 Durant
& Cheryl
Imboden'sVenice for Visitors veniceforvisitors.com |
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Canali, Campi, and Calli(Canals, Squares, and Streets) From: Venice's Top 11 Free Sights
ABOVE: The Calle Seco Marina in Sant'Elena.
Tip: Take a good Venice street map with you when you go exploring. It's easy to get lost and wander around in circles (though you can't go too far afield, since you'll hit water eventually). Related article: Fisheye Venice: Campi and Canals Next page: Churches
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To
experience the "real Venice" (and no, it isn't completely gone), head into the
side streets away from the major thoroughfares like the Strada Nova and the big
squares such as the Piazza San Marco. 
You'll
find an endless succession of pedestrian streets, canals, bridges, campi,
and surprises--such as the squero, or gondola workshop, near the San
Trovaso Church and the Moorish sculptures on the Campo dei Mori in Cannaregio,
which are just a few doors away from an apartment building that once housed
Tintoretto's workshop.
Just
as important, you'll see how Venice's citizens live. Today, only about 60,000
people reside in the historic center (compared to an estimated 180,000 in the
heyday of the Venetian Republic), but they still hang out in neighborhood bars,
buy produce from local vendors, and hang their laundry from clotheslines above
the street. If you're lucky, you'll encounter a friendly dog or cat, as Cheryl
did in the inset photo above.