I second uhoh's mention of Trattoria al Cugnai. We stopped there for lunch because it was close to the Accademia which we had just finished visiting, and it looked cozy and inviting on a very rainy day. The food was inexpensive but delicious, and we had fun visiting with a Swedish family at a nearby table. We all got a real kick out of our waitress who was brusque but seemed to also have a mischievious twinkle in her eye. The next day, while flipping through Rick Steves' Italy book, we found out that this was a place he recommends, saying that is run by &quot;three gruff sisters&quot;, so we were wondering if our waitress was one of them.<BR><BR>John, while Venice undoubtedly does not have the same degree of night life as, say, Rome, there are places to go. We spent a lot of time in the evening at the Campo Santa Margherita, which draws a lot of students and other younger people. (The average age of Venetians may be the highest in Italy -- as you've heard -- but that hardly means there are no low ages.) This place is bar, not a cafe, but we really enjoyed spending time in the evening at a place we found on our first day in Venice: the Margaret Duchamp, on the southeast corner of the Campo Santa Margherita. The friendly owner, Luciano, always had great music playing from tapes that he puts together, and the corner location is a great spot for people-watching. <BR><BR>

Hi John,<BR> I'd add a day to Venice. They don't roll up the canals at 9:00 PM.

I've been to Venice twice both trips in August. Sure it was crowded but did not spoil my day, at all. Magical city!! As others have mentioned, I'd subtract days from Milan and/or Florence to add a couple more in Venice. 2 days is simply not enough time there.