Vaporetti in Venice

During my stay near Venice, Italy, May 10-15, 2014, the weather was perfect for being outside, so that’s where I chose to be. Just walking… for hours. However, on the second day I learned that for €25 (near $31) for 48 hours, I could take buses and the vaporetti (water taxis) anywhere I wanted to go. I hadn’t done this in years.

That morning, I rode the No. 1 vaporetto from Piazzale Roma to the end of the line (the two Lido stops) and back again — 20 stops in two hours. I saw unusual places like the Port of Venice and the Mercato.

On my return, I got off at San Stae to have lunch at Osteria La Zucca (Santa Croce 1762, Venice, Italy; phone +39 041 524 1570, www.lazucca.it/en), where I’ve liked everything I’ve ever ordered. On a quiet side canal, it is casual and quite small, so reservations are recommended. It is primarily vegetarian, with lamb/rabbit/osso buco types of meat but no fish. 

For a huge plate of six smaller portions of their veggie dishes at €6-€7 (such as artichokes, eggplant, spinach, all with unusual preparations), I paid €18. They even let me choose which ones I wanted rather than stick to what was outlined on the menu.

(Another time, I paid €12 for a lasagne with asparagus and zucchini flowers and €7 for the best, melt-in-your-mouth dessert of semifreddo [semifrozen dessert] I have ever eaten.)

The fantastic cooks are all young women. Now when I walk in the door, Rudi recognizes me. They’re closed on Sundays.

Afterward, I took the No. 3 vaporetto from P. Roma, changing at the second stop (Faro) on Murano to the No. 12. The stop just before Burano is Mazzorbo, which is connected to Burano by a long footbridge.

The next day I took the No. 2 vaporetto (fewer stops) and rode to the end, seeing the Redentore Church, San Giorgio church and the basilica La Salute just a few yards away. I eventually got off at the Giardini (Gardens), where I wandered around the familiar paths of a surprisingly (for Venice) large park, covered with old-growth trees.

The following stop is the Arsenale, or fortress — an easy walk. And before the Giardini is the sestiere (subdivision) of Castello. I always like to go there after visiting the park because nobody else does, yet it is one of the oldest parts of Venice. You’ll find a real “neighborhood” where the people all know each other and shop at the couple of fruit and vegetable stands.

The displays shown in the windows of small storefronts are what these people buy — inexpensive work clothes and practical items. The one exception I saw was in a window: a pair of men’s short khaki Dockers priced at €85 ($106).

MARILYN HILL

Portland, OR