Category Archives: Venice Instructions

Oh, Toto, I don’t think we’re even in Italy anymore.

Venice WiFi makes Venice Connected, davvero.

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mappavewifi.jpg If you’re a resident, it’s free; but as a traveler you can still book city-wide wireless access via VeniceConnected.com, seven or more days in advance of your travel, for quite a reasonable fee.

Venice is extraordinarily proud of this avant-garde offering, which was inaugurated with appropriate fanfare last Friday, July 3. Although not available from every nook and calle, and it’s not designed to reach you inside your lodging, the coverage is  still quite extensive: you’ll be able to access the network “VeniceConnected.com” from principal campi such as the Frari, Campo San Margherita, Santo Stefano and many more, along with popular areas such as the Rialto, certainly the Piazza San Marco, all along the Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma to the Punto della Dogana. There’s access along the Riva down to Sant’Elena; even Giudecca has coverage. If you find an area where you can’t hook up, you won’t have to go far to find one where you can.

Book in Advance

The wireless service is only available through VeniceConnected.com, and may be booked seven or more days in advance of your arrival.

You’ll book your Wi-Fi service (along with any others your require) for the days you plan to be in the city. Your userID and password will be e-mailed to you three days prior to your pickup/arrival date. Once in Venice and in an area with wireless service, just attempt to access the network from your smartphone or notebook. The login screen that will pop up automatically, you’ll enter the userID and password that was e-mailed to you, and off you’ll go.

The fees for the wireless access service in Venice are:

  • €5 one day
  • €8 two days (48 hours)
  • €15 one week

All durations are from the date of your scheduled arrival/pickup, specified when you booked your service.

PLEASE NOTE:

Should you lose or misplace any written record of your ID and password, you are requested notify Venice Connected immediately either by calling +39 041 2424, or writing info@veniceconnected.com.

You may only book the Venice WiFi service through VeniceConnected.com (up to seven days in advance).

VeniceConnected makes no guarantee of bandwidth, and there are other disclaimers on the information page, which you find here (although it seems to be in need of updating).

Click on the map above (supplied by the Comune) to check coverage…although it could be a bit more distinct.

Surf’s up in Venice as of July 3: WiFi for all

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It’s just a matter of days now before the main thoroughfares of Venice are truly connected.

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 3rd, a boat-load of Venetian officials, Italian journalists, bloggers, and chissà chi altra, will board vaporetto Line 1 to inaugurate WiFiDay: the day wireless access will being to be available along the principal calli, campi, fondamente, and the entire Canal Grande to anyone who has an enabled gadget and an access code. Holding fast to their enabled smartphones, iPhones, Blackberry Curves, Storms, and maybe even a notebook or two, the passengers and correspondents will be able to surf, Google-locate, Fring, Tweetie, Twitpic, blog, e-mail, and otherwise let Italy and all the world know that yes, Venice Virtually Rocks. At the end of the line there’ll be refreshments on the Lido, at the beach near Blue Moon. There will even be two other “official” vaps during the day, one for youth, and one for Seniors at 4 p.m. For locals, there’s even a WiFi treasure hunt that evening at 7 p.m. in Piazza San Marco.

I will not be on the press vap (nah…), but I already have my access code, so you can bet I’ll be on some vaporetto, during some part of the day to test my surfing ability along the Grand Canal and a few of the other vie principali…maybe even Giudecca, pensa te. There’s even significant coverage in Mestre. I’ll Tweetie something…just for the heck of it.

My access will be free, as it will be to all residents of the city (hey, we have to get some perks for putting up with Mask-and-Glass Overdose). But travelers will have access too, available for booking at least seven days in advance from VeniceConnected.com.

Buon Viaggio Virtuale!

For more information in Italian, see cittadinanzadigitale.it.


Pay the going rate: Venetian Gondola Fares

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A friend of mine arrived in Venice at the end of her 12-day cruise around Italy. (“Just so you know, Nan, twelve days is too long.”) During her stay here (her companions flew home direct from the cruise, not unusual), she recounted a visit to the Piazza the night before she disembarked, including the price of the gondola ride her group decided to enjoy. “You paid what?!”

gondola.jpgNow, you must know that this is my standard response whenever Nancy tells me about most any purchase she has made. She is the spendthrift, I the cheapskate (or just more sane in my expenditures, according to me), so we have both come to expect this semi-regular reaction. I have to say it, she has to ignore me completely.

But in this case, it was warranted. I live here. I know that up to six people can ride in a gondola for 40 minutes for €80, with €40 for each additional twenty minutes; and that there is a surcharge after 7 pm, so price is then €100 for 40 minutes and €50 for every twenty thereafter.

What did my friend pay? Evidently, the cruise company offered a transfer from the ship to the Piazza after dinner for a pittance, €5 per person or so. Sounds lovely, let’s go. The thoroughly enjoyable gondola ride that the five in her group decided to take, even with an extra 20 minutes, should have cost them, oh, €100 to €150 total. Instead, “They paid what?!”

€50 per person, or €250. They were told (by whom I am not sure), that this was a discount: that normally they would have paid €100 per person. Nancy said that the gondolier sang them his favorite song, did I know what it was? “‘We’re In the Money’,” I guessed?

Now, I like the gondola (I row, for heaven’s sake), know there are some great gondoliers, and have my own favorites. If a gondola ride appeals to you, by all means take one. But no matter what you decide to pay for it, it’s best to first know the going-gondola-rate, and to understand it’s per gondola…not per person.

Current Gondola Fares

Venice Wi-Fi Coverage…

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Just received a communication from the press office about the conference held at the Palazzo Labia this morning, outlining just how this whole Wi-Fi thing is going to work. I couldn’t attend, but should be receiving subsequent releases with more details. In the meantime, here’s the map of the projected coverage. Looks like the Grand Canal, major thoroughfares and all principal campi including the Piazza.

I expect that visitors who want to connect will be able to request wireless through veniceconnected.com where they’ll receive a PNR that they’ll then enter when they attempt access. But I will wait for the next release which should Explain It All For Us.

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Lots of questions remain, but…this could be quite a coup should they pull it off.

More to come!