The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

Note that in almost every restaurant you’ll
pay a cover charge (coperto) of e1–3 a
head on top of the cost of your food and
drink. As well as the coperto, service (servizio)
will often be added, generally about ten
percent; if it isn’t, you should tip this amount,
and if it is included it’s usual to leave an extra
few euro – no more than five percent or so.
Crime and personal
safety
Venice has a few districts where you might
think twice about walking unaccompanied
late at night with a wallet stuffed full of euros
(over towards Sant’Elena, for example), but
this is a very sedate city, and attacks on
tourists are virtually unknown. Pickpockets
on crowded vaporetti are the chief threat to
the visitor, followed by the city’s burglars,
who are renowned for their ingenuity – so
don’t leave the window of your hotel room
open when you’re out, even if you think only
Spiderman could possibly get in through it.
On the mainland, Treviso, Padua, Verona and
Vicenza – like any sizeable European town,
have their dodgier quarters, but as a tourist
you’re very unlikely to be straying out of the
city centre, where the odd bag-snatching is
as dangerous as things get.
If the worst happens, you’ll be forced to
have some dealings with the police, who
come in many forms. Most innocuous are
the Polizia Urbana or town police, who are
mainly concerned with directing the traffic
and punishing parking offences. The
Guardia di Finanza, often heavily armed and
screaming ostentatiously through the streets
(and sometimes the canals), are interested
in smuggling, tax evasion and other crimes
of that ilk. Most conspicuous are the Carabinieri
and Polizia Statale; no one knows
what distinguishes their roles, apart from
the fact that the Carabinieri are organized
along military lines, and are a branch of the
armed forces. The two forces are meant to
act as a check and counter-balance to each
other: a fine theory, but it results in a lot of
time wasting and rivalry in practice. In the
event of theft, you’ll need to report it at the
headquarters of the Polizia Statale. If your
passport goes astray, you’ll also need to
report to your nearest embassy or consulate
– these are listed on p.283.
Emergencies
In an emergency, dial the following
national emergency telephone
numbers.
t112 for the police (Carabinieri).
t113 for any emergency service
(Soccorso Pubblico di Emergenza).
t115 for the fire brigade (Vigili del
Fuoco)
t116 for road assistance (Soccorso
Stradale).
t118 for an ambulance (Ambulanza).
Although the streets of Venice are safer than
those of any other major city in the country,
sexual harassment can occasionally be a
problem for a woman travelling on her own.
The Venetian male might not be as aggressive
in his attentions as some of his more southerly
compatriots, but he can still be a pain in
the neck. Complete indifference is generally
the most effective policy, but you may find it
difficult to emulate the glacial brush-off that
comes as second nature to many Italian
women. A mouthful of Anglo-Saxon will often
do the trick, but if he persists, lasciátemi in
pace (“leave me alone”) should see him off.
Disabled travellers
Although a few key bridges are now fitted
with wheelchair lifts, Venice presents significant
problems for anyone who is not ablebodied.
The islands that make up the city
are joined by bridges that are usually steeply
stepped, and getting in and out of the water
buses can be hazardous if the water level is
low or the canals are choppy, despite the
helpfulness of most conductors. Wheelchair
users should try to avoid the smaller boats –
principally the #41, 42, 51 and 52 lines (see
p.38–39) – as they have just a small platform
around the pilot’s cabin, with the main passenger
area being below deck level, down
steep steps. The captains of these boats,
moreover, are not obliged to let wheelchairs
on board. The #1 down the Canal Grande,
however, is accessible and spacious. It’s
also important to note that many Venetian
hotels, especially in the lower price ranges,
occupy the upper storeys of their addresses,
and that in many instances staircases provide
the only access. So if mobility is at all
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