Sources would include random rants from actual Italian people who do not reside in Venice, underwhelmed travelers on the net, and my own perception of the area.

With Rick Steve's and so many other HD imagery/video available it is just too easy to see what I am missing and say, not for me (on this trip).

I think Venice is like a Disneyland for adults where people are just thrilled to pay 100 euros to ride around in a gondola for an hour. It is a flooded swampy marsh in an industrial port town. The town regularly floods. $20 beers and $15 coffees in St. Marks square? Not for me...

I seem to be more interested in the Dolomites and heading toward Bolzano as a camp to start that journey myself...but hey that is ME. I don't expect everyone to share my point of view. I will give Venice a try one day, but for now it is not on the top of my list.