9. Rialto Bridge - Our apartment is on the San Marco side; the hotel for checkin is on the opposite side. How is the terrain; would hauling our luggage from there be easier than hauling it over the Rialto Bridge - twice?

Almost anything would be better than hauling your luggage over the Rialto twice. It is a very tall bridge packed with visitors. Climibing it twice with luggage would be a very unpleasant way to begin your visit. The terrain beyond on eaither side will be flat with an occasional bridge--up 4 steps, down 4 steps. Having one person wait at a cafe with the luggage on the apartment side is a great idea. Be sure the person checking in takes ALL the passports--I suspect the hotel will need to register all guests in the apartment.

For lace, visit Burano.

For glass, Murano.

The clock tower was open 2 weeks ago.

To see San Marco when the chanderliers are lighted, go to the side door by the lion statues on the left facing SM for the 8:30 Mass. It lasts about 30 minutes and is a lovely uncrowded experience.

<font color="blue">7. Anyone taken the Jewish museum tour, which includes the synagoge tour? If so, how was it? Only info I find says it is not worth it. </font>

We made the mistake of NOT taking the tour but visiting the museum. The tour gives you access to areas (including the synagogues) you can't visit on your own. If you go, take the tour.

Kappa, I wonder if you read my post or only some words of it. I said &quot;I totally loved it&quot;. It's not MY opinion, because, as I've said twice, and I quote, again: &quot;I totally loved it&quot;.

I've been a user of this website since January and, so far, I think I have read 2 out of 10 positive comments about it. That's why I said &quot;usually&quot;. Who knows? Maybe I am like you. I read a couple of words from a post and, then, jum into conclusions.

However, this is what you said about it &quot;not bad to be there occasionally&quot;, which is not really an encouraging opinion.

My goodness! I was so excited when I came to Fodors &amp; saw the # of responses I got. Then I clicked onto this thread &amp; found all of the great responses - thanks everyone!

Then lo &amp; behold, Samantha Brown had a show today on the &quot;Hidden Venice&quot; &amp; I got it taped. In that show she went to the hands-on mosiac tile shop, Orsoni, as Bailey advised me - thank you, Bailey. S.Brown said it was in the Cannaregio area. I will have to watch the tape to see if I can spot a calle or address; I'll try searching the internet also. Bailey if you know anything, I am interested; such as, hours, website, must book now or can book after arrive, etc. Would be nice to make coaster size tiles (w/ &quot;Venezia&quot; on them) to take back as gifts.

She also had a &quot;genuine&quot; mask shop profiled, but didn't give any info. Would love to find out about it. It makes masks in the &quot;old&quot; way, in the shop.

Thanks to all who told me the clock tower is open - that is great &quot;photo op&quot; news.

Abram &amp; Mclaurie, thanks for the Jewish tour info. Now, we definitely are interested in taking it; glad I asked. We are not Catholic either, but were in awe of the Vatican. So, not being Jewish will not matter. We love history &amp; personalized history is icing on the lucious cake!

Bailey, again thanks. Now, definitely ant to visit the monastery on San Francesco del Deserto. Do you remember if there is a website; how you got there; how to make a reservation; any details would be appreciated. Also, I'm assuming you gave a donation? How does that work - hand to your guide, or...

And yes, Bailey, we would love to meet you &amp; your sister, but don't know if it is feasible. You arrive on the 1st &amp; we leave early on the 2nd? However, we do not drink alcohol; realize we could order a soda, but if it works out, maybe we could do a gelato???? Always room for gelato!

Chorus Pass - good info; thanks to those who gave me that great info. We have 6 independent walking tours mapped, so I'm sure we can make good use of the pass!

SaminLondon - thanks for the gondola info - more great stuff! We will sure be there to gawk - just like at a construction site! Hope we get a good photo op.

Kappa, thanks for the Dalmatian School link. No wonder I couldn't find it on the map - I was looking for &quot;Dalmatian School&quot; &amp; it is Scuola de S.Giorgio degli Schiavoni - whew!

And the Lido - Diz01, Kappa, Castellanese, we are convinced &amp; we are going, especially since the beach season will be over. I understand how many people would hate it &amp; books would rec. against it - must be horrible during tourist season! That's what is so great about this board; we can ask each other - much better!

Diz01 - you helped me with the Basilica lites issue - I was afraid we would be stumbling around in the dark - now I understand. I will check around &amp; try to get the times for the &quot;illumination&quot;!

yk - thanks for the link to the Arch. Bien. It appears to be a sort of &quot;trade&quot; show; may not allow the public. But definitely worth looking into once we get there. I am sure the TI will know about it.

Allona06 - sounds like checked bags do bypass the line. RE: the tour - what did you think of it? Were you given enough time at each spot? Do you remember the website for pre-booking? Do you think I can book after we arrive in Vencie? Thanks for your help.

