Venice gets a bad rep for being touristy. Crowded squares. Cruise ships. Influencers.
It's all true. And it's still worth every minute.
St. Mark's is packed because it's one of the most extraordinary buildings in Europe.
The gondola is iconic because the man rowing learned the craft from his father, who learned from his, going back four hundred years.
Rialto Bridge is shoulder-to-shoulder because standing on it at sunset really is that good.
Here’s what I tell my friends who are planning a trip: Don't fight the touristy stuff. Do it properly, then walk away from it.
Because the Venice you'll fall in love with isn't on the main streets. It's the passage behind a church that opens onto a dock with no name. It's the bakery three turns off the main route where the same woman has been pulling trays out of the oven since 1978.
The trick is knowing when to join the crowd and when to slip away.
That's what a good guide does for you.
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