Addio Carnevale.
Feb 7, 2008 vita venexiàn
I attended my first Carnevale in 1996, and was amazed to see a city decorated with the most imaginatively-costumed participants; they roamed the frigid streets by day, posing for photos for anyone with a camera, and seeking refuge and cioccolato caldo inside the Florian, or any 18th-century throwback in the vicinity if they couldn’t abide waiting in line. They reveled by night, sweeping across the Piazza facendo il loro effetto, creating impromptu musicales, and attending celebratory dinners and masked balls (of varying degrees of decadence) in luminous palazzi. “They work all year on their costumes,” said one Carnevale aficionado, and it showed. Even wandering the streets in your own, more modest mask or costume, it didn’t take much imagination to get the feel of what delirious Venice must have been like in centuries past.
Like so many things these days, Carnevale’s just not the same. The famous and otherwise well-endowed rent stupendous costumes to wear to prestigious, expensive, commercialized balls. We donned our own fanciful costumes, rather impressed with ourselves, but found we were in the distinct minority in giro, it was only when we attended some party or other that we found ourselves once again in the company of fantastic strangers. We missed the old days (except for the cold).
In any case, it’s tranquil city the day after martedì grasso and the end of the festivities, and Venice has another year to decide what sort of party it will throw l’anno prossimo. I do hope more folks opt for going incognito. It’s what makes Carnevale, Carnevale…isn’t it?
Venice public transit: Vaporetto Fares 2008
Feb 3, 2008 Instructions for Use
Here’s brief summary of the public transit fares for navigation (i.e., the vaporetto) just posted by the ACTV. Most fares have increased by €1 for 2008. The Youth pass fare for the three-day pass did not increase.
€6,50 Single water bus fare.
May be purchased in advance or on board. This ticket is good for one 60-minute journey on the Venice network (does not include Alilaguna airport transport or the Fusina or Clodia lines). It can be purchased at any ticket booth or on board. Do let the attendent know you need one as you board, to avoid the possibility of a €30 fine.
Unlimited-Use Travel Passes
Includes one item of luggage per passenger. These passes are valid for a specified number of hours from the time it’s stamped. Good for land, lagoon, and Lido public transport as well.
- €14 - 12 hours
- €16 - 24 hours
- €21 - 36 hours
- €26 - 48 hours
- €31 - 72 hours
- €18 - Three-day Youth card, issued only upon presentation of the Rolling Venice Card (€4, ages 14 - 29), for purchase from any HelloVenezia vendor. See Venicecard.com for complete info.
Conference Card, Student, and organized groups - special requests.
Discounts for groups of various types. Reserved in advance through the offices of HelloVenezia, +39 041 2424. Valid from 1 to 8 days.
CartaVenezia
If you are a frequent visitor to Venice, you might consider the CartaVenezia, or long-term pass. It’s a significant investment if you’re not a resident of Venice or the Veneto (€40), but you can save money in the long term for individual tickets and pass prices, although they’ve risen, too). See the ACTV site for complete information (scroll down to CartaVenezia).
For complete info on transportation and events, contact HelloVenezia at +39 041 2424 from 8a to 8p daily (English spoken). There’s a website too, but it is in Italian.
