Usually when I'm going to visit a place, I spend a lot of time researching things to
see/do/eat, with the ultimate aim of having an itinerary in place to make the
most of the trip (not quite minute by minute, but definitely edging on hour by
hour). I enjoy it; it gets me into the feeling of a place, and hey, I like
lists. I like to collect snippets from newspapers and store images in my mind of what a place is going to look like; I like to be a 'modern-day
hunter-gatherer', a brilliant term coined by the travel writer Barrie Kerper.
On the downside, it means that I'm naturally predisposed to worrying I'm going to miss something. So when I started planning for a trip to Venice in February, out came the books, maps and DVDs and I formulated a plan to cover four days. My planning skills didn't let me down: we did get to see everything we wanted to see, but this time it worked out that we had a bit of flex to do... well, nothing. It was one of the best ways we got to discover to Venice.
After the usual tourist hot-spots we had time to venture further into the city's labyrinthine streets. We found faded, decrepit palazzos with peeling doors and crumbling walls. Even though some had lost their grandeur, they were beautiful in their own right; forgotten relics of La Serenissima's glorious yet tumultuous past.
We found intriguing doorbells and doorknockers - some discreet, some ostentatious - and imagined how the frontage of our own ca' might look.
It's easy to lose your direction in Venice; some streets bear little resemblance to what's on the map. We navigated the narrowest of calli, sotoportegi,
rami and rive and came upon dead-ends and deserted squares; during the day
eerie enough but at night even more so, particularly with a fine mizzle
dampening the streets and the spooky echo of approaching footsteps.
Then all of a sudden the tiny street opens back onto a bustling campo, filled with people spilling
out of bars; a warm feeling of conviviality resonating around the square as
Venetians chitter chatter and drink Spritzes, and you've found your way once again.
Venice is definitely a city for wandering. It's a relatively small city, arranged into 6 sestiere (from 'sei' - six) but still wear comfy shoes as your main forms of transport will be your feet and boats.
THINGS TO SEE
Palazzo Ducale
A visit to the beautiful pink and gold Palazzo
Ducale (Doge's Palace) is highly recommended. Highlights are the Golden
Staircase, the Chamber of the Great Council with Tintoretto's
humongous 'Paradise', the Doge's personal apartments with the most
beautiful (even if slightly biased towards Italy) maps, and the special
letterboxes for posting 'tell-tale' notes about Venetian criminals.
We took the Secret Itinerary tour of
the palace that you have to pre-book online. It's worth it to learn a bit more
detail behind the elaborate layers of bureaucracy that made up the
infrastructure of the Serene Republic. We
also crossed the Bridge of Sighs and had a tour of the torture
chamber and prison cells, including the infamous lothario Casanova's. I loved
the story about how he escaped using a bible and a bowl of
buttery gnocchi...
palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/home
Rialto Markets
The Rialto bridge is one of only four that cross the Grand
Canal. Sadly, many of the shops and market stalls surrounding it are a hotbed
of 'muck and tat', but that doesn't detract from how lovely this bridge
is, and what a great atmosphere there is at the nearby markets where
Venetians come to buy produce shipped in from the mainland or freshly hauled in
from the ocean. If you happen to be renting an apartment with a kitchen,
there's an amazing array of seafood at the fish market (8am- noon-ish, Monday
to Saturday).
Campo de le Becarie
San Polo
Ponte dell'Accademia
Leading to Dorsoduro, this bridge affords a beautiful view of the lagoon framed by pretty palazzi and Santa Maria della Salute's cupolas. Tourists have started to recreate the Parisian Pont des Arts 'love locks' tradition - a man was touting padlocks and the use of a Sharpie for €2 ! - but we declined. Here is an interesting perspective on this tradition from a Venetian inhabitant.
Ponte dell'Accademia
Linking San Marco and Dorsoduro
Basilica di San Marco
Often when I look at buildings I think of them in relation to food and the Basilica, with its gorgeous inlaid pastel marble, reminded me of a big fondant-iced cake.Some of its 'onion' domes were being renovated (I think this is what you get for visiting out of season) but the Basilica still cut an impressive silhouette on Venice's skyline. The interior is stunning; I was in awe of the beautifully-tiled floors and the Pala d'Oro altar temple, encrusted with pearls, rubies and precious stones (a sneaky €2 charge applies).
