About Venice Slowly

My name is James Hartley, and I'm an architectural photographer based in Edinburgh. I first came to Venice in the autumn of 2009, on an assignment to photograph the restoration work at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. I was supposed to stay four days. I stayed eleven.

Since then I've been back more than thirty times. Some trips last a week, some last two months. I have a favourite bacaro in Cannaregio where the bartender pours my spritz before I sit down. I know which vaporetto stop has the best sunset view and which sotoportego to duck through when it rains. I still get lost in Castello, and I've stopped pretending that bothers me.

Why This Journal Exists

I started writing about Venice because most of what I read about the city online felt like it was written by someone who'd spent a long weekend there and an afternoon with a keyword research tool. The guides were competent but generic — "Top 10 Things to Do in Venice" articles that list the Rialto Bridge at number three and tell you to "get lost in the alleyways" at number seven.

I wanted to write the kind of guide I'd have wanted before my first trip. One that tells you which vaporetto line to take, yes, but also what the light looks like on the Grand Canal at six in the morning. One that mentions the tourist traps, but also explains why some of them are still worth visiting despite everything.

What I Write About

Everything here comes from personal experience. If I recommend a restaurant, I've eaten there — usually more than once. If I say a particular route through the city is worth walking, I've walked it in different seasons and different weather. Specifically:

• Getting there and around — airports, vaporetti, traghetti, water taxis, and the art of walking in a city where GPS is mostly decorative
• Neighborhoods — because staying in San Marco versus Dorsoduro versus Cannaregio will give you three completely different versions of Venice
• Food and drink — cicchetti, seafood, bacari, and the alarming speed at which Aperol Spritz consumption becomes a daily habit here
• Art and history — the churches, galleries, and palazzi that make this city impossible to photograph badly
• Practical things — costs, timing, tickets, and the kind of information that saves you standing in the wrong queue for forty minutes

A Note on Honesty

I love Venice in a way that occasionally embarrasses me. But love doesn't mean ignoring flaws. Venice is expensive, overcrowded in summer, slowly sinking, and can be genuinely frustrating when you're trying to find a pharmacy at 9pm on a Sunday. I write about all of it.

This site contains occasional links to services I genuinely use when travelling. I'm not affiliated with any hotel, airline, or tourism board. My recommendations are my own.

If you're planning a trip and have questions, I'm always happy to help.

— James