Free shade in Venice
The city is stone and water with almost nowhere free to sit — this is the exception.
trolvag — CC BY-SA 3.0 · This Photo was taken by Wolfgang Moroder. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author and send me a message. This image is not in the public domain. Please respect the copyright pr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · dconvertini — CC BY-SA 2.0 · dconvertini — CC BY-SA 2.0
A small garden between St Mark's Square and the waterfront in Venice, among the few green spaces in the centre of the city. It was created in the early nineteenth century under Napoleonic rule on ground that had held the Venetian Republic's granaries, then neglected for decades before being restored and reopened in 2019. Its practical value is considerable to anyone who has been to Venice: the whole city is stone and water, shade is rare, and free places to sit are almost non-existent — every café on St Mark's Square costs a great deal. This garden is steps from the square, has trees and benches, and costs nothing. It also holds a restored historic glasshouse working as a café, and a pergola walk. It is small and needs no more than twenty minutes, but it is among the smartest stops in Venice: you sit in shade for free in the middle of Europe's most visitor-crowded city. Free and open during daytime hours.
The city is stone and water with almost nowhere free to sit — this is the exception.
It was the Venetian Republic's grain stores before the Napoleonic period.
After decades of neglect, its glasshouse and pergola restored.
Between St Mark's Square and the waterfront
Sitting is the biggest trap: the cafés on St Mark's Square charge a high service fee and doubled prices. Drink standing at the bar as Italians do — the price differs sharply. And eat at a bacaro — small bars serving cicchetti, cheap small bites — away from the main squares.
The Biennale gardens at the eastern end are the largest, the Papadopoli garden is near the railway station, and Sant'Elena island is quiet. All are far from St Mark's, and this garden is the only one genuinely close to it.
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