gravysandwich

We are flying in to Venice around 9:00 AM on Easter Sunday. Is the place shut down tight for the holiday? Will we be able to find some restaurants open? Is the vaporetto functioning? If not, how long of a swim is it from the airport to the San Marco district? Should we use the Grand Canal or is there a shortcut? Please factor in luggage. All of you who have been lucky (unlucky?) enough to be in Venice for this holiday please respond with your recollections.

Thanks,
gravysandwich

LoveItaly

Hello gravysandwich. I have not been in Venice at Easter time but I cannot imagine the transportation system would be shut down as Venice is so tourist oriented. BTW, it would be a long cold and dirty swim up the Grand Canal LOL.

I will email a friend of mine there and ask this question and will advise as soon as I get an answer back.

In the meantime the website for the MarcoPolo airport is www.veniceairport.it. I believe they have a section there where you can email the airport to ask them this questiion. They would know for sure.

And saying that there HAS to be public transportation for Venice otherwise a good percent of the travellers getting of the planes would be stuck at the airport instead of getting into Venice.

gravysandwich

Thanks LoveItaly.

I tend to agree with you that Venice would be in a stranglehold if the transportation system shut down for a couple of days. To this end, I contacted the folks that administer Venice public transportation a couple of weeks ago, and received an e-mail response that a Navajo codetalker from WWII could not have deciphered. I have also contacted my hotel, and am awaiting some word from them, but as you know, sometimes our Italian friends can be a little slow to respond. Thanks for all your help, and I look forward to hearing from you.

We leave in ten days and we are all getting a little giddy about it. My son and I are learning "un po l'Italiano" just so we can assimilate into the culture a bit. My wife hasn't move up the language learning curve, just yet.

I look forward to any information that you are able to pass along.

gravysandwich

LoveItaly

Hi gravysandwich, I sent an email off to my "always wait for a reply" friend in Italy. No answer yet.

Although you and I know that there HAS to be public transportation on Easter Sunday (otherwise where ARE all those travellers going to spend Easter) I want to be able to tell you for sure that there will be no problem

So, in this moment I am going to send another e-mail to another friend in the area of Venice (the Veneto). I feel certain she will respond by tomorrow (it is now 10:40pm her time in Italy) but she checks her computer usually every morning so I should have an answer for you tomorrow. I have not forgotten you, I promise!

Uhmmm, about those e-mail from commercial sites in Italy - are they not they fun to read? I think they only make sense if one has had at least two glasses on wine. LOL. Don't give up, we will get the absolute correct answer. In the meantime have fun dreaming and planning for your trip.

gravysandwich

Your message is read and understood (unlike some messages that I have gotten recently that originated in Italy).

Molto grazie for your help!

gravysandwich

LoveItaly

topping

Hi gravysandwich, prego! I will check in tomorrow.

LoveItaly

Goodmorning gravysandwich, well I have good news for you!

I just received the email from the second friend in Italy I wrote to last night. She lives very close to Venice so I knew she would have the answer.

Yes, thank goodness, all public transportation in Venice will be available on Easter the same as every other day.

So thank goodness you and the family will not have to don your bathing suits, LOL.

Have a beautiful vacation. I know you will, you are going to some very special places.

LoveItaly

ttt

gravysandwich

Dear LoveItaly,

Thanks much for your kind investigative work on our behalf. It is, indeed, good news that the Vaporetto will be operating on Sunday and Monday. Please thank your friend for us. In the meantime, I received an e-mail from Anna at The Ca' del Doso confirming what your friend had to say (and to think that I suggested that some Italians were less than prompt about returning e-mails). She did include the caveat of a strike as a possibility. We may have to swim after all. It will really be appropriately named the Bridge of Sighs if we have to swim underneath it.

I am so glad I ignored some advice from some who recommended that we steer clear of Venice becasue of its tourist trap reputation. I think that the city will be magical, and that our time there will be unforgettable.

I promise that a trip report will follow which will include Venice and our entire trip.

LoveItaly

Oh gravysandwich, you are more then welcome! It was my pleasure. Venice is a very special city and I know you all find it so magical. And I will thank my friend for you. Strikes and Italy, well thank goodness they never seem to last longer then eight hours but I seriously do not think that will happen on Easter Sunday, the most holy of all days in Italy.

I will so look forward to your trip report, I have enjoyed your posts preparing for this vacation. Take good care of your little one and all of you enjoy every moment in Italy. My very best to you.