They give out little maps everywhere ... but it is best if you only use them as guideposts.
My tactic was to walk until we came to a piazza with a church ... and then search for the church on the map... and use it to guide me in the general direction I wanted to go.
Rule #1 -- if you like it, buy it now; we will never find this place again.
Rule #2 -- don't try to find anything too specifically, you'll just be disappointed.
Rule #3 -- take it all in ... enjoy it... take a picture if you must.
I rejoiced when I could find my way out of the piazza closest to our BnB -- as well as being able to find the water bus stand. It was an even bigger coup to be able to find the train station in the middle of the night to meet my sister's train.
I found the YELLOW signs pointing to the train station and the main bridges never steered me wrong, even if they never did seem like the most direct route.
The best times in Venice for me were the days when we ended up far from the tourists in some normal neighborhood where it seemed like real people still lived.
The worst were when we got caught somewhere between fourteen million cruise ship groups following someone holding up an unopened umbrella or something more distinctive. Ugh ... small walkways do not make for friendly places for large groups of people.
I think if I lived in Venice, I would learn how to find my way around and how to avoid the tourists. I think I would enjoy living there ... maybe in the off season.
Some of my favorite moments:
--watching my mother eat and ENJOY sardines
--late night drinks at the local bar and mom eating (and liking) more seafood
--watching the water ambulances outside the hospital
--seeing the wonder in my mom and sister's eyes on the gondola ride
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