My Venice travel blog: how it started and how it’s going

Today marks the 9th anniversary of The Venice Insider 🥳. This is the perfect moment to reflect on how it all began and what has happened since.

How it started

Below is my very first post, published on December 4, 2015. I chose this date because it’s easy to remember: it’s also my birthday. The banner on top of this page is the same as nine years ago.

“I guess that this first sentence of my first blog post ever is the most difficult one to write. I certainly hope that the next posts will be (a little bit) easier.

The idea to start this blog on Venice first came to my mind exactly 3 months ago. I was in Venice for the Regata Storica and had dinner in one of my favourite restaurants. I sat outside in a quiet street, surrounded by locals, when I said out of the blue ‘Wouldn’t this be a nice story for a blog’. It was just a quick thought, and I forgot about it for the rest of our stay. When I got home, friends and colleagues asked me for tips, new places we had discovered, feedback on the Venice Biennale, … I then saw a television program on how to start a blog (‘Voor hetzelfde geld’ with Britt Van Marsenille), I felt it click and decided to go ahead with it.

I have to admit that the whole process of getting this first post online was trickier than I thought: what is a good name for a blog; what do I want to write about; in which language; what should the site look like; how do I set this up technically? If you are wondering, yes, I did this all by myself. However, I want to thank my brother Filip, my friends Kathleen and Mark for their ideas and help in defining the concept and their feedback on my try-outs and of course Kris from ThemeGoods for his technical support. 

So what can you expect?

The Venice Insider will provide you with insights, background information and insider tips on events (not only will you find the well-known ones such as Carnevale or the Biennale, but also those oriented toward the locals), sestieri (neighbourhoods), history, culture and so on. It is mainly targeted at those of you who return on a regular basis and feel at home in the maze of small streets. It is not my goal to give traditional tourist information or an overview of all hotels and restaurants, as there are plenty of better resources for that purpose (such as TripAdvisor or booking.com).

Will it be interesting for you?

I hope the answer is yes! I noticed that even within my own circle of friends and acquaintances there are many frequent travellers to Venice and most combine this with a regular visit to the Biennale. If you don’t consider yourself a real tourist anymore, but a regular, this blog will be your new reference guide for future visits. Based on my own experience, the more you go to Venice (or any other city for that matter), the more you are interested in understanding the dynamics of the city, its history and daily life. The Venice Insider will give you these new insights to make sure your next trips are even more interesting and fun.

When setting up this blog, new issues came up almost every day. I was, however, very positively surprised how open and supportive the blogosphere is. All my questions were answered almost immediately. I gained a lot of insights from: Jempie & Nina (Travelboulevard), Katelijne (Chopsticks & trains), Sofie (Wonderful Wanderings) and Petra (Just Host) – and I want to thank them for sharing their expertise. For those of you who are not active in this area, there is a whole world out there: blogs on blogging (my favourite one is Blogaholic), networks, books, conferences, … I have already learned a lot and I am only at the beginning.”

How it’s going

Even though today marks the 9th anniversary, I must admit the blog was offline for about two years due to personal reasons. Nevertheless, I have written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics related to Venice and the Biennale. You might remember the ones about the doorknobs, the coloured wooden poles, the history of Venice, Tintoretto, behind the scenes of the Biennale pavilions, the most impressive pavilions, transportation, or any of the other topics I dedicated a post to. Not all posts have been uploaded again to the new site, but if you would like to read a specific one again, feel free to let me know and I will add it. I have always loved discovering new, intriguing topics, researching them thoroughly, and sharing them with you. And I look forward to continuing this for many years to come. As always, feel free to share your ideas with me directly or in the comments below.

Looking back at my initial expectations, I hope you found The Venice Insider engaging. Judging by the fact that many of you have followed me for years, some even from the beginning, I’d like to believe the answer is yes 😊. I obviously started without any followers, but today there’s a loyal community: about 6,400 Facebook followers, 4,100 Instagram followers, and 1,600 newsletter subscribers. By the 10th anniversary, my goal is to reach 10,000 Facebook followers, 7,500 Instagram followers, and 2,000 newsletter subscribers. If you enjoy the blog, I would appreciate it if you could share it with your friends and family.

Reflecting on the people and organizations mentioned in my first post, I’m pleased to say I still host my blog on Just Host, and their service remains excellent. And when I relaunched the site earlier this year, I once again chose a design from Themeforest. Just as in the beginning, I still manage everything myself, both content creation and technical design. Of the other blogs I mentioned, Nina continues to run Travelboulevard, while the others have pursued new paths. Over these nine years, I have met with many people through the blog, both in Venice and around the world. It still feels incredible to connect with people across continents, building friendships and sharing a mutual love for Venice. There are too many of you to name, so thank you all!

This year has been particularly special because I published my first books on Venice. ‘The insider guide to the Venice Art Biennale 2024’ received very positive feedback and sold well. My second book ‘Walks in Venice. In the footsteps of 9 locals’ has just been released and I hope it will perform even better. If you like to learn more or order a copy (in English or Dutch), you can find all the information in this post.

What’s next?

I still enjoy spending time in Venice and I look forward to continue sharing my passion about Venice and the fascinating stories I uncover with you. My goal remains to publish a new post every two or three weeks. I also plan to publish an insider guide on the 2025 Architecture Biennale. Beyond that, I’ll make the most of every day and remain grateful for your ongoing support.

Grazie mille!