Venice in Winter | Leica Q3

Prologue

Venice is probably one of the most photographed cities in the world. It doesn’t help to say that everything has already been photographed, just not by everyone… somehow it’s still strange to take pictures there.

So, I wanted to focus mainly on Venice in winter – if that’s possible and if it’s really different from the rest of the year. At least that was the plan. At the end of this post, I will tell you more about how it all worked out.

Spoiler: No, Venice in winter is neither as bleak and dark nor – unfortunately – as deserted as the cover might suggest. But the picture matched the title and the weather of the first day… 😉

The Why

Like many other people, time seems to be passing faster and faster for me – just as the world seems to be turning faster and faster. This was once again the case this year. A few weeks ago, I therefore spontaneously decided to treat myself to a good week away from this speeding up and the hamster wheel. So, I decided to travel to Venice.

Alone. Mainly to photograph. Now in winter.

In a world like that, with a feeling like that in my stomach, there is hardly anything more liberating for me than to go on a solo trip. My partner knows this and she practically pushed me to do it. Thank you for that again!

I’m a very quick-witted person when it comes to things like this. So, I had booked all the train journeys from Bonn to Venice and back – as well as a very nice little hotel in the centre on the island of Cannaregio – within maybe 60 minutes. My excitement was very high right from the start.

And on 7 December 2024, we actually set off… just me, my rucksack and my Leica Q3 in my luggage. OK, and a little surprise – but more on that in an extra post.

The Journey

I have been to Venice several times – but never to the part that is generally known as Venice. I passed through or even spent a night there – but in Venice Mestre or something. Even during my Europe project in 2017, Venice was the first overnight stay on the way to Greece. So, as I said, the mainland, not the lagoon. I have never been to the islands in the lagoon in my entire life.

This was finally about to change. I wanted to discover the city with my camera for five days away from the crowds of tourists. And that’s what I did – as well as I could.

The journey began on Saturday at around 10.00 a.m. in Bonn. Yes, the Deutsche Bahn is not always a pleasure these days – but at least it gets you to your destination. More or less on time. But since I had planned to stay overnight in Munich for the journey there and back anyway, it didn’t matter to me. I would arrive in Venice… and that was the main thing.

I enjoy long train journeys a lot. As I enjoy listening to podcasts, reading, thinking – and, of course, looking out the window – on the train.

Traveling this way is so much nicer and more “natural” than by plane. You see how the landscape changes; you travel through somewhere and are not just there. 

What did I expect?

I have no idea what exactly I had in mind. Maybe I saw myself in a creepy remake of “Don’t Look Now” – and in a moment Donald Sutherland would come around the corner.

Or even worse, the figure in the red raincoat (you have to watch the movie to understand – but it’s maybe not for the faint-hearted, though). And to be honest, on the first evening it didn’t seem as far-fetched as it sounds here.

But on this evening and in this awful weather, no one usually came around the corner. Which could also be a bit creepy in Venice at night.

The only red thing that came round the corner was a woman with a red umbrella – and she wasn’t very scary…

… neither were the alleyways nor the obligatory masks, of course.

So much for the admittedly somewhat exaggerated expectations. But now to the reality. Actually, most of it was either quite different from what I had expected… or, just as expected, picturesque and clichéd.

The City

Venezia!

I love Italy. And I love Italian cities – not just the usual suspects in Tuscany. Venice certainly holds a special place even among the big names of Italian cities. Perhaps only comparable to Florence – and of course Rome, which is even more so. But Venice is also different – for better or for worse. Would I love it too?

Today, Venice may “only” be an Italian city and the capital of the Veneto region. And of course it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – as well as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. In the past, Venice was also the capital of the independent Republic of Venice until 1797. Well into the 16th century, it was one of the most important trading cities, an important financial centre and ruled over a colonial empire that stretched as far as Crete and Cyprus. It was also one of the cultural centres of the time … but that would take us too far afield here.

For German-speaking readers, I would recommend the book “Geschichte Venedigs” by Arne Karsten from C.H. Beck. There, Its history is short but, at least for my needs, sufficiently well explained. 

The Arrival

Being welcomed to Venice by a real winter storm with strong winds and rain was one thing. The fact that I wasn’t the only tourist in the city at this time of year – at least that was my first impression – was another. OK, I’m joking, of course – but I was a bit surprised at the amount of tourists in the area around the train station. So, I had to learn that Venice is simply always in season. In the next few days, however, I was able to get a better idea of how many people are really there – and where they hang out.

