Introduction: Beyond the Gondolas
Most people imagine Venice as gondolas on the Grand Canal, Carnival masks, and romantic sunsets. But what’s it really like to live here, day after day?
Venice is not just a tourist destination — it’s a city where people raise children, go to school, shop for groceries, and try to keep centuries-old crafts alive in the face of mass tourism.
In this article, we’ll explore daily life in Venice: what it means for children going to school in a car-free city, how Venetians shop at local markets, and why traditional crafts are slowly disappearing — and what can still be done to save them.
Part 1: Going to School in Venice
1.1 A City Without Cars
One of the most unique parts of growing up in Venice? There are no cars.
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Children walk or take boats to school.
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Parents accompany them across bridges and along canals.
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Instead of school buses, Venice has school boats — special ACTV boats that pick up children along the Grand Canal or outer islands.
👉 Imagine being 8 years old, and your “school bus” is a vaporetto gliding through the lagoon.
1.2 Types of Schools
Venice has the same school system as the rest of Italy, but adapted to its geography:
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Elementary schools are spread across the sestieri so children can walk there.
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High schools and technical institutes are fewer, meaning teenagers often commute across the city.
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Ca’ Foscari University is the main higher-education institution, with campuses scattered in historic palaces. Students attend lectures inside Gothic buildings that once belonged to merchants and nobles.
1.3 Challenges for Students
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Flooding (Acqua Alta): During high tides, children walk to school wearing rubber boots. Raised wooden walkways (passerelle) are set up near entrances.
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Accessibility: Students with mobility issues face real difficulties — not every bridge has ramps.
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Depopulation: With fewer families living in Venice, some schools close or merge. In 1950, 175,000 people lived in the city; today, fewer than 50,000 remain. This shrinking population affects school life deeply.
1.4 Daily Rhythm of a Venetian Student
A typical school day might look like this:
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Morning: Walk or boat ride to school.
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Break: Children gather in small campi (squares) to play football or chase each other.
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Afternoon: Return home for lunch — most Venetian schools still end around 1:00–1:30 PM.
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After-school: Activities often involve rowing clubs (canottieri) instead of traditional soccer teams, since water defines daily life.
👉 For visitors, catching a glimpse of children in uniform running across a campo is a reminder that Venice is alive, not just a postcard.
Part 2: Venetian Markets — Where Life Still Feels Authentic
2.1 Rialto Market: The Beating Heart
The Rialto Market has been Venice’s food hub for over 700 years.
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The Pescheria (fish market) sells lagoon and Adriatic seafood: moeche (soft-shell crabs), cuttlefish, shrimp, clams, and eels.
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The Erberia (vegetable market) offers seasonal produce brought from the mainland and nearby islands.
For Venetians, the market is more than shopping — it’s a daily ritual. People meet friends, exchange gossip, and discuss recipes.
👉 Story: A Venetian grandmother might come every morning to choose the freshest sardines, explaining to the fishmonger that she needs them for sarde in saor, a traditional sweet-and-sour dish.
2.2 Neighborhood Markets
Not every Venetian shops at Rialto. Smaller neighborhood markets exist in:
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Campo Santa Margherita (Dorsoduro) – Fruit and vegetable stalls, plus a vibrant student atmosphere.
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Cannaregio – Local food vendors serving residents who avoid touristy areas.
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Mestre (mainland) – Where many Venetians who moved off the islands now shop in larger supermarkets.
2.3 Shopping in a Car-Free City
Groceries are delivered by boat and then by handcart. Early in the morning, you’ll see workers rolling carts loaded with crates of vegetables or boxes of wine across narrow alleys and bridges.
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Even supermarket deliveries arrive this way.
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Some hotels and restaurants employ porters to move goods across the city.
👉 Watching deliveries in Venice is like watching an ancient ballet of logistics — a reminder of how different daily life is here.
2.4 How Visitors Can Experience Venetian Markets
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Go early in the morning before the stalls close around midday.
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Look, don’t touch — vendors will serve you.
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Taste seasonal foods — in spring, green asparagus from Sant’Erasmo Island; in autumn, pumpkin and radicchio from Treviso.
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Visit with a local guide who explains recipes, cooking traditions, and how Venetians decide what to buy.
👉 At Tour Leader Venice, we include Rialto visits in food tours, combining tastings with local stories — making markets come alive instead of being just photo backdrops.
