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Venice
What greater symbol of global
warming can there be than a world heritage city sinking beneath
the sea. Yet at the same time, what a great place to visit -a
place where you have to leave your car behind and enjoy life
without the automobile.
The city has been slowly sinking
at the rate of 25mm per century over the last 1000 years. Some
accounts say the rate has been accelerating in recent years,
despite the cessation of drawing water from artesian wells, the
activity that lead to the original problem. Either way, rising
sea levels mean that the threat continues and the city has been
working towards protecting itself from flood tides with the £3billion
MOSE project which includes constructing 78 retractable steel
barriers across the three inlets to the lagoon.
Along with wandering the beautiful
streets of the old city, why not consider a boat ride out to
the lagoon to view this technological wonder under construction?
Getting there....
From the UK, the ultimate way
of travelling to the city must be the luxurious Venice-Simplon
Orient Express. Of course you can find cheaper rail routes with
Rail Europe, and you should look at Terenitalia
(www.trenitalia.it) for travel around Italy.
Getting about
- Much of your stay in the city
will be about travel on water with the ubiquitous vaporetto (water
buses). You can save money by buying a 12-72 hour ACTV tourist
card from one of the ticket booths. Alilaguna
(www.alilaguna.it) run large water buses from the airport to
Rialto and San Marco inclding Energia, their dual fuel boat.
-
 For
an ultimate and quiet way to reflect on the beautry of the city
and its surrounding lagoon, Laguna Eco Adventures (www.lagunaecoadventures.com)
offer sailing tours in traditional flat bottomed wooden boat
-tours include the lagoon, the harbour, an historic tour to the
island of Poveglia or nightime gondola through the city.
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Sightseeing and stuff to see
The official tourism portal,
Venice Connected (www.veniceconnected.com)
carries a wealth of information, including a green guide to visiting
the city.
To see the city in another light,
Walter Fano L'altra Venezia
(www.laltravenezia.it) offers guided tours or boat tours with
a difference
Hotels, Bed & Breakfast:
- For complete luxury, Bauer Hotels (www.bauerhotels.com)
offer Il Palazzo, a magnificent family owned five star
hotel in a gothic building just yards from St Mark's Square.
As well as innovative energy saving systems and recycling initiatives,
the hotel is unique in providing a solar powered boat to ferry
guests to their other hotel, Bauer Palladio Hotel and Spa
on Giudecca Island. Bauer Palazzo is a wellness hotel, with gym,
sauna, steam room and a rooftop Jacuzzi with a view. They also
offer guests hand-made, all-natural beauty products from the
botanical gardens on Giudecca Island.
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- Villa Casanova (www.casanovavenice.com)
offers first class bio-organic bed and breakfast in a refurbished
villa on the Lido
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- More green
hotels in Italy
Hostels and budget accommodation:
Santa Fosca - Beautiful terrecota hostel based in the outskirts
of venice.
Casa gerotto & Calderan - Beautiful private hostel on a side street in
the very centre of Venice.
More eco hostels in Italy
Holiday apartments and villas
 Modern
self contained eco bed and breakfast suites are available from
the family-run BBVenice (www.bbvenice.com).
Their modern timber panelled building is highly insulated and
triple glazed with energy provided through photovoltaic cell
array and solar thermal water heating.
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- Oh Venice (www.oh-venice.com)
offer around four hundred privately apartments for rent in the
city and surrounding area.
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- For more rural settings, try
Agriturismo Italy www.agriturismoitaly.it
who arrange farm holidays -not necessarily cheap but if you have
a group of people farm hire can be cost effective.
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- More eco
apartments and holiday homes in Italy
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- Restaurants, Bars and Clubs:
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