Neopolitan - I really appreciate your info on the terrain on our hotel side of the Rialto Bridge. Now we have 2 options. I understand your puzzle re: why have the bags on that side &amp; then have to carry them over the R.B. to get to our apartment. But, we may have to &quot;check&quot; the luggage at the hotel if we cannot immed. occupy the apt. We arrive in Venice at 8:30am. The hotel said that right now, the apt. is not booked the nite before we arrive &amp; to check with them just before we leave home. If not occupied, we can get keys early &amp; someone waiting with the luggage on the San Marco side would make more sense. If not, we can take a vaporetto to the hotel side, check our bags, wander around, take a vaporetto from the hotel side to San Marco = no hauling over the bridge.

To the others I have not mentioned, thanks for your gracious responses &amp; help.

Now....hopefully more posts will arrive....still have the Gregorian mass, hands-on or visiting a &quot;real&quot; mask-making shop, unique tours (ghost, etc.!), 12 min. intro video on St. Mark's, &amp; so many things I have not even mentioned.

Wish everyone could come along with us - our own group tour! Thanks again, Julie

Julie-

The Venice Architecture Biennale is open to anyone.

Last year, DH &amp; I went to the Venice Art Biennale while we were there.

There is a review article on the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/ar...gn/14bien.html

If you subscribe to the WSJ - I believe a few weeks ago there's a detailed section on the Architecture Biennale (on the show itself, and how to visit it etc) on a Friday European WSJ. If you subscribe to WSJ online, you get free access to it.

i'm in the camp that thinks the Lido is ugly and a total waste of time. why would anyone with limited time in venice go there. if you want a beach go elsewhere. that's the only reason i can think of to see the Lido.

Hi Julie. You asked about a lot of places I was interested in as well...went with my family this past June. Ironically, our hotel was very close to a wonderful, authentic mask shop I'd read about and wanted to visit...&quot;Ca' del Sol.&quot; It is in the Castello area, just back in a bit behind the Bridge of Sighs, San Zaccaria area @ Fondamenta Osmarin. Their website is www.cadelsolmaschere.com They have two shops, right across the canal from each other, where you can watch them make masks. They encourage you to try them on. They also sell Carnivale costumes (don't know if you can make them there yourself, but am sure they could inform you). My kids were fascinated with this place. Seems I'd read that there a shope where you can make them in Dosodoro. I also caught the S. Brown show about the mosaic place two days ago, and was going to mention it...glad you got it!

We went to the Gregorian Mass April 2005. It was lovely but not exactly what we expected. It does start at 11 a.m but it is in the chapel, so seating is limited.

I thought it would be a group of people &quot;chanting&quot; together but it is your regular mass, just whoever is speaking is singing. Also, it is not in English so beautiful to listen but we were not able to follow along easily.

The church is really pretty and we were glad to have had the experience. Have a wonderful trip.

So sorry! I forgot to thank some folks - ellenem, thanks for the luggage suggestions; katharineclifton thanks for the Alice in Wonderland link; saraho, thanks for the San Marco idea--love those little known times &amp; sites, will do; thanks, maureen, oliveoil, gekko; sorry if I missed anyone.

Just so thrilled to have gotten so many responses &amp; so many great leads to exciting new adventures!

yk - don't do WSJ; but thanks for the link. Glad to know that Arch. Bien. is for public; it's on one of our independent walking tours so will be sure to check it out.

guanciale - thanks for the great &quot;mask&quot; leads &amp; the link. Will definitely go to the one/two you suggested &amp; will ask around &amp; look for the possible hands-on one.

earl30 - thanks for giving me what I just love about us humans - we have differing opinions! To answer your question regarding why anyone would go there - I would not during beach season. Plus, not interested in swimming/sunning at all. We will go there because &quot;it is there&quot;, want to see for ourselves, we'll have the time (won't take long), &amp; one never knows where a memorable occasion will occur! Could happen for us on Lido; but if not, no harm done. At the very least, when I come back &amp; I see someone on this board ask about Lido, I can do as you did &amp; give my opinion!

Thanks again all. Now I have to go to all of those links, put all the info together, so we don't forget/miss anything!

Julie

p.s. motorcitygirl, you must have posted while I was working on this. Soooo thrilled - keep getting more &amp; more info. Did you get seats? What time should we be there to get a seat? How long does it last? I'm not Catholic; what should I know about attending a mass? During the mass do we go to &amp; from kneeling position, or since we are not Catholic should we just sit still? What about donation - is a plate passed as in Protestant churches? Should I wear a scarf on my head or is that no longer necessary in Catholic churches? Heard Gregorian mass is also at 8am Mon-Sat; do you know about those? Thanks so much for your help - this is so exciting!

