tyn

First week of September is when Venice usually hosts the Film Festival.
It is going to be even more crowded than usual and the prices of hotels will be way up.

sophiesophie

I made a reservation already for a hotel/B&B. Quite reasonable, I think. I am somewhat leary of the reservation though. They charged me 1 euro and I pay the rest when I check out. I thought I booked directly with the place, but it processed through booked.net. I suppose there's the chance they'll 'lose' my reservation.

Perche

You can go in September, it just takes more careful planning. For example, you have to stay clear of staying anywhere near San Marco or the Rialto Bridge. I mean, get way into Castello, or way into Canareggio. You have to be in a place with air conditioning or else you'll be eaten alive. Many smaller hotels and most apartments do not have air conditioning in Venice. You can't open your windows for about 8 months of the year. Venetians sleep under mosquito nets. Out in the open, it's not that much of a problem because the crowds are so big that people out number mosquitoes.

Venice has about 70,000 tourists per day between February and November, and has only about 55,000 residents. About 65,000 of those tourists seem to want to remain around Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge. If you go into Castello, at least around Arsenale, or even better, past Via Garibaldi, you won't see that many tourists at any time of the year. Get your San Marco fix early in the morning or late at night and you'll be OK. If you are doing an air BnB just make sure you have air conditioning, and that it does not say, "near San Marco and Rialto."

The film festival is in the Giudecca. Technically that's part of Venice, but it really is not. I don't find that these types of festivals make much of a difference, especially during the week. I've been there for the last two Carnevale's, and it wasn't a big deal except around Piazza San Marco, and during the weekend. Many people are europeans who work during the week, go home, and come back during the weekend. Even then, they are not walking around Castello.

When it is Biennale, you notice it a little bit because it takes place in Castello, but even then, barely. For the film festival, you don't really notice it. I don't know where the people are staying, but they are staying in tourist parts of Venice where I don't see them.

Cooking schools are really a fabulous way to experience Italy. The best tourist attractions that Italy has to offer are not monuments and museums like the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Uffizi. The best tourist attraction is the lifestyle. Getting into the home of a local, seeing how to shop, cook, eat, talk around the table, is priceless. You get to bring the experience home with you. Just get a good one. Some in Venice just take you to Rialto to see how to shop, then you go to a restaurant before it opens and the chef tells you how they cook. You don't really get to be hands on, you just watch. Make sure you are going to shop, go to someone's house, be cooking with a small group, then eating what you cook for dinner or perhaps a late lunch, with wine, prosecco, and much conversation around a typical family dining room in a typical apartment. My friend in Venice was great at this, in her lovely apartment near Miracoli, but she recently moved to Rimini. The other places I know are not open to everybody, so I don't have a name.

September can be quite lovely if you understand that it will be too crowded to enjoy the central parts, and stay in the periphery. One of the good things about Venice that is unique is that there are no bad neighborhoods. You can be anywhere without any fear of something happening to you. I don't think there are any good hotels in farthest out Sant'Elena, I don't think the Best Western is that good, but that is a very nice place to stay if you can get a decent apartment there. That is real Venice.

sophiesophie

The place is in Cannaregio (I looked there based on suggestions in other posts.) It does say it has AC, but it says it may be restricted to certain hours. A review from a few years ago said it didn't work. I think I can live. I'll have to bring a mosquito net!

For the cooking class, I haven't decided yet, but am leaning towards one around the Mirano area in the country.

Perche

Just keep in mind that there is the province of Venice, which is huge, and there is the city of Venice. It's like there is New York State, and there is New York City. Mirano is in the province of Venice, but it's about an hour and a half from Canareggio, which is in the city of Venice. It's like staying in New York City and taking a class in Poughkeepsie, or staying in San Francisco and taking a cooking class in Modesto. If it's a really good school it might be worth it too you, but just don't confuse the Province of Venice which is on the mainland with the island city of Venice with canals, gondolas, etc. Murano is nowhere near Venice by car, boat or bus.

Canareggio is the largest of the six sestiere. It has some really, really lovely authentic neighborhoods. Sometimes when I go there I get so lost I keep going round and around in circles and have to ask directions. That's the kind of place you want to be. Authentic Venice. On the other hand, because it it so large, it extends into the worst of the tourist areas. For example, getting near the train station is very bad. Being anywhere near Strada Nuova is very bad. Being near the Church of San Apostoli is very bad. Being near the church Madonna dall'orto is fantastic. An apartment in the ghetto would also be good. Canareggio is not all good, so be careful where.

sophiesophie

It does appear that Venice is quite large, I realize that. I figured I'd take a cab to get there - probably expensive though. I would expect it would take up a good portion of the day - there are 3 times - lunch, early dinner and later dinner. I think I would do lunch or early dinner. I would love to visit the countryside outside of Venice, too (she has horses, as do I). However, another one that looks really good - host is Massimo. He's close.

As for my hotel, not near Madonna dall'orto nor San Apostoli. Strada Nueva is not that far - so I will not walk towards that! When you say not all good, you mean tourists and not crime? I tend to avoid touristy places, although, I will have to checkout the Basilica at some point!

Perche

No crime. Venice is one of the most crime free places there is. Of course, you can get pickpocketed in a crowd during Carnevale, and stuff like that. But muggings and things like that are almost unheard of, anywhere in Venice.

Napoleon, the scourge of Venice who brought the city to its knees and stole everything (even the horses on top of San Marcos Basilica, which Venice stole from Istanbul, which Napolean took to France, that Venice eventually took back, but didn't restore on the ramparts of the Basilica but instead hid in a museum, and put fake ones back on top of the church), mowed down the streets in order to make a straight boulevard. It's ugly now, and is nothing but fake junk and cheap clothes shops. It sort of starts at Apostoli, and gets worse the closer you get to the train station. But crime? No.

No on knows why Venice is so safe. The theory is, they didn't build a bridge connecting it to the mainland until the late 1800's. It was isolated. It's small. There's nowhere for a thief to hide. They couldn't even flee on a boat. As someone who kayaks a fair amount around the waters of Venice, the water is very shallow. Most of the time your paddle is hitting the mud. If you don't read the tidal charts, you'll be stranded in the mud at low tide. So you can't just get into a boat and speed away. You have to know the channels.

Even a kid in Venice who stole soda would be seen by someone, who would pass it on, until someone saw the father passing by on a boat, and told him. It has been historically too self enclosed for crime to thrive (mafia excepted). The only two places that don't seem right are the extreme east of Castello and extreme west of Giudecca. There are no tenements or tall buildings in Venice, except there. They started building some tenements around WW2, then thankfully stopped. I never heard of anything happening around the tenements, but it doesn't feel right. Anywhere else, you can walk around at any hour with no worry.

Of course you have to go to San Marco and see the Basilica. I run through the piazza and have coffee there all the time. I start around 6:30, then have coffee around 7:30. It's empty and beautiful, all months. Same after 9PM. Also the same is true for Rialto, but I have to say that Rialto is undergoing a major restoration and is covered in tarp these days. At least on the front side. Go to the back. Not as nice, but at least it's not covered.

JenbrownS

Hello! I really think a cooking class is an awesome way to get in touch with the culture of any place. Whenever I travel I always try to book one, you'll meet cool people, get good tips on places to go (places that the locals actually like) and you'll also eat good food.

I've been to a couple of cooking classes in Italy, I can of corse give you some recommendations if you want.

Take care!