Somewhere In Time is a weekly travel photo from around the world. Enjoy!
The next time I go to Venice I plan on being a vampire and sleeping my days away so I can wander the streets at night. I fell head over heels with Venice during the first evening I spent walking her streets – that was all it took. Of course Venice is beautiful day or night but the daylight hours bring hoards of people cramming the streets, stifling heat, sour moods & plenty of bad restaurants to dine at.
But at night, everything changes. The tourists tuck into their beds early, ready to make the most of the next day. The lousy restaurants seem to shut down and the night air is just cool enough to make you completely forget about the weather and any sort of foul mood you felt when you were lost, hot & hungry just a few hours earlier.
Venice during the day is attractive and intriguing but Venice at night is sultry, seductive and utterly irresistible.
One night we ended up staying out quite late walking the streets. We hadn’t necessarily planned on it but we fell more and more in love with each step. We just kept wandering down this alley or that, wondering what was over the next bridge until we were so hopelessly enamored that we didn’t even notice we were completely lost. It took hours to find our way back.
Every turn brought some sort of new sensory overload. In one square we ran into a group of young kids playing soccer around 12am. A different square brought the laughter and murmured voices of friends & family chatting over dinner and wine – their smiles contagious. A stroll down another alley brought the auditory sensation of a restaurant cleaning dishes, putting away chairs and clanging utensils. It seemed that I heard them cleaning for miles before I even could spot the place. And in between it all was the calming sound of water lapping through the canals and the buzz of distant boats headed home. Put it all together and you cannot image a better soundtrack for walking the charming streets of Venice.
Then there is the laundry. Hanging between buildings that are hundreds of years old, hangs the laundry of the modern family – socks, dresses, pants, underwear, bras & children’s clothing. It barely sways in the non-existent breeze and it fills the space in a way that makes you realize without it Venice would seem incomplete. It would feel like something was missing but you would never be able to put your finger on exactly what it was.
Besides experiencing the best cappuccino of my life, Venice will always be remembered in my mind as the land of the late night laundry. This sounds strange but I want to go back to Venice just so I can spend more time there at night taking photos of the hanging laundry. Even thought I did take a lot photos in Venice, looking back I was so in love with the city that it felt like I was walking around in a bit of a haze.
Walking in Venice at night is a bit like being drunk and in love – in a good way.
I think everyone knows what I am talking about – the world is so perfect & beautiful right at that moment that when you look back on it later you can’t exactly remember it clearly. It was so good you ended up in a daze with little use for words. Yup, that’s Venice in a nutshell – at least during the late night evening hours.
Just remember when you visit plan on wandering around at after dark. Venice is a completely different town when the sun goes down.
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34 comments
Love all your Italy photo posts, but alas I may have to skip Venice unless I can find a way to swing it on a backpackers budget.
Yeah, we splurged a bit in Venice – prior to that we had camped 2 weeks straight in Iceland and Paris and we wanted a break. But I do know that Venice has campgrounds on the surrounding islands. They actually look really cool and had we not decided to splurge that is where we would’ve stayed. You might be able to rent a tent – not sure. Venice is amazing though. Maybe you could find a cheap hostel? @ayngelina,
Your photos are simply amazing. Just found your site today and am really enjoying taking a look around. Very inspiring!
Thank you so much Matt! I’m so glad you like the photos and our site. 🙂 @Matt,
Eww I don’t camp but I do couchsurf maybe I should check that out 🙂
Yeah couchsurfing could be a perfect fit!
@Ayngelina,
I just love everything about this post… Need to go!
Thank you Greg! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂 @Greg,
Those photos are so poetic and suggestive.
Thank you. I’m glad you like the photo. @Italian Notes,
Gorgeous pictures – Venice is gorgeous at any time of day but I agree that there is just something about it at night that takes on an entirely different quality than anywhere else I have ever been in my travels. I would highly recommend it to anyone – and to Ayngelina up there, I would definitely check out camping or hostel options because you just *have* to see it!
Thank you! I agree Venice is gorgeous all the time but at night it’s on a totally different level. @Tours Of The Vatican,
I love the green ring on the perimeter of the lights & are those clothes hanging up above?
Thanks Samuel! Yes, that is laundry hanging above. 🙂@Nomadic Samuel,
I’d love to give Venice at night a chance! I have been to Venice 3 or 4 times and although I have learned to love different things about it, it still doesn’t stand out to me. I know it’s a very photogenic city and I give it credit for that but I imagine at night it’s a completely different place, and I’ve never stayed over!
One of my favorite things about Europe was the laundry hanging everywhere, it gave the streets so much character! I never could get a perfect picture though, I love this shot!
@Thank you Annie – I’m glad you like it. I highly recommend giving Venice a night to redeem itself. Truth be told I didn’t fall in love with it until after dark. During the day it was hot, crowded and border line annoying. At night it was charming & beyond my imagination – it was perfect. Annie,
Love this photo. Where are the cats?
thanks Charu – I don’t remember seeing a lot of cats in Venice. I do remember seeing a lot of dogs, but not many cats. @Charu,
Beautiful photo 🙂
Thank you. 🙂 @Muza-chan,
Terrific photo! I was in Venice last year and I loved wandering around at night. I agree, it is such a different place once most of the tourists disappear.
Thanks Michael! I def. want to go back and spend more time there at night. 🙂 @Michael Figueiredo,
Wow, I miss Venice. I was limited to just two days, and regret never having seen it after sundown – but I’m making it a point to retrace my steps one day for the “sultry, seductive” side I couldn’t find on a high school tour.
And that photo reminds me SO MUCH of one I snapped in early April, when midnight found me lost in the maze of old Stockholm: http://tumblr.com/xnf22u51lk. The similarity is uncanny!
It does look similar! I was only in Venice for 3 days myself and I’m definitely dreaming of going back. 🙂 @Lindsey,
Great idea exploring the city after everyone else has gone to bed. Lovely shot.
Thanks Leigh 🙂 @Leigh,
Loved this write up of Venice. We really enjoyed just wandering the side streets, seeking life as it happened.
I agree, it’s such an easy place to just wander around and watching everything going on around you. It’s so relaxing at night. @jim,
That is a beautiful shot. And your words make me long to return to “the land of the late night laundry.” I really enjoyed this post and will be stopping by more often!
Beautiful photo. For a whole year, I walked Venice at 11 PM every night. It’s the only way to connect with her.
Thanks Barry 🙂 You are so lucky! I would love to live there for a year and walk the streets every night. Great last name BTW. 🙂 @Barry Frangipane,
I love love love Italy! I also feel drunk and in love whenever I am there.
Really nice photo. 🙂
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