Forget the classical holiday in crowded Venice amidst tourists, noise and souvenirs.
That Venice is at hand’s reach, just beyond the fluid divide of a canal, which is barely a few hundred metres wide. But life is quite different here on the Giudecca. It does not lie in the charm of canals, in the views of alleys and in the dazzling splash of light on the marble of churches that only this lagoon can offer. Instead, it changes with the atmosphere one breathes in, with the pace of life, with the echoing voices of children playing in the squares, and with groups of men conversing in their sing-song tongue of fishermen who enjoy a glass of wine at sunset, while evening advances and makes the lights of tourist Venice seem distant.
To experience an unusual holiday in Venice, you have only to land on the Giudecca. Water buses that depart from car parks in Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto get there in a few minutes, just as those which link the railway station of Santa Lucia.
From the four public landing stages on the island, it is easy to reach in a few minutes St. Mark’s Square, the Grand Canal, the site of the Biennale and of the Film Festival, the magnificent beaches on the Lido and all other sites of interest in the city and the lagoon.
The lagoon bank (fondamenta) that weaves its way for three kilometres along the entire northern waterfront of the island is a delightful place for walks amidst typical cafés and fashionable restaurants. Besides it offers an incomparable view of the historical districts of the city.