Spending New Year's Eve in Venice

Three initials say a lot - O.M.G. What an experience spending New Year's Eve in Piazza San Marco.  We didn't spend the whole evening there but did the countdown to the new year and watched the fireworks.  Here's some things you need to know.  

1. BOOK A RESTAURANT.  Just about every restaurant will be fully booked (with some doing multiple sittings).  We chose one of our favourites - Taverna San Lio between San Marco and Rialto and watched dozens of people come in for dinner only to be told they were fully booked.  Restaurants generally put up their NYE menu a week in advance - most are set menus for 90-100 euros so you need to be prepared for the price hike!  
2. ALLOW TIME TO GET TO PIAZZA SAN MARCO.  The crowds start increasing around 11pm as everyone makes their way from their restaurant to the Piazza.  The crowds at this point are reasonably well behaved but it's packed, it takes time, and you have to be patient.  We left our restaurant around 11.15pm - normally it would take 5 minutes to be in the square.  We got there 11.45pm.  
3. BE AWARE FOR THE NYE DRUNKS!  Yes people are already sloshed before the new year commences.  We saw an awful lot of young people (funny saying that considering I'm still in my early 40s) already behaving badly, tantrums, crying, sobbing even!  You don't have room to move in the square comfortably so find the mood of the crowd that suits you. 
4. BE AWARE OF BROKEN GLASS and CIGARETTES.  There's an awful lot of bottles littered about during the evening, many of them smashed.  Keep your balance and be aware of your surroundings.  You could really hurt yourself.
5. THE FIREWORKS AREN'T AT MIDNIGHT.  This year they advised on posters they were at 12.15.  The crowd will surge from the Piazza to in front of the Basilica, the Palazzo Ducale, and out on the water.  Be prepared because that's where the fireworks will go off - in San Marco basin there at the front. 
6. THE FIREWORKS ARE GOOD BUT NOT MIND-BLOWING.  If you're from Sydney (like we are) we are spoilt with our fireworks.  Incredibly.  Off buildings, off barges in the harbour, off the Bridge of course, but not in Venice.  Don't be disappointed.  Just enjoy.  It's pretty special being in the Piazza and experiencing NY there.  
7. BE PREPARED FOR SOME SCARY CROWD MOMENTS.  When it's over, it gets frightening.  The crowd surges, like a football crowd.  Let's just say you can see how people are trampled to death.  We would encourage NOT to take small children, prams, animals etc into the vicinity, or if you do, sit it out somewhere away from the movement and let the crowd disperse.  We saw some horrendous things last night with families trying to protect young children and people practically falling into prams.  The paramedics cannot get to you quickly.  You can't move.  It's hard to breathe.  And you are pushed about in ways you never thought imaginable.  If we'd known how scary it would be, we would have planned better - but once you are caught in the crowd, you have to go with it. 
8. IF YOU ARE STAYING IN THE SAN MARCO AREA, BE PREPARED NOT TO SLEEP WELL!  Our apartment was less than a minute from the square.  We had drunks singing under our windows throughout the early hours. (We'll never again hear Meatloaf's I will do anything for love (but I won't do that) ever again without thinking of the drunk who sang it at the top of his voice while on the bridge below our apartment!!!)  We endured loads of cheering, loud conversations, whistles, smashing of bottles etc. for many hours.  The music in the piazza eventually died down, it was really just the crowds coming home that create the noise.

At the end of the day, enjoy the evening but be prepared for the behaviour of the crowd, particularly if travelling with small children, elderly, and animals.  In fact, I would seriously reconsider bringing babies and prams to the event unless you can sit tight for quite a while after the fireworks display has ended.  Play it safe, and have some fun, but be aware of the pitfalls and plan your evening accordingly....

Christmas time in Venice

Christmas Day in Venice

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have now passed, and we've had a lovely time here in Venice.  The weather has been glorious - sunny wintery days, crystal blue skies, most unexpected...Tour groups appear from time to time and every third person has a camera strung around their neck, but it's not busy and it's very easy to get around the laneways, bridges etc.

St Mark's, late afternoon, Christmas Day

As it's Christmas time, we asked people we know here in Venice about church services at St Mark's for Christmas Eve and searched the web as well.  We got very different information.  In the end we went straight to the Basilica's own website and they noted mass this year was at 11.30pm.  (Last year it was 10.30pm due to Acqua Alta so it pays to check times directly).  We left the apartment around 10.15pm and we're literally a 30 second walk to the church (!) - would you believe the queue to the side entrance was already near the main entrance?!  Needless to say we stood out there in zero degrees for about 45 minutes before the doors were opened.  We talked to a lovely couple, originally from Australia, now living in London and that managed to pass the time away.

By the time the side doors opened, the queue was well past the Palazzo Ducale!  Of course there will always be people who don't queue up and we noticed several people join us as we started to move.  Very rude but what can you do?  Likewise when we got our seat in the church.

When you visit Basilica di San Marco you cannot take photos inside the church.  Yet dozens and dozens of people took cameras and recorders into the church for the service.  To me it is one of the most extraordinary churches in the world.  Those byzantine mosaics are just glorious and it's an absolute wonder to behold, but if you are going to church, you don't take a camera yet flashes went off everywhere for quite some time.  I must say, I was surprised it wasn't "policed", there weren't any obvious signs reminding people not to take photos, nor were any announcements made over the loud speakers.  Of course, I ached for my own camera, but soaked up the mosaics all around me in a totally different way.

Just a note for those planning to attend a Christmas service at St Mark's - hundreds of people left their run to the church late and when they came in realised there was no seating - standing room only.  Again a few people here and there just barged in and tried to take prime viewing spots, blocking the view of those that had patiently queued.  We were lucky - we had good seats.  They were cold but it wasn't nearly as cold in the church as I had expected (then again, I was wearing a number of layers of clothing!).

There were booklets on everyone's seats, translated into 4 languages - French, English, German, Italian.  You could follow it but about 80 minutes into the service, no one could find where we were up to and as it was all in Italian by this stage, you were kind of lost if you spoke English.  We ended up leaving at 1pm but it was an amazing experience.  The choir, the chants, the spectacle, the history, it was quite something to be a part of.   Just remember, if you want to go to St Mark's for Christmas, QUEUE early!

Ristorante Cantinone Storico

For Christmas lunch we went to Ristorante Cantinone Storico over the Accademia Bridge in Dorsoduro.  We had booked prior to coming to Venice.  It was a set menu for 70 euros - six courses, wine, water, coffee etc - and wonderful hospitality.  The owner there made sure we were very comfortable and told us everyone else in the restaurant was Venetian - so we were among locals on Christmas Day.  We spent three hours there, enjoying the meal and the day, and strolled back to the apartment as the sun was setting across the lagoon.  Just beautiful.

One thing to note about Christmas Day in Venice - church bells go ALL DAY!  We're so close to the Basilica, so we're hearing them loud and clear.  Mind you, we do love hearing the church bells ring out through this wonderful city, but let's hope they ring out less often in the days ahead!

Speaking of which, for Boxing Day we'll try and head off to Frari for a 4pm concert.  Just another glorious thing to do around this time of the year in Venezia.