City Life in Venice

As the most tourist-oriented city in Italy, and perhaps the world, Venice is home to hundreds of restaurants, hotels, and other amenities. What many visitors tend to fail to realize, though, is that Venice is actually a city of about 270,000 inhabitants. And like any mid-sized city, Venice must have certain elements that one would not usually associate with the city of canals.

City workers pulling mud out of the floor of a sinking Venice street. 

Since Venice is typically overrun with tourists on just about every day from March to October, these pieces of infrastructure are hard to come across during the peak season. But the last time I visited Venice was last week, in mid-February, which considering that this year’s Carnival is late, was probably the lowest tourist season of the year.

We actually got great weather, and a really good look at Venice as a city where people live. For example, would a tourist think that Venice has a university? It’s like asking if Disneyland has a university. Venice has two.

It was quite humorous to see how the postal workers move around with their pull carts that they have to carry over every one of Venice’s 378 bridges. Also, visiting the Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice, I even witnessed the garbage boat at work.

A garbageman and postal workers cross paths in Venice.

A garbage boat at work.

Every city needs its electricians.

The simple task of moving some dirt a few meters gets complicated by a bridge. 

Late in the evening that day, I even walked into a piazza that had children playing basketball, old ladies walking their dogs, businessmen having coffee, and some stores that prove the existence of a resident community such as supermarkets and even a veterinarian’s office, which was a nice change from the overwhelming abundance of t-shirt shops and Carnival mask studios. 

You know for a fact that you are in a true Italian city when, at about 1 P.M., throngs of schoolchildren with their backpacks disperse throughout.

Some evening basketball in Dorsoduro.

Did anybody say veggie boat?