scubish.com: Scuba diving Venice - Florida - USA

Understand

History
The Most Serene Republic of Venice dates back to 827, when a Byzantine dukedom moved its seat to what is now known as the Rialto, and for the following 970 years prospered on trade and under the rule of a Roman-style Senate headed by the Doge. Alas, in 1797 the city was conquered by Napoleon, a blow from which the city never recovered. The city was soon merged into Austria-Hungary, then ping-ponged back and forth between Austria and a nascent Italy, but the glory days of Venice are long gone.

Climate
The summer may be the worst time to visit: it's sometimes very hot, the canals sometimes stink (in the most literal sense), there are occasional infestations of flies, and there are more tourists than usual. Spring and fall are probably best, a compromise between temperature (expect 5-15°C in March) and the tourist load. That said, if you've never been to Venice, it's better to go in summer than not to go. You won't regret it. Many cities are far worse in summer -- Venice has no cars, hence no smog.

Acqua alta (high water) has become a fact of life in Venice. The lagoon water level occasionally rises above the level of the plazas and streets, flooding them. This will happen several times a year, usually in the colder months. Acqua alta usually lasts a couple of hours. You'll see raised walkways in side alleys ready to be pulled out when acqua alta hits. When the city begins to flood, sirens will sound warning residents and businesses. If you speak fluent Italiano, tune into news programs since their predictions of the times the flood begins and ends are usually on the spot.

You can get an acqua alta map at the tourist offices either at the railway station or St Marks. This will show you the approved dry routes during the various flood alerts. There is also a tide measuring station at the Rialto vaporetto piers.

Eat

Venice is packed with wonderful restaurants, featuring cuisine of the Veneto. Specialties include polenta, made of corn meal; risotto with cuttlefish ink sauce. Diners should however be aware that for every genuinely wonderful restaurant or trattoria, there's another serving rubbish food at inflated prices, especially in the most touristed streets around San Marco. Rule of thumb: if there's a waiter outside pimping for business, it's probably best avoided.

One of Venice's trademark foods is cuttlefish and its ink. This intense black ink serves as a sauce and ingredient for polenta (corn meal), risotto (rice), and pasta. These dishes are normally indicated by the Italian words "nella seppia" (in cuttlefish), "alla seppia" (in the style of cuttlefish), or "nero di seppia," (black of the cuttlefish). For example Polenta Nella Seppia is fried corn meal with the black ink of a cuttle fish. Despite the intensity in color, the ink has a surprisingly mild taste.

Be careful when the prices are in a weight basis (typically 100 g). One dish can easily contain 400 g of fish, meat,......