The Location

When we talk about Venice, we usually talk about the six “sestiere”, the six districts of the historic center in the Venice lagoon.

Located on a total of – depending on the source – something around 127 islands and connected by 472 bridges, this old town is certainly unique in the world. Yes, I have also read that this is nothing special – Hamburg supposedly has 2500 bridges, Berlin 2100. All certainly true, only Hamburg is about 150 times, Berlin even 180 times larger than the old town of Venice. In none of the German cities mentioned do I have to cross a bridge every one to two minutes – sometimes more often.

A labyrinth of alleyways – some barely wider than my shoulders – which you won’t really understand even after weeks or months.

And I walked at least 20 kilometres through this maze of alleyways every day. After a while, I was familiar with a few of the paths, but often not. Without Google Maps – which worked amazingly well even in the narrow alleyways – it would have been impossible to reach a destination in a controlled manner.

However, it is also highly recommended to simply stroll through this labyrinth – especially away from the hotspots – without a destination. This sometimes leads to finding a gem, an oasis of peace, even in the tourist city of Venice. 🙂

The very visible challenges

Two of the city’s well-known challenges really catch the eye. One is the water, and the other is the tourists – of which I am one.

1. The Water

It’s actually trivial to even mention it. After all, anyone who isn’t completely uninterested in the world or doesn’t listen to or read the news knows this. Venice is not on the water, but in the water. In the middle of the lagoon there is a city on a foundation of wooden stilts. And it will “sink” one way or another. The question is not if, but when.

Venice has existed for more than one and a half millennia. However, we all know that it will not exist for that long again – probably not even for another century. The slow but steady sinking of the city and the rising sea level – both together are too much for Venice. Even the MOSE storm surge barrier, which has been active since 2021 and will be fully operational from 2025, will not be able to change this, at least in the long term. Even though it will certainly protect the city better from flooding, such as the last severe one in 2019.

But without the water, Venice would not exist as it does, it would never have developed in the way it has. In this respect, it can do nothing but live with the water for as long as possible. It is both a curse and a blessing… because it is the water that gives Venice its charm and soul.

2. The Tourists

Speaking of curses and blessings… that fits in much better with the second topic. Although the blessing is perhaps one of those things…

First of all: yes, they are there – always. And at peak times and hotspots, it’s a bit like that, as you know. 

And they mostly do what tourists do these days – they like to take photos of the sights and themselves 🙂

But who wants to blame them… after all, the city isn’t all that ugly! 😉

However, the density of tourists in Venice is probably the same as in most tourist centres around the world. According to my observations, this can even be described mathematically. The number of people decreases steadily with the distance from the hotspots – and quite inversely proportional to the square. Good for someone like me who likes to walk 20 or more kilometres a day, even in cities… away from the hotspots.

Whatever way you look at it, fact is that tourism is not only the city’s absolutely predominant “business basis” today, but also its life insurance for the time being. Without this income, how could the city be maintained to any degree? I can’t imagine that the Italian state would preserve it as a cultural heritage of mankind without tourism and its money. A very difficult situation… and possibly without a “best solution”.

The topic could fill entire articles, even books. And it does, see all the debates about it. For example, the issue of banning cruise ships (thank goodness!), the critical environmental discussions, the entrance fees, … all very topical at the moment. And necessary. But I’m not a journalist. And this is not an article about mass tourism. This is about my personal interaction with Venice and with the (other) tourists.

3. Venice – one single barrier

I know I’ve only actually mentioned two challenges – but of course there are many more. Nevertheless, I will tackle a third challenge here, partly serious, but also with a twinkle in my eye. 472 bridges in a relatively small area mean 472 barriers, because almost none of them are barrier-free. Not even the large and famous bridges! People who have difficulty walking or who are dependent on a wheelchair simply cannot get around here. No chance! 

But I wanted to get at something else. How are goods and other items transported here? Sure, on the water… there are no cars, of course, but countless boats.

The only problem is that even in Venice, not all houses, restaurants, bars and shops are located on the water. So they have to be transported on handcarts, which are simply everywhere and always on the move.

But let’s get back to bridges as barriers. Of course, they don’t just disappear, not even for the transport workers… and then it really becomes hard work. You see them everywhere and all the time. They scurry through all the alleys and especially now before Christmas, this is obviously becoming a real challenge.

Kudos to the guys at the moment, honestly!

