Laurie

Go to Venice and stay at http://www.alcampaniel.com/

We have stayed in the Holiday Flat 2 times and it was great!

Rates are very reasonable.
Have a great trip.
Laurie

Peter_S_Aus

The location of the holiday flat that Laurie recommends is very dangerous - the chocolate shop to die for is about 10 metres away!! Otherwise, the location is really good, close to a lovely little campo, ten minutes walk to Rialto, 5 minutes to Campo Margerita (which is lively) and yet not particularly touristic.

Laurie

And it is right next to the San Toma Vaporetto stop. And Peter is teasing you! No Danger involved. The most dangerous thing is the best gelato stand in Venice. Mille Voglie.

Have a great time!

nicbur

Ok, you are all bad influences because I am having a hard time resisting this now. I hate to spend more money than we expected but, at the same time, who knows when we'll make it back to Italy? Too many other places on the list. So, we have 3 extra days. Do we do two in Florence, one in Venice or vice versa? (note: we are coming from Rome) I'm mostly looking to spend these days walking around leisurely as we will be exhausted from our 2 week whirlwind. What would you suggest we see in Florence? I am not familiar with Florence or Venice (other than the typical knowledge of the canals but that's about it).

zeppole

You really cannot skimp on air conditioning in these cities in August. Bear in mind that in Venice, you cannot open your windows at night because of mosquitoes, so A/C is quite important. For Firenze (Florence), the Tourist House Ghiberti is moderately priced with A/C. You need to check that your Venice recommendations have A/C before you book anything. Venice hotel reservations are sometimes hard to cancel.

Because it will be so hot, you need a strategy in both places for getting through the day. You should plan to walk around early in the morning, have a light lunch, and either retreat to an air conditioned museum or church-visiting in the afternoon, or nap until it cools down, then return to the streets and the museums.

Venezia and Firenze are art destinations. If you are not big museum-goers, it is better to enjoy the small museums rather that battle your way through the big ones (where you often need reservations.

Some highly rewarding and fantastic interiors to visit in Florence are: Palazzo Medici, the Museo San Marco, the museum of the Duomo, and the Duomo itself and the Bapistery.

In Venice, the churches are worthwhile (and cool), so buying a pass is a good idea, as are the schools or "scuolae", most especially the scuola dei Carmini and the scuola grande di san rocco.

Drink plenty of fluids. Take breaks. Toss away the guidebook and just enjoy some strolls. The cafes in the huge piazzas are wildly expensive. Avoid them.

Peter_S_Aus

Two days in Florence and one in Venice probably won't do it, because you lose a day each time you move cities. I'd suggest that you do three days in either Florence or Venice, but I don't really know Florence, having spent only a handfull of nights there, and I've never "done" (hate that expression) the big ticket sights like the Uffizzi.

I'm a bit of a Venice freak - spent weeks there last winter - and I think it is the small things there that can really grab you. Get hold of the book Venice by Jan Morris - you'd find a second hand copy - and see if it seduces you. I wrote a little about Venice, pretty much ignoring the bigger sights. With a total lack of humility, you'd find it here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...st-verbose.cfm

Peteralan

We stayed in the flat in al campaniel last September and were very happy with it. Very reasonable price too and very handy for transport. Go on...walk onthe wild side and try the chocolate shop!