VENICE IN WINTER

I last visited the canal-crossed city of Venice during a busy August 12 years ago, and my indelible memory is of tourists and mosquitoes swarming the city in equal numbers. Overrun by a glut of pedestrians, it seemed that Venice, which is sinking by 2 centimeters a year, would go down long before its time under the crush of trampling feet. These visions kept me from returning to the city for over a decade as I searched for quieter places to enjoy.

But when my wife, Emily, and I decided recently to make a winter trip to Italy, we found ourselves entertaining romantic images of strolling arm-in-arm amid Venice’s misty canals. The sheer novelty of a 1,500-year-old city with no cars or motorbikes lured us once more, and we knew the winter crowds had to be smaller. So after scanning guidebooks and contacting various pensioni and hotels to determine room availability before Christmas, we found a pensione called Albergo Doni for about $85 per night (including breakfast) near Venice’s famous Piazza San Marco.

We had to contact several different places since many smaller hotels and pensioni were closed for the winter season. Most wouldn’t reopen until February, when masked revelers throng the city for pre-Lenten Carnevale. Surprisingly, prices for lodging didn’t seem to drop in winter, perhaps reflecting decreased room supply. But persistence paid off, and we found a cozy room at a good price right in the heart of Venice.

So last year in mid-December we flew overnight to Milan’s Malpensa Airport, arriving to a cheerless gray dawn and a landscape spotted with dirty snow. But our spirits rose after we changed several hundred dollars into hundreds of thousands of lire, gathered our bags and caught a shuttle bus to Milan’s central train station for the first train bound for Venezia. With about a dozen trains a day traveling the route, we soon caught a comfortable intercity express for less than $40 each.

Our trip from Milan lasted just 3 1/2 hours as we rolled past Romeo and Juliet’s Verona and the university town of Padua (Padova). Hustling our bags off the train, we trudged down the white marble steps leading to the Grand Canal and waited for vaporetto No. 82, basically an aquatic city bus, to take us to Piazza San Marco and our pensione. Diesel-powered vaporetti cruise the Venetian lagoon along more than a dozen routes for about $3 per trip. Within minutes our floating bus arrived and we motored down the glorious Grand Canal.

Breathing in the salty tang of the air, we gazed with renewed wonder at the palazzi that glided by. Buildings revealed their age in Byzantine, Gothic, Renaissance or Baroque facades, with only a few modern structures dating back a mere 300 years or so. I recalled seeing a map from the 1500s showing Venice looking very much as it does today.

At San Zaccaria station we stepped off our vaporetto into the brisk afternoon and walked through a couple of short alleys to Albergo Doni. After quickly checking in, we shuffled up the stairs to our small but well-furnished room and bath overlooking a little courtyard. We headed out again as quickly as possible. And while the chilly air discouraged any gondola Carusos from serenading us, the same chill kept the crowds away and prompted us to walk even closer together, allowing romance to settle in just as easily.

Twilight was upon us by 5 o’clock. A gauzy mist clung to building tops while lights from shops illuminated the Piazza San Marco, Venice’s historic center. A 25- or 30-foot Christmas tree dominated the west end of the piazza. The five domes of the Byzantine Basilica San Marco rose hauntingly against the nighttime sky alongside the pink marble facade and arcade of the 14th century Palazzo Ducale, also called the Doges’ Palace.

The Campanile, or bell tower, its spire shrouded over 300 feet above the damp piazza, stood sentinel-like across from the basilica and palace. In the distance, across the Grand Canal, stood the brooding Baroque church of Santa Maria della Salute, marking the southern end of the canal; and even farther, the small island of San Giorgio Maggiore with its own campanile lost in the drizzle.

Turning away from the Grand Canal, we explored Venice’s San Marco district, with the goal of reaching the Rialto Bridge about halfway up the Grand Canal. We continued away from the piazza as if in a maze, guided only by what seemed interesting down the next block or around a corner. We looked into shops featuring handblown glass, the Venetian specialty. Leather shops displayed thousand-dollar handbags. Visions of February’s Carnevale were evident in one shop where red elfin shoes, complete with 6-inch curly toes, were arrayed among flamboyant papier-mache masks.

Surrounding us on our walk was a sea of dark woolen overcoats and full-length fur coats--Venetian couples enjoying a passeggiata, or evening stroll, through the Christmas alleys of their home city. Remarkably, locals outnumbered the tourists. With an average age, we guessed, of nearly 50, the Venetians’ conservative elegance seemed more fitting to Switzerland or Austria. Known for their industry and productivity, the people of Venezia seemed in contrast to the less controlled passion and emotionality exhibited throughout the rest of Italy.

Reaching the Rialto Bridge, we quieted our rumbling stomachs with a gelato from Michelangelo’s, a small gelato shop whose owner must have been homesick for Florence. Returning by a different route to Piazza San Marco, we slipped into Trattoria alla Rivetta, a small restaurant just steps away from our pensione. It’s a favorite watering hole for gondoliers, judging by the empty gondolas bobbing nearby. We ordered creamy tortellini, gnocchi with cheese, and Chianti, followed by a tiramisu with espresso.

Past the bar, the trattoria was about half full with an equal mix of locals and tourists. A reminder of how expensively close we were to Piazza San Marco, our delicious dinner set us back about $70, even though we chose this restaurant over several more pricey places. We made a mental note to eat future meals farther inland, where snack bars offered tasty cichetti (finger foods) or panini (sandwiches) for $3 to $4 per item.

