What's it like to live in Venice?

DW (English)

Venice is a dream destination for many. Of course, real Venetians also live in the historic center. What's life like between narrow streets and the Grand Canal?

Transcript

00:00I love Venice. I think it's one of the best places to grow up,

00:03not only because of the culture,

00:05but the freedom you have, walk the streets, go wherever you like.

00:09Venice, the city of bridges and canals, of dreams and romance.

00:15Tourists converge on the Queen of the Adriatic from all over the world.

00:19But what's it like to grow up here?

00:22Buongiorno, good morning. My name is Nick, and this is my house in Venice.

00:26Eighteen-year-old Nicholas Pettinello was born here.

00:29He clues us in on what life here is like as a student.

00:34I get up at 6.30 in the morning and eat breakfast here.

00:38Italians usually have light breakfast, like this one,

00:41and then have something to eat at school and for lunch, a big meal, like we'll see later.

00:47At 7.30, after some coffee, juice and cookies, Nick heads off to school.

00:52Every morning, I go to my grandma and I say hello and take her trash downstairs.

01:01In Italy, it's very common to live with your grandparents

01:04and the whole family living together in one house.

01:07Nick's family has lived here for about 250 years, as long as the house is old.

01:14Nick lives in Dorsoduro, one of six districts in Venice's historical center.

01:19Here, everyone goes nearly everywhere on foot.

01:31The Vaporetti, or water buses, play a vital part for public transport among the more than 100 islands.

01:38They run on 20 lines day and night.

01:41Motor scooters, bicycles and cars are strictly prohibited in Venice.

01:50As you can see, it's very beautiful, but after a thousand times that you do it, it gets a bit boring.

01:58The average age of Venetians is rising.

02:01Of the remaining 50,000 residents, only around 9,000 are under 18.

02:06Many schools have closed in recent years, especially in the historical center of Venice.

02:11Nick's high school is one of about 10 primary, middle and high schools still open.

02:20Nick's in his last year of high school. After graduating, he wants to study computer science.

02:26In Italy, to apply to university, you have to do it for months before you graduate.

02:31So, in February, when I have an idea to what to do and where to go,

02:36I'll apply to different universities and do the test for those universities.

02:41By around 10 a.m., Venice is all but overrun with tourists.

02:45During peak season, about 100,000 arrive each day, plus a good 50,000 day-trippers,

02:51equal to the local population of the historical center of Venice.

02:56For Nick, it's another day in tourist heaven.

03:00All Venetians have to know these hidden streets to get around when there's a lot of people.

03:06Back home, his mother is waiting for him.

03:09Ciao, how was school?

03:10Good, thank you.

03:11Nick has dual citizenship. His father is a 12th-generation Venetian.

03:16His mother is American.

03:19Like many Italians his age, Nick lives with his parents, but he plans to move out right after graduation.

03:25He'll be a minority in Italy, where about two-thirds of men aged 18 to 34 live with their parents.

03:32Italians have a word for sons who live with their mothers long past the age of 30, mamone.

03:41Almost every day after lunch, Nick gets together with his friends.

03:47We're going on my friend's boat to an island called Certoza to have fun with friends and have a drink.

03:57Many of Nick's friends, like his longtime bestie Filippo, own their own boat.

04:02For anything under 40 horsepower, they don't even need a boating license.

04:06And after the age of 16, they don't need anyone else in the boat.

04:12In the afternoon, we always come to bars and play some games.

04:16Here we're playing Bisca, which is a very Venetian game, which we play always.

04:21I play with my friends and I think I'm going to win this one.

04:34I've always been happy living in Venice.

04:36Being a small city, it doesn't have a lot of opportunity for the future.

04:40So I'm thinking of going out for university and maybe work.

04:45But I've always loved living here as a kid and I think that in the future I'll come here to set up a family.

04:52I'll have him come back here one day.

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