Venice

"One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world is located right there, in an uncrowded alley near Piazza San Marco and overlooking one of the many canals that characterize the city. It is called “Acqua Alta” ["high water] and it is an amazing and unusual place for its history, its owner, its shape and its contents. The bookshop was born in 2004 from an idea of ​​Luigi Frizzo, from Vicenza by origin but Venetian by adoption, who with his creativity and genius, perhaps the result of a life spent traveling the world, manages to tell Venice in a very unique and authentic way. The city could in fact be said to be enclosed in this microcosm made up of books, strange furnishings, cats and obviously high water. You understood perfectly well. To protect the many volumes from the water that gradually enters the shop, there are no shelves or shelves, but gondolas, canoes, boats and tubs. There is not even a digital catalog to find the desired book more easily, but you can still entrust yourself to the very kind Luigi who probably knows the location of many works by heart. In addition to being an eclectic Casanova bookseller, Mr. Frizzo is in fact a valuable guide for those who venture into his shop. He is always willing to respond to the curiosities that one has to ask and, with a beautiful smile and a little pride, he points out to tourists and customers what he defines the gems of the library: a staircase of books, the emergency exit, and the gondola. The book staircase is actually an original device to allow customers to enjoy the view over the Venetian canals and the building where Hugo Pratt set one of Corto Maltese's stories. But as Luigi reveals in an interview, what is striking is the staircase itself rather than the panorama. I assure you that you will be amazed. Don't worry though, because no book was mistreated to make it happen. It is only creative recycling as it is made up of ruined books destined for waste. Even the emergency exit is to praise: a window overlooking the canals with chairs and a sofa to be able to observe the spectacle of the rising tide or greet the gondolas that pass. To orient yourself among the tall rows of books, you will have only simple handwritten signs. The titles available are really many. Lots of used, ancient and definitely unobtainable volumes that delight pretentious readers, but also best-sellers and rather original versions such as the “Little Prince” in Venetian dialect. With a little patience and a bit of luck you could come out with the book you have been looking for for some time. And if you don't find anything interesting, don't worry because you have always visited one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. You may be wondering how such a bookstore, totally foreign to the logic of the publishing market, can survive. Perhaps you will get lost in the foreign literature section, you will walk around looking around believing you are inside a labyrinth of books, or you will take burst photographs so as not to miss even a corner of this absolute rarity. In any case, this will be a Venice that you will hardly forget, especially if you love books like us. The “Acqua Alta” bookshop is located in Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa (as a reference also Sestiere Castello 5176 / B) and is open every day from 9am to 7pm. To find out more, consult their Facebook page, linked below." - from spiccandoilvolo.com

In my opinion this is one of Venice's best-kept secrets: want a quick "gondola experience" without investing up to 100€? Then take a "gondola traghetto" - a gondola "ferry". This is a popular public transportation method amongst locals. With just 2€ you can climb into a very simple, flat, wide gondola to cross the canal from one side to the other in what feels like seconds (and probably is). Venice has 5 "gondola traghetto" stops: Dogana - Santa Maria del Giglio - San Tomà - Riva del Vin , Riva del Carbon - Santa Sofia. Get an idea of what it looks like in the video linked below.

The young Venetians of Venice on Board offer hour-long hands-on tours of the Cannaregio neighborhood during which you'll learn how to row in the traditional Venetian style: an alternative way to enjoy an off-the-beaten path part of the city as seen from its water, and to learn a new skill - or at least try to, as in the case of uncoordinated people like myself. They also offer more serious rowing courses, so it's especially great if you're planning on staying in Venice for a long time, and they refurbish falling-apart and abandoned boats and assist people in purchasing boats in the hopes that Venice's canals will be repopulated by small, private boats, as was in the past. Check out the video down below for a sneek-peek into the experience.