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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Went to Venice several times a while ago and loved it.  One of my favorite places in the world to visit.  At that time, you could get lost and wander around where the clothes were hanging above the "streets" and kids playing.  Is that over?  Do people still live there or is it totally AirBnB? The part I loved about Venice was just wandering around and maybe stepping into an obscure church off the beaten track.  That was the charm--not San Marco.

A PP asked about Verona.  I've been there and remember it as being lovely (we just stopped for lunch), but nothing like Venice.  It is a place I would consider visiting.  It's also near Lake Garda which is a beautiful area.  I prefer northern Italy to southern Italy.[/quote]

It's not over.  We were in Venice last December, and it was definitely still possible to get lost in quiet passageways, see laundry hanging out to dry, and see kids playing in otherwise empty squares.  We did/saw all of these things, and I agree that they were a highlight of the trip.  I had never been to Venice before - neither had our DS (9), although DH had been several times - and I found it to be absolutely enchanting.  Of course, we were there at a very slow time of the year, and we stayed in an apartment in quiet, residential part of the city (Santa Croce). I would highly recommend both of these things.

We arrived on Christmas Day, had Christmas dinner in a nearby restaurant that seemed to be mostly frequented by locals, and walked through a practically deserted St. Mark's Square that night.  Most of the people we saw out and about were going to church services and Christmas concerts.  It was really magical.  That said, I can certainly see how it would be a far different experience when teeming with tourists.  We were back in Venice on New Year's Eve, and the crowds were out in force, and it was far less enjoyable.  But even then, the crowds thinned out the further you moved from the center of the city.  If you can put up with the unpredictable winter weather (we were lucky, and had mild, dry weather), it's a great time to visit.  None of us can go back in time and visit decades ago before the cruise ships and hordes of tourists changed the character of the city, but we can chose when to visit and where to stay.  I wasn't sure what to expect from Venice because people seem to either love it or hate it, but I loved it.  [/quote]

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