Venice – January 2006
Early in January Vicky and I headed off to Venice for a long weekend, thanks to Elke for looking after the girls. It was lovely to have some time to ourselves to wander the streets (!), drink in the sights, drink up the prosecco and discover some new and remembered restaurants.
You can see the photos – a limited 30! – at the gallery. Do a slideshow so you can crack through them.
Photographically I was trying out an Xpan that I’d recently picked up as a rather trashed second-hand “bargain” from the Procentre. I was in a B&W mood (the weather was going to be overcast and rainy – just the thing for some grainy Tri-X). The ‘ManInTheShop’ suggested some Fuji NeoPan 1600 (a very fast B&W film) so I stuffed the bag with Tri-X and a couple of Neopans to try and we headed off. I’ll give some feedback once I’ve scanned in the panoramas…
We stayed at the Bauer and really liked it. We also found some great fooderies. Details shared after the jump…
So – to details!
Taxies to and from the airport
Learning point one: book the water taxi from the airport to St Mark’s in advance. This way you get the full taxi experience for 25Euros each and not 90Euros for the private hire. Neat. They also do return journeys, but the latest they leave is 6pm – a bit too early for the 9pm last flights out.
The company is Bucintoro Viaggi in Campo San Luca. There’s a main shop in the campo, but they don’t deal with the taxi co-op. Head down Calle dei Fuseri and a few doors down you’ll see another Bucintoro office and they will be able to make the booking for you.
Book in advance from the UK on 041.521.06.32.
This leads me to…
Mobile phones
If you don’t want to go mad in Venice, you don’t drop the leading zero when phoning Venice from Venice.
I don’t get it. You do the “+39” for the country and, ordinarily, you’d then drop the leading zero in the city code (041) and just dial (41) then the number. Nope: null point.
Dial the international access, country code and full city code. That works.
Great eats
I’m loathed to pass on these details but since only nice people are reading this…
Vino Vino – in the guidebooks. Just lovely little trattoria. Enter, choose the food you want from the menu (aided by the fact it’s all arranged under glass at the counter) and then you’re shown a seat. Food arrives and happiness ensues. My pollo arrosto was lovely. As was the wine. Yum.
Trattoria all Madonna, hidden at the grotty end of Calle Della Madonna, away from the slimey tourist trap canal-side restaurants near Rialto, was a gem. Recommended by one of the staff at the hotel as a non-tourist place with great food, it lived up to its billing. The fish – arranged in a wonderful display as you enter the harshly-lit first room – was so fresh it was flipping and the service was friendly and helpful.
Osteria enoteca San Marco On the busy Frizzeria (one of the San Marco to Rialto routes) this modern-looking enoteca would not look out of place in any european city. A smart and intriguing menu initially didn’t support the “great cheese and wine” recommendation from the hotel staff. Billed as the place they nip for a quick, quality lunch I can only assume that their notion of quick, humble food is a few notches higher than mine! The recommendation though was spot on: the cheese platter was stunning, and the ravioli melted in the mouth. They kindly substituted brasaola for horse meat (!) in the salad and the wine was first class.
The bill was eye-watering, but the food was mouth-watering.
Trattoria Alla Rivetta was recommended to us years ago by Anna and Graeme. We “lost” it for a year but rediscovered it again, and were treated to a session of pure theatre! It’s not as unknown as I’d (vainly) hoped, being listed by Fromers…. Their summary is neat:
Lively and frequented by gondoliers (always a clue of quality dining for the right price), merchants, and visitors drawn to its bonhomie and bustling popularity, this is one of the safer bets for genuine Venetian cuisine and company in the touristy San Marco area, a 10-minute walk east of the piazza. All sorts of fish — the specialty — decorate the window of this brightly lit place. Another good indicator: There’s usually a short wait, even in the off season.
Our wait was nearly 30 minutes, standing, but was a non-stop carnival of jokes, banter, horseplay, teasing and two jugs of complimentary prosecco 🙂
On our next visit I may not even go to the hotel to unpack before going there for the seafood salad…
Hope these tips are of use. I’m not plotting how I can head back there – this time with the girls (hoping that they’re old enough not to jump/fall in the canals…). If anyone’s got any tips on apartments to rent for a family, please pass them on!