Venice - Italy - page 270

you'll come upon Castello's hushed, tree-shaded public parks and gardens, undis-
covered by the visiting masses. Castello is also where Venice's world-renowned
maritime dockyard, the Arsenale, is situated. To the extreme east are the islands
of Sant'Elena and San Pietro.
To the north of Castello is Cannaregio, another residential neighborhood that
stretches eastward toward the train station. This is a wonderfully varied part of
Venice, with busy markets and forgotten corners; it's also home to the world's first
Jewish ghetto. From the Fondamente Nuove promenade along Cannaregio's
northern shore, you can see the cemetery island of San Michele. San Polo is
linked to San Marco by the famous Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), named for the
islands (Riva Altus) upon which Venice was originally settled. San Polo is the
densest part of Venice, home to some of its narrowest streets and alleys, and of
course the ancient Rialto markets that still are abuzz today. Bordering Santa
Croce and San Polo, and across the lovely Ponte dell'Accademia (Accademia
Bridge) from San Marco, is Dorsoduro, an area defined by its lively student cul-
ture, and a predominance of art galleries. Dorsoduro's southern border is lined by
another popular promenade, the Fondamenta Zattere, where you can enjoy views
across the Giudecca Canal toward the island of Giudecca.
Giudecca was once a refuge for victims of the plague; today it's a refuge for
locals wanting to escape the endless stream of tourists in Venice proper; it's also
where people like Elton John and Madonna have their little piece of Venice. The
island at the eastern tip of Giudecca is San Giorgio Maggiore.
Elsewhere in the lagoon are a number of smaller islands, most with tiny fish-
ing populations. The most popular of these are Murano, famous for its glassware;
Burano, famous for its lace; and Torcello, increasingly famous for its almost total
loss of population (down to less than 100).
Sheltering Venice and the lagoon from the Adriatic, is a long, narrow strip of
land known as the Lido, one of the world's most famous beach resorts, which
began attracting well-to-do Europeans during the 19th century; today it's also
home to one of the great international film festivals, and a good place to escape
crowded Venice on a bicycle.
GETTING TO & FROM THE AIRPORT
The cheapest way to get from Marco Polo Airport to Venice is by bus (as little as
€

2 on the no. 5, which stops outside the arrivals door and takes you all the way
to Venice's Piazzale Roma), but this will rob you of one of the biggest thrills for
the first-time visitor—coming upon Venice by water. For 10, you can catch the

half-hourly water shuttle from the airport (there is a free bus that will take you
from the airport building to the departure point) to one of several important
vaporetto (water-bus) stops around Venice. The transfer between the airport and
the city is operated by Alilaguna (San Marco 4267/A; % 041-5235775; www.
alilaguna.it).
GETTING AROUND
If, like me, you have a penchant for getting lost, you're best off navigating by
prominent landmarks, such as a bridge, a palace (palazzo), or one of the many
public squares, known as campi. The latter are meeting points for locals because

€