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Italy : Venice - July 2008

Country Code: Dial for Italy

The melting heat of Venice in July might dissolve your desire to lap up the artistic landscape. Even so, you should see the mouth-watering exhibition of 18th-century Venetian paintings at Ca’ Rezzonico before drifting between the bars and the now pigeon-free Piazza San Marco. Lisa Gerard Sharp sets an example

Getting around

Marco Polo International Airport.

Taxi: A road taxi from the airport to Piazzale Roma costs about €30. A water taxi will cost approximately €90.
Tourist information: The most helpful tourist office is the Venice Pavilion on the St Mark’s waterfront (, www.turismovenezia.it).
Ferry: Alilaguna ferries go from the airport to Piazza San Marco for €12 (or €25 for the fast, direct service on the Alilaguna Oro). Alternatively, buses cost €3 and stop at Piazzale Roma, opposite the train station. From here, hop on a vaporetto (water bus) to your hotel. One ticket costs €6. The 24-hour pass costs €15.

CANNAREGIO

Bounded by the railway station and the windswept quays, Cannaregio’s chilly backwaters and faded palaces have a distinctly melancholic air. It’s this wistful atmosphere that makes it a magnet for those who have tired of monumental Venice.

Sleep soundly – Ca’ Pozzo is a boutique retreat whose lowkey luxury sits comfortably with the austere mood of the Ghetto.

Culture vultures – The city that invented the term still has a distinctive Ghetto, where moody tenements overshadow the synagogues, Jewish museum and kosher bakery.

Must eat – The engaging Algiubagiò (Fondamente Nuove, ) faces the cemetery island, San Michele. Thoughts of mortality are chased away by local chat and piquant sardines.

Must drink – Dogado Lounge (Strada Nova, by Cà d’Oro ferry stop) is an atmospheric lounge bar, with swinging chairs on the roof terrace.

CASTELLO

The islands are utterly distinctive – from the remote-feeling Torcello to the pastel-painted quaintness of Burano.

Sleep soundly – iQs Charming House (Campiello Querini Stampalia, , thecharminghouse.com, suites from €390) exudes urban chic, contrasting gothic architectural details with contemporary playfulness

Culture vultures – The nearby Querini Stampalia gallery (Castello 5252) stages classical concerts in a salon hung with Venetian landscapes.

Must eat – Da Aciugheta (Campo SS Filippo e Giacomo, ) is a traditional tavern serving unfussy food such as meatballs, mini-pizzas and the marinated anchovies it was named after.

Shop til you drop – La Venexiana Atelier (Ponte Canonica) is a treasure-trove of hand-finished carnival masks and fancy-dress costumes.

PONTE DI RIALTO, SAN POLO AND SANTA CROCE

Once the hub of Venice’s mercantile empire, the Rialto is bustling and beguiling, especially in the mornings.

Culture vultures – Set in a swaggering baroque pile, Ca’ Pesaro (Fondamenta Pesaro) displays modern art by Klimt, Kandinsky, Bonnard, Chagall and more.

Must eat – Muro Vino e Cucina (Campo Bella Vienna, ) is a sleek modernist temple where steak supplants Venetian seafood. If you’re not tempted by the Chateaubriand, try the spinach and veal lasagne.

Must drink – Al Bancogiro (Campo San Giacometto) is a contemporary take on the traditional Venetian wine bar, where locals rub shoulders with tourists over sparkling prosecco.

Shop til you drop – The vegetable, fruit and fish markets on the Rialto are interspersed with small tapas bars that make cheap lunch stops.

SAN MARCO

The pigeons may have been banned from the city’s centrepiece square, but the hordes still descend like vultures – although they’re less likely to peck the marble on the basilica.

Sleep soundly – Palace Bonvecchiati is a design hotel complete with a rooftop fitness centre, a rarity in Venice.

Culture vultures – Palazzo Fortuny (Campo San Beneto) is currently home to an installation by Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave, a homage to the painter and costumier Mariano Fortuny.

Must eat – The famous Harry’s Bar (Calle Vallaresso) is expensive and unprepossessing, but it remains a culinary institution where most Venetians mark important occasions.

Must drink – Just around the corner, the bobbing pontoon bar outside Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal (Calle Vallaresso) lures summer drinkers away from Harry’s Bar.

Compiled by Piazza San Marco - Lisa Gerard Sharp