Venice

Law Enforcement

Police in central Venice seemed less tolerant than the ones on the Lido. The island felt like a different place, even though it was just across the water.

Where to Buy Marijuana

When I went looking for smoke in Venice, my best luck was on the Lido, the city’s beach. It had more of a laid-back, smoke-a-joint atmosphere. The vaporetto ride took less than ten minutes and the main drag by the beach ran the length of the island.

Marijuana Prices

€40 for roughly half an ounce of black Moroccan hash. Blonde hash and skunk were around too, but locals seemed to go for the black Moroccan.

More Information

Canals, gondolas, seafood and the masked glamour of Carnival make Venice visually stunning and hard on the pocketbook. Public drinking and drunkenness seemed to draw little attention, especially at February Carnival, while conservative locals frowned on a joint or hash pipe. “Shit is expensive and you get crap,” said Axd. “But people don’t care what you drink, how much of it you drink, when you drink it, or where you drink it.”

People warned that getting caught could get a visitor expelled even if jail was unlikely, and speculated about prison beyond an ounce or the loss of a passport, citing the Italian Ministry of Health. Attitudes toward Maria, as marijuana was called, seemed to vary across Italy, with Rome thought more tolerant. The newer Marijuana Laws section explains the distinction between small personal amounts and other offenses. The ounce figure was never a guarantee.

James Bond and Indiana Jones both passed through Venice, but nothing quite prepares you for all those tiny islands, saltwater canals and bridges, with one main road link to the mainland. Piazza San Marco is the heart of it. Ben W. from Texas remembered the basilica and bell tower, four-storey arched buildings, small string orchestras on either side and white lights across the square. “Absolutely amazing.”

If you’re brave, the pigeons were there too, and women with carts sold birdseed. Feed them and they envelop you “faster than a pack of lawyers at the scene of a slip-and-fall accident,” said James K.

Seeing Venice from the water

The flat-bottomed vaporetti are Venice’s trams and buses. From the deck you can make sense of the twisting canals, including the Grand Canal, for far less than a gondola ride. It’s less romantic than a traditional black gondola, though.

“We were cheesy American tourists and took a gondola ride,” said Michele, a Dartmouth student traveling with five friends. “It was sunset, so it was beautiful and very peaceful.”

Once you have your bearings, walk. Hand-painted signs point to San Marco, though some jokers had added misleading ones. Pick up a map from a tourist stand if you ever want to find your hotel again.

Masks, markets and dinner

At the Rialto Bridge, mask makers, fruit stalls, Venetian glass, knock-off handbags and a fine view all compete for attention. Look for an artist’s signature on glass and check that papier-mâché isn’t really plastic under plaster. The stalls felt more reliable than the cheap ones around San Marco. Handmade leather Carnival masks were beautiful and fantastically expensive.

Wander into the little nooks for restaurants, wine shops and crafts. Ben W. liked the freedom to drink by the canal and remembered buying a 32-ounce Heineken and two bottles of wine apiece with a friend. He took that to mean Europe had no open-container rules, a broad assumption from one trip.

End up by the Grand Canal for seafood under soft lights, with outdoor tables and scampi, squid risotto or stuffed crab. Betty from Michigan had a table by the water. Ed ordered the mixed grill with lobster, shellfish and white fish. He said it was the best seafood he’d had.