Part 3: Disappearing Crafts of Venice
3.1 Murano Glass: Fire Fading Out
Murano was once the global center of glassmaking. Today, only a handful of furnaces survive.
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Rising costs of energy threaten production.
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Younger generations hesitate to enter a profession requiring years of training.
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Cheap copies from abroad flood souvenir shops, making it harder for true artisans to compete.
But in authentic studios, masters still transform glowing glass into chandeliers, goblets, and sculptures. Watching them work is like watching magic — fire becoming fragile beauty.
3.2 Burano Lace: Thread by Thread
Burano lace, once prized by queens and popes, is another tradition at risk.
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Handmade lace is incredibly time-consuming.
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Few women continue the art — many lace shops now sell machine-made imports.
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A true Burano lace tablecloth can take months or years to complete.
Visiting the Lace Museum and small workshops shows what patience and dedication it takes to keep the tradition alive.
3.3 Gondola Building: The Last Squeri
Every gondola is handmade, using traditional woods and proportions. Gondolas must be perfectly balanced, crafted to respond to a single oar.
Today, only a few squeri (boatyards) remain, the most famous being Squero San Trovaso.
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Master builders still follow centuries-old techniques.
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Apprenticeship is long and difficult.
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Each gondola takes months to build and lasts about 20 years.
👉 Visitors can admire squero workshops from the outside, but guided visits reveal the fascinating process inside.
3.4 Mask Making: Tradition vs. Souvenirs
Real Venetian masks are made of papier-mâché, painted and decorated by hand.
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But most masks sold today are cheap plastic imports.
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Authentic mask-makers are fewer, but still create works of art.
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Workshops allow visitors to try mask painting, connecting them to Carnival traditions.
3.5 Printmaking, Textiles, and More
Venice also has smaller but equally fascinating crafts:
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Gianni Basso’s print shop – Using antique presses to make personalized prints.
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Tessitura Bevilacqua – Producing brocades and velvets on centuries-old looms.
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Friulane shoes – Velvet slippers once worn by gondoliers, now popular fashion items.
Each of these crafts risks fading without support from curious visitors and conscious buyers.
Part 4: Daily Challenges for Venetians
4.1 Depopulation
The biggest issue facing Venice is the shrinking number of residents.
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In 1950: 175,000 residents.
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Today: fewer than 50,000.
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High rents, tourism pressure, and lack of services push families to the mainland.
This affects schools, markets, and crafts — fewer locals mean fewer children, fewer shoppers, fewer apprentices.
4.2 Tourism Pressure
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Over 20 million tourists visit Venice each year.
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Many stay for just one day, spending little beyond a gondola ride or coffee at St. Mark’s.
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Crowds make daily life harder for locals who just want to go to work, shop, or bring kids to school.
4.3 Resilience of Venetians
Despite challenges, Venetians adapt.
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They celebrate traditional festivals like Regata Storica and Festa del Redentore.
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They fight to preserve crafts and reopen schools.
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They keep using markets, campi, and boats to maintain daily rhythms.
👉 Daily life here is not easy, but it is deeply tied to tradition and community.
Part 5: How Visitors Can See the Real Daily Life
5.1 With a Local Guide
The difference between “seeing Venice” and “understanding Venice” is access.
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A visitor walking alone sees a fish stall.
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With a guide, you learn why moeche (soft-shell crabs) are seasonal delicacies, how fishermen catch them, and how locals cook them.
5.2 Why Choose Tour Leader Venice
At Tour Leader Venice, we show you:
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Schools and daily routes — what it’s like for children to cross bridges to class.
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Markets at dawn — when Venetians shop, not tourists.
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Craft studios — glassblowers, lace-makers, and mask artisans still working by hand.
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Neighborhood campi — where locals gather, children play, and life continues away from the crowds.
This isn’t just sightseeing. It’s stepping into the rhythm of the city.
Conclusion: Venice, A Living City
Venice is not a museum. It’s a city where children go to school by boat, neighbors meet at markets, and artisans fight to keep ancient crafts alive.
But Venice is fragile. Depopulation, mass tourism, and disappearing crafts make daily life more challenging each year. That’s why visiting with respect — and with those who can show you the authentic side — matters.
👉 With Tour Leader Venice, you don’t just see Venice. You live it for a day: meeting artisans, hearing children laugh in campi, smelling fresh fish at Rialto, and feeling the heartbeat of a city that survives through its people.
So next time you come to Venice, don’t just ride a gondola. Come with us — and experience Venice as Venetians live it.