Piazza San Marco
San Marcobasilicasanmarco.it
Palazzo Dario
I was so sad that this beautiful palazzo, the 'Old Lady of the Jewels', was under restoration so we couldn't see it in all its glory, though we did get a bit of a look from across the canal at Fondamente Corner-Zaguri. I'm so intrigued about this building and its mysterious history that I think I'll write a separate post on it...
A BITE TO EAT
Corte Sconta
Corte Sconta
I loved the modest feel of this seafood restaurant, with its whitewashed walls, tiled floor and ever-so-slightly rickety wooden furniture. We tried the degustazione antipasti (minimum 2 persons), a succession of heavenly frutti di mare dishes comprising spider crab pate, tuna carpaccio marinated in balsamic vinegar and aromatic herbs, gossamer-thin slices of swordfish marinated in grapefruit, clams sautéed in ginger (a house speciality), steamed spider crab served in the shell (delicious with a twist of white pepper and drizzle of oil, as recommended by our waiter) and a platter of typical Venetian specialities: mantis shrimps, cuttlefish, schie (small local shrimps) musky octopus, baccalà mantecato (whipped cod) and a complimentary dish of sarde in soar (fried sardines with onions, sultanas and pine nuts). For dessert we shared the zabaione mousse with Jewish and Venetian biscuits, and a hazelnut savarin with pistachio ice-cream and cinnamon glazed figs. It goes down as one of the best meals I've ever had, made even better by lovely, attentive but not intrusive service.
Calle del Pestrin 3886
Castello
veneziaristoranti.it
Osteria Al Portego
An excellent place for cicheti,
Venice's equivalent to Spain's tapas. We had meaty squid in ink, a
delicious aubergine parmigiana and the best baccalà mantecato I tasted all trip.
There are no English menus but the waiters are friendly and will talk you
through the treats lined up in the cicheti counter.
Calle Malvasia 6015
Castello
Bar All' Arco
This bar was probably once a well-kept secret, but seems like now it might be a Venetian 'must-visit'. Nevertheless the atmosphere was great and it was packed out with both tourists and Venetians drinking Spritzes and nibbling on tasty and cheap cicheti.
Calle dell'Occhiale 436
San Polo
Snack Bar Stagneri
Calle degli Stagneri 5246
San Marco
San Marco
Ristorante Al Conte Pescaor
Piscina San Zulian 544
San Marco
Acuigheta
A more contemporary eatery - full of Venetians and several pooches - with a formal sister restaurant across the street. We started with tomato, basil and oregano bruschetta with such intense depth of flavour, followed by pillowy, pesto-drenched gnocchi and spaghetti alla vongole, then heavenly chocolate torte and raspberry mousse.
Campo San Filippo e Giacomo 4357
Castello
THINGS TO BUY
Il Papiro
There are so many stationery shops in Venice
(it's like heaven). We found this one selling beautiful cards and
correspondence paper, and maps of Venice for just €5.50.
Calle del Piovan 2764
San Marco
Libreria Acqua Alta
There are stacks and stacks of second-hand books, maps
and prints, with lots on Venice in both Italian and English. As always I come
home from a holiday and kick myself because I didn't buy a particular something... in this
case it was a tome on the intriguing Palazzo Dario.
Calle Lungha San Maria Formosa 5176
Castello
Castello
SWEET TREATS
Florian's
It
was a chilly afternoon so we sat inside the jewellery box-esque tearoom,
with cherry-red velvet banquettes and gold lined walls and ceilings. The cioccolata
Casanova was liquid perfection, rather like
drinking molten After Eight.
Piazza San Marco 56
San Marco
caffeflorian.com
caffeflorian.com
Pasticcerie - various across the city
In each neighbourhood there are several pasticcerie where locals buy cakes and treats. Often they have a coffee stand so you can grab a macchiato or espresso on the run - we saw real-life Venetians doing just that. We tried several establishments and they were all great. Our favourite treats were the fritelle veneziana (custard donuts) and ciambelle (icing sugar-dusted ring donuts) the circumference of my head.
APERITIVI
Harry's Bar
Oriental Bar at the Hotel Metropole
Expert cocktails in a stylish 5* setting, where an in-house mixologist has carefully tweaked classic cocktail recipes to create Oriental Bar signature drinks.
The Thai spritz (St. Germain, Thai Basil, prosecco and soda) is particularly refreshing and the Singapore Sling spot on. Worth the price for the skill, setting and complimentary nibbles.
Riva degli Schiavoni 4149
Castello