Empty Venice

So, what’s Venice like in winter? Or how empty is it? I’ve already made one or two hints. Let’s put it this way: empty is different 🙂

Of course, as a first-time visitor I don’t have a seasonal comparison, but if I compare it with other places – such as Rome in summer – then it’s quite OK. There are more tourists here than I thought, but it’s far from terrible. Even the typical sights – such as St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, etc., I was able to visit easily and without queues. 

And as mentioned above in the small chapter on tourists, I didn’t really have a problem being alone anywhere. Quite the opposite – large parts of my routes took me alone through the alleyways and squares of the city. 

And? How is Venice?

It is often said that you can only love or hate Venice – there is nothing in between. To be honest, I think that’s nonsense. I generally don’t like binary thinking like that. The world is not just black or white. It is nuanced, colourful, diverse – and so is Venice. 

Its special location, its structure, its history – all that is quite unique. You can’t just overlook that. And of course you can’t miss its beauty either – the magnificent palaces, churches and squares. If that doesn’t touch you and fascinate you, then you really have no sense for it. It doesn’t matter how you morally evaluate this former wealth and the circumstances of its creation. That’s history.

I think it’s hard not to be touched by the special atmosphere of the canals and these narrow streets. At least if you don’t walk in single file with other tourists. And that’s especially easy in winter and – as I said – in some parts of the city. Just leave the hotspots and go off the beaten track.

So I don’t know how you could hate this city. Maybe you don’t like one or two things about it, but hate? I can understand loving it, though. Whether from an art-historical point of view or because of the mood and location. Personally, I do neither. Not hating it, of course, but I don’t particularly love the city either. I just miss a bit of the “normal” in this city to really love it. But I like it and was definitely very fascinated. And deeply impressed … by the magic it can unfold.

It is and remains a projection surface for romantic and luxurious dreams… not without reason is it used several times as a film set in James Bond films, among others. Or by Marco, a singer, who takes the opportunity to record a few shots for his Instagram appearance…

But if you get fed up with sightseeing, tourists or the labyrinth of alleyways – hey, the vaporetti (water buses) go everywhere and almost all the time…

… for example to the Lido, which invites you to take a long walk on the beach – also very lonely in winter 🙂

It’s your choice which Venice you want to explore…

The Camera

Some of you might wonder why this idiot is writing about Venice and linking it to a special camera, even in the title. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, this trip, which for me was really just for photography, was something like my first mini-project with the Q3. It’s also about whether a camera like this can do the job for me. But to be honest, as always, it’s also about reach. It is (unfortunately) the case that posts and videos with a link to a product generate a lot more attention on the net. I do this for fun and without any commercial intentions or benefits, but I still want to be read. Otherwise I wouldn’t have to blog at all… 😉

Some last thoughts

Above all, the trip allowed me to reflect on a few things about myself.

… about tolerance and arrogance

All those who, like me, sometimes tend to quickly judge others for the ‘silly’ things they do – such as going to Café Florian at St Mark’s Square or drinking a Bellini at Harry’s Bar – should be a little more humble. I remember someone, for example, drinking a ridiculously overpriced Singapore Sling in the legendary Raffles Hotel in Singapore – and loving it. I am, of course, talking about a friend here… 😉

… about traveling

I know that travelling per se naturally causes a consumption of resources and thus “environmental costs” – simply because one does it. And that won’t change fundamentally if you take the train, as I often do and as I did in this case. Not to mention the problems of over-tourism, which have also been mentioned here. It remains a luxury, a privilege, a non-essential.

So I won’t want to do without it. But maybe I can manage to become even more aware of this privilege and make it as sustainable as possible. 

… about my photography

I had already announced at the beginning of the post that I would write something about it at the end. Lately – and especially on this trip – I’ve realised that I’ve reached a dead end with my photography. Or let’s rather say: hopefully at a turning point. As much as I enjoyed this trip for many reasons, I am very disappointed with my photographic output. 

To call a spade a spade and tell the whole truth: far too many of the pictures I took in Venice are frankly crap. Uninspired, thoughtless, emotionless, banal and interchangeable. The way I took these pictures wasn’t good or healthy either – I was mostly very driven. That alone is not so bad here and now. It would be bad if I wasn’t aware of it. But I am … fortunately.

I believe I have already found a number of reasons for this. But I would still like to reflect on this further…

More about my thoughts in one of my next posts… 😉

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There is always light somewhere – go out and shoot!