The next morning we awoke to gray, damp skies and headed downstairs for breakfast. The ground-floor dining room had a dozen cheery tables set with clean white linen. We sat down to an enthusiastic “Buon giorno!” from our proprietress, Signora Annabella Doni, and enjoyed hot coffee and the ubiquitous basket of rolls, butter and jam. Only one other table was occupied. This was not the Venice of August 12 years ago.

Around 10 a.m., a wailing siren outside pierced the morning gloom. “Acqua alta! Acqua alta!” we heard from the staff outside the breakfast room. The acqua alta (high water) would be flooding Venice in about an hour. Caused by a combination of high tides, rain and wind, this uniquely Venetian affliction occurs 30 or more times a year, mostly between November and March.

Perceived as more nuisance than threat by most Venetians, the acqua alta first appears as water flowing over the banks of the Grand Canal and nearby side canals. In Piazza San Marco lagoon waters percolate up through manholes, blending with invading waters from adjacent canals. Merchants slide pre-cut panels into their doorways to keep most of the water out, and shop floors are easy-to-clean marble and tile. At the Albergo Doni, with an air of minor annoyance, the hotel staff simply moved the entryway carpet upstairs and strategically positioned mops and buckets nearby.

By the end of breakfast, water from the small canal outside was lapping against the pensione door. Gathering our jackets for a day of wet wandering, we left the pensione and waded through 4 inches of water. We wanted to get to Piazza San Marco but found each pathway blocked by increasingly deeper water. Finally we came upon a courtyard doorway that led to the back entrance of the Basilica San Marco.

Emerging from a dark passageway, we were humbled by the beauty within: gilded mosaics on the walls and ceiling, culminating in the spectacular 13th century Dome of the Ascension; the complex architecture segmenting the church interior into a striking array of arches; and the floor with its marble and glass patterns spread forth like a fine Turkish carpet. We strolled quietly among the basilica’s Byzantine treasures.

We finished our tour and reached the Piazza San Marco, already under 2 feet of water. Six-foot-wide plywood walkways had been placed to connect the basilica to the nearby Campanile and shops. Joining the umbrella-toting crowd tentatively making its way across the planks, we crossed to the Campanile. For $4 each, we and a dozen other tourists rode an elevator up to the belfry and looked out over Venice.

From 300 feet up, alleys and canals were indistinguishable as the gray-green water seeped in. Built on more than 100 low-lying islands in the middle of a swampy lagoon, Venice appeared to be reverting to its origins. And while acqua alta has afflicted the city countless times, it is still disturbing to watch. It reinforces how fragile this Italian treasure truly is.

Gusts of wind-swept rain whipped through the top of the Campanile and drove us back down to the caterpillar line of tourists meandering the flooded piazza, now 3 feet deep. We couldn’t tell how high the water would rise, so we too circled the piazza’s perimeter. By now it was early afternoon, lunch was calling and we took another walkway toward the Doges’ Palace. But instead of taking the planks to the palace, we nimbly made our way onto a 4-foot-wide plank pathway leading to the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop ticket office.

Emily recalled that the train station restaurant offered excellent meals at very good prices, and we figured the train station had to be dry. So we bought two vaporetto tickets and motored up the now even grander canal toward the Santa Lucia train station.

And what a lunch we had: roasted chicken and goulash, green beans in olive oil and fresh rolls with butter, all for less than $15. We stayed for two hours, long enough to dry our shoes and write postcards. By then the tide had peaked and the lagoon was receding. We put away the map and enjoyed Venice’s labyrinth of alleyways and footbridges back to our pensione and a hopefully drier Piazza San Marco. Past the souvenir shops and hotels adjacent to the train station, we made our way to the other side of the Rialto Bridge and returned to the piazza.

After stopping by our room for a change of clothes, we headed back to stroll Piazza San Marco properly--without waders or fins. This was the Venice we had seen in our mind’s eye when we decided to return, with the lights of the piazza dancing on the damp bricks at our feet. The night was cool, our breath floating away on gentle gusts of salty wind, and we roamed the drizzly alleys hand in hand.

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GUIDEBOOK

Lagoon Logistics

Getting there: There is no nonstop service L.A.-Venice. Fly on Alitalia (connecting in Milan), Air France (Paris) and KLM (Amsterdam); round-trip fares start at about $620. Several trains a day depart from Milan for Venice’s Santa Lucia train station; roughly $40 each way.

When to go: Average daily winter temperature is mid-40s. The adjacent Adriatic Sea generally keeps temperatures above freezing, so snow is rare. November to March is the period of heaviest flooding in low-lying areas.

Where to stay: Venice is one of Europe’s most expensive cities; even budget lodging is nearly $100 a night. Generally, the closer you stay to the Piazza San Marco or the Grand Canal, the more expensive.

Our pensione, Albergo Doni, San Zaccaria 4656 (Calle del Vin), is just east of Piazza San Marco; telephone/fax 011-39-41-522-4267. It has 12 clean, quiet rooms. Rates: about $85 per night for a double with bath including breakfast.

Other generally recommended lodgings in the city: Alloggi ai do Mori, San Marco 658 (Calle Larga San Marco); tel. 011-39-41-520-4817, fax 011-39-41-520-5328. Near Piazza San Marco; some rooms have excellent views. Rates: about $85 double with bath.

For a few more lire, try the Pensione Accademia, Dorsoduro 1058 (Fondamenta Bollani), a 17th century villa off the Grand Canal; tel. 011-39-523-7846, fax 011-39-41-523-9152. About $140 per night, double, with breakfast.

For more information: Italian Government Tourist Board, 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Los Angeles, CA 90025; tel. (310) 820-0098, fax (310) 820-6357.