We had a terrific vacation to Venice, Florence and Positano and I'd love to share some of the highlights with all of you who have been absolutely indispensible in the planning of our fab trip. I'm always amazed at the generosity of those who contribute to this forum, and I try to return the favor when I can (altho I'm still quite a novice traveller!). <BR> <BR>We enjoyed a great vacation on a budget, so I hope those with similarly limited funds will gain some useful information here. <BR> <BR>We arrived at Marco Polo on Friday afternoon and opted for the quick and easy express bus from the airport to Piazzale Roma (30 min, Lit. 5,000). From there it was a quick trip on the motoscafo to our fab hotel on the Zattere, LA CALCINA (tel: 041-5206466 / fax: 041-5227045 / email:
[email protected]). <BR> <BR>I must take some time here to lavish praise on this wonderful little hotel. We had room #3, which had 2 large windows looking out on the wide-open vista of the Zattere, the Giudecca Canal and Giudecca Island across the way. Along with this gorgeous sight to greet us every morning, we enjoyed the best and most abundant breakfasts of our trip in La Calcina's charming breakfast room. However, the best part was really the large floating terrace in front, which was bathed in sunlight from sunrise to sunset every day. We luxuriated on this deck every afternoon, sipping cocktails and soaking up all the incredible atmosphere which only Venice has to offer. Our room was immaculate and the staff was wonderful - I can't recommend this hotel highly enough. I can't remember the daily rate for our room, but our bill for 3 nights was just under $400 - and that's including extras like our daily cocktails. <BR> <BR>Thoroughly pleased with ourselves for having scored such terrific accomodations, we went off in search of lunch. We found Trattoria Antico Capon in nearby Campo Santa Margherita and had a great little meal, sitting outside and watching the neighborhood children playing ball while their mothers and grandmothers gossipped in little clusters. This was another great place to soak up local atmosphere, since it wasn't crawling with tourists and we could enjoy the peace and ordinary life of the neighborhood. <BR> <BR>From there we went on to the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, which were thoroughly congested with tourists, but no less impressive because of it. With its cleaned-up facade, the basilica was positively brilliant, and gave off a powerful sense of past glory that was pretty thrilling. <BR> <BR>We walked along the Riva Schiavone, which was quite overrun with tourists, when we caught sight of the sleek and sexy Cipriani water taxi, which was just then boarding. Deciding on the spot that we would have dinner at Harry's Dolci, we hopped on and set off in style for the Cipriani hotel. Feeling like movie stars, we looked back at San Marco, bathed in rich golden afternoon sun and absolutely stunning. <BR> <BR>Surprisingly, the Cipriani was not especially interesting (at least what we saw of it), so we went off in search of Harry's Dolci. Little did we know that it was a 1/2hr. walk from the hotel! No matter, since we had a lovely stroll along the Giudecca Canal. The Giudecca was completely undiluted by the presence of tourists, despite the fact of the Cipriani hotel or the youth hostel. <BR> <BR>Harry's Dolci was deserted (it was only 7pm) and we had the benefit of no less than five delightfully attentive waiters. We had one of our best meals in Venice here, altho "budget" it was decidedly not: our little dinner of appetizers and dessert was over $70 (including cocktails)! <BR> <BR>OK - I just decided that I can't continue to bore you with every tiny detail of our Venice experience, so I'll stick to highlights now: <BR> <BR>*Walking around Venice - the whole city is a highlight. I couldn't get enough of the tiny windy streets that would suddenly open onto an utterly charming little canal or precious little campo. There's just nothing on earth like this magical city on the water. <BR> <BR>*The Campanile - absolutely breathtaking! Venice in all its glory spread out in front of us, offering an eye-opening perspecitive on this city, which can feel like a rather dark rabbit warren of tiny streets when you walk through it. For maximum impact, I recommend this as one of the last things you do in the city. <BR> <BR>*Ostaria Ponte del Diavolo - this open-air restaurant in Torcello was a real treat. First, it's located in Torcello, which makes for a wonderful little day trip from Venice. Second, it's positively enchanting: a rather large restaurant, it was packed with local families enjoying a leisurely Sunday brunch, from grandparents down to their little grandchildren. Every so often one table or another would break into robust song or a rhyming toast, and the feeling of good cheer and la dolce vita was totally infectious. It was the only time on our trip when we felt that we weren't just tourists on the outside looking in, but actually participating in a special slice of Italian life. Oh, and by the way, the food was amazing! Don't miss it! <BR> <BR>The only down side was that the restaurants were decidedly hit-or-miss. Although they were recommended in guidebooks or on this forum, we found the following to be rather disappointing: Trattoria Acciughetta, Osteria da Alberto, and, worst of all, Trattoria San Trovaso (AWFUL food, ambience and service). <BR> <BR>There's so much more I'd love to share, but I'll leave it at that for now. Florence and Positano notes to follow when I recharge my batteries! Please DO ask questions if there's anything I can help answer - it helps me keep that vacation glow going! <BR> <BR>Happy travels to you all, <BR>Jane <BR>
