the small dark alleyways. There are always people walking about no matter what time of the day so you will never be quite alone.
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Sights & Attractions in Florence (Italy)
by joey92
Florence is the centre of Renaissance culture, a stunning city with plenty of personality in the heart of Tuscany.
With its wealth of history and culture combined with stunning art galleries, churches, museums and Baroque architecture, Florence is a city not to be missed when visiting Italy.
No one could accuse Florence of ... being understated! Indeed, standing next to the dome I was overwhelmed by the architecture! They were definitely being very fancy and lavish with their designs, emphasising the wealth and importance of Florence as a city.
I'd actually love to live in Florence for a while, the main drawback being how expensive it all is! We stayed here for five days and it was definitely a "whistle-stop" tour, as if you love culture, there is so much to see and do! If you find museums and galleries boring, you may enjoy the beautiful buildings and relaxed Italian living.
--Getting there--
From the UK, we flew to Pisa, spent a night in Pisa then caught the train service to Florence, though you could do this in one day without the overnight stay as we wanted to see some sights in Pisa too! It is expensive to fly direct to the airport of Florence as it isn't a huge airport like the one in Pisa, so it definitely works out cheaper flying to Pisa.
Cathedral
The cathedral with its striking dome is the landmark icon of the city, the huge dome was engineered by the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
Inside, you can climb up to the top of the dome for a view! This attracts immense queues, so I would recommend going in the early morning to skip the crowds. Inside, the dome is just as beautiful and decorated with religious artworks. Whilst I was in Italy, I was trying to learn Italian, so I enjoyed reading the information in English and Italian side by side inside the cathedral. At the top, there is a stunning view of the city and this makes for a photo moment if you are a tourist!!
It is very steep to climb to the top, only go up if you have the energy, there are no lifts!
To climb the dome it will cost you 8 euros, however it is free to wander round the cathedral itself. The dome was a later addition to the cathedral and was not in its original design. It was built in the 15th century.
Ponte Vecchio
This translates to the "old bridge". This would sum up this traditional landmark of Florence.
This bridge is packed with jewellery shops which is what it is primarily famous for, so its great for window shopping but if you just don't have the funds, its nice to wander over as it's a pedestrian bridge. It's very beautiful and there are nice views down the river.
Piazza Michelangelo
This piazza is slightly above the main city centre which means it is a beautiful place to watch the sun set. Picturesque, this piazza can be accessed on foot which is what we did, though I understand you can also take a bus.
Uffizi Gallery
This is a famous art gallery of Florence, featuring many of the greats including Botticelli, Michelangelo and Giotto. This can take a whole day to go round, though it is recommended to pre book tickets. I spent an afternoon here as my friend wasn't bothered about the artwork as much as I was. It also has a rather nice café with a roof terrace.
Dante Museum
I didn't manage to go to this museum as it was closed, but Dante was born in Florence so it is probably worth a visit!!
Piazza della Signoria
This piazza has always been the heart of Fiorentine politics, with the palazzo vecchio. I can remember having a lovely evening listening to a busker here, he had drawn quite a crowd with his mixture of Italian and English hits and he played a rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's sound of silence which suited the atmosphere perfectly! There are often buskers in the piazzas in the evening.
Florence has many street markets selling products such as leather bags which it is famous for, jewellery, sunglasses and tourist items.
You can eat out in Florence and get pizza and pasta everywhere, there are many lovely restaurants in the piazzas and on the outskirts where we were staying.
My friend and I shared pizzas for the most part, as we were on a budget!!
We stayed in a hostel, which I have reviewed over on Ciao as jojo92. It is generally quite expensive to stay in Florence, but there are hostels available for those on a budget so it is possible!
I had a brilliant holiday in Florence, and would definitely want to return, despite the scorching heat in July!
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Loro Parque (Tenerife, Spain)
by penguinfeet5000
After visiting the park three times there is no denying that Loro Parque is a great family day out. The animals all appear to be happy in generous, fully equipped enclosures and I have to say the actual parks grounds are immaculate. Never once did I see any piece of rubbish on the floor, or a bush that wasn't clipped perfectly. This ... attention to detail in the presentation of the park gives an overwhelming impression of quality and I have never visited an attraction that's cleanliness remotely compares with this. The park houses a wide and varied range of animals and any child would be pushed not to enjoy trying to spot their favourite animal. The shows are incredible, especially the sealion show which can only be described as genius. The dolphin show is enjoyable although quite cheesy- but then again it's a dolphin show. The ocar show takes place in Ocar Ocean, which no one can deny is a spectacular piece of architecture on a monstrous stage. Seeing this magical animals in such close proximity cannot fail to leave an impression on anyone. Although there enclosure appears large (to the untrained eye), I personally felt very uncomfortable with the fact there were so many of the whales in this one enclosure- but then again this is a zoo, everyone knows the moral issues involved with zoos. The orca show itself was unspectacular and I couldn't help but feel the whole arrangement of the show was incredibly strange. I know this sounds very strange to anyone who hasn't witnessed the show, but the shows presentation and the lady doing the talking reminded me slightly of a very creepy cult-like church service. The park costs about £30 entry fee which I think is expensive, yet not outrageous. I would highly recommend taking a picnic as the food inside the park, although of very high quality, is quite pricey. I have always visited the park in June before the children have broken up and wow is the park rammed. At times the whole park is just a slowly moving crowds, and if you want any form of decent seats for the show please make sure your there at least 15 minutes before the start. This is before the hype of the children summer holidays! My other major criticism of the park is the relentless advertising. Within seconds of stepping on the island Loro Parque is rammed down your throat at every availably second, whether it's the adverts on the airport trolleys, giant billboards, posters outside every stop, bins made by the park.....everywhere. After a week it all gets abit much and even I as a lover of Loro parquet began to resent it! Despite this I would recommend anyone a day out to Loro Parque in the Tenerife sunshine!
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