Home » Italy » Central Italy: Venice to Naples, including Italy Survival Guide

Statistics:<br>
Tour date: July 1996.<br>
Total distance: 1300 km.<br>
Total altitude gain: 9 km.

Central Italy: Venice to Naples, including Italy Survival Guide

Thomas Driemeyer
2005-10-16 14:06:47

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VENEZIA (VENICE)

Our tour started at the Venezia airport. Naturally the first destination was Venice downtown. It is somewhat hard to find the two-kilometer bridge that connects old Venice with Mestre, we had to use some very congested freeway-like bridges and roads. In Venice, no bicycles or cars are allowed (or practical), the road ends at Piazzale Roma. To park the bicycles, make a U-turn when reaching the piazza and ride down a steep driveway just before the first of the two small bridges, right across from the parking garage building. Then walk back to the piazza and take the vaporetto (shuttle boat) #82 north (south is much more scenic but requires switching boats at San Marco) until the Zitelle station, which is one block south of a very pleasant youth hostel. Use 24-hour tickets. The picture (1) shows - what else - the Canal Grande, seen from the Rialto bridge. The two big boats are vaporetti; a few gondolas can be seen on the right.

We stayed in Venice for two full days. There is much to see. The long S-shaped Canal Grande, which begins at San Marco (with the ducal palace) and the famous Campanile (bell tower) you'll see on every other postcard) and ends at Piazzale Roma. You can tour it with vaporetto #1 or #82. During the past 1000 years, the most magnificient palazzi have been built here. It is useful to have a guide to explain the history and interior of each palace.

RAVENNA AND RIMINI

We left Venezia the same way we entered it, and continued south along the Adriatic coast, mostly along busy four-lane highways because there is no good alternative for most of the way. We passed Chióggia , but it was noon and consequently everything was closed. We couldn't get so much as water, the town was completely dead. A waste of time.

We continued on to Ravenna. A rather long ride in the afternoon heat, about 180 km, but there was no alternative. ...