USVI-On-Line

Hey Anthony..I am taking my family to Venice and Lake Como in August..any recommendations? Have you ever been to the beach in Venice? I am thinking of going the first day to recover from jet lag but have no idea what to expect. Thanks.

there's no way to go to the beach in Venice: it's not in front of the sea, it's ON the sea
Besides, an industrial zone is very close, so you don't want to go into that water.
I don't think you can enjoy taking a bath either on the lake of Como.

<a href="http://www.tuttocitta.it/tcolnew/index_ ... noc=1">Map of Venice</a>

Having been to both....I wouldn't have felt comfortable going in the water in Venice at all. Riding up and down or in a Gondola is wonderful, but wouldn't want to be in the water. Loved the beach in Pisa and being on the cliffs overlooking the water in Livorgno. That water was gorgeous, but in a different way then the Caribbean.

When we were on the Lake, people sat all around it, walked all around, but were never in it. Don't know if there is a certain area to swim or not.

Make sure and "get lost" in Venice. You'll find your way out eventually and so many cool things are stuck in all the little alley ways!

Have a blast! Italy and St. John are my top vacation spots to date!

Ciao Bollicine - I didn't know we had Italian members on the forum! Donna, you definitely don't want to be diving into the Grand Canal, as Nick mentioned, but there is swimming (beaches at least, with sunbathing) on the Lido (you can see on the map that Bollicine linked to how close it is). I don't know about the water quality of the Adriatic there though.

Here are a few sites mentioning the Lido beaches:

http://www.venicerentals.com/lido_di_venezia.html

http://www.eurovacations.com/Evac/howto_vce.jsp

http://www.hotelmeridiana.com/page.asp?id=3&cat=7

And I don't think Como is the kind of lake you swim in. Nic you have to see the water around some of the Italian islands - very Caribbean like. We are supposed to be taking a boat trip to Elba next weekend - if we make it I will be sure to put some photos up.

My husband and I took our first trip to Italy in early April. It was so beautiful and I kept comparing it to the Caribbean...lots of palm trees! If you want to see pretty water go to Cinque Terra and do the coastal trip...it is absolutely beautiful and the water is very clear and blue. I also emailed Anthony before we left for tips on Florence. I would love to go back to Italy again but I don't think I can forgo our trip to St. John next year....that is truly vacation! Enjoy your trip...there is so much to see!