We went to the San Giorgio Gregorian Mass at 11 am on Sunday. It was in the church and it was lovely to listen to it while looking at the beautiful large painting to the right of the altar. It's a little tricky to get on the vaparetto that goes directly there, so allow enough time to make sure which vaparetto to go on to get there in time for the church service. After church, go up the tower for a spectacular view of Venice.

We will be in Venice October 11-15- sorry we'll miss seeing you there.

Julie,
We did not take a tour, just made advance reservations to avoid the line at basilicasanmarco.it, - go to plan your visit and follow the links. We made our reservation for the opening time and by-passed the crowd by entering at the door marked for tours. If you schedule a tour you would also avoid the long line and go in through the tour entrance. There is not a charge for reservations. Have a great trip, Venice is my favorite city in the world.

I think we got there about 30 minutes early. Plenty of time. We got seats and they don't let people into the chapel really early, so people kind of lined up about 10 minutes before 11 am.

You will kneel, stand, sit on a rotating basis. Just follow everyone else. I think I remember a donation plate being passed. Have some coins.

You do NOT need to cover your head. I don't know about the other time. We found out about it through the Rick Steve's book.

Gosh, the info just keeps coming! I have copied &amp; pasted all of this onto my sightseeing file (which I will print out &amp; take w/me!)

Thanks again everyone.

Julie

Hi Julie, no head covering required but do have your shoulders and upper arms covered and your legs covered to right below your knees. It sounds like you will have a wonderful time in Venice!!

Castellanese, if you are still following this thread, please read what I wrote and what you wrote again.

I had understood you loved Lido the 2nd time. You said &quot;people usually hate il Lido.&quot; That's what I said you are wrong about. People usually don't HATE Lido. Some may love, for some it may be just fine or some may be just indifferent but not many people have such strong opinion as HATE against Lido. At least I have never read one here.

And I like Lido, just not as much I love Venice proper.

Ok, I see above earl30 who actually HATED Lido but I bet this one is an exception.

There's nothing particularly wrong with the Lido--it's a beach resort with all the pluses and minuses of beach resorts.

In late October there really isn't much to see or do there as it isn't beach resort weather. I don't think that I'd waste valuable vacation time going to the Lido during its off-season.

Congratulations to these detailed questions, Julie_Hurst - these are really different from what is being asked every day here on Fodor's! I don't think there'll be anyone around to have an answer to all of them - at least, I haven't! I'm leaving out the numbers I can't answer or that have already been thoroughly answered by others:
1. SamInLondon has already answered it - I just want to add that for those who want to meet for a gelato in Venice, the best gelateria in town is just across the canal from the squero. Additionally, and way less known than the &quot;last squero&quot;, there's a &quot;remer&quot; (a manufacturer of oars specifically for gondolas) at Corte Rota, just across Ponte dei Carmini from (above mentioned) Fondamenta de l'osmarin.

2. 99 percent of the glass and lace of Venice are horrible, horrible, horrible tourist stuff. I don't know if you can buy ONE piece of really decent lace on the Burano island, but at least, you can watch some very, very old ladies demonstrating lace production at the Burano Lace Museum (museo del merletto), that's really interesting. The ladies (especially one of them) are coming every day twice, in the morning and in the afternoon, but they have of course no fixed schedule, you have to ask at the museum entrance whether they're here or when they'll come back.
As far as glass, there are SOME better (at least: slightly better) manufacturers and shops on Murano, but the one and only really good Murano glass is to be found three steps from Piazza S. Marco: the Pauly company (follow Calle larga S. Marco to the end and don't turn right, like everybody, but cross the bridge over Rio della canonica - it leads directly into the palace where their showroom is to be found). This is exactly the opposite of cheap, but in every respect - it's in fact the only place where you understand why the hell Murano glass could ever become famous (ugly as it usually is, nowadays).

4. I've nothing to add to the mass (I'm the contrary of a mass expert), just to the &quot;beautiful large picture right of the altar&quot; - this is one of Tintoretto's most famous and most brillant works, the very best of his many Last Suppers.

5. S. Michele is worth visiting if you are &quot;collecting&quot; tombs of prominent people. Otherwise, my personal view is that it's not particularly rewarding (and yes, I'm equally weird and like visiting cemeteries). S. Michele's problem, to me, is that it's so closed within its brick walls that are not only surrounding the island but also dividing the cemetery into many smaller areas. The best part of it is its early Renaissance church.
If you love cemeteries, I suggest going to the Lido (YES, and that's certainly the one and only reason why I'd go there - I'm another one who hates the Lido) and visit the &quot;new&quot; Jewish cemetery (the historic one is practically closed all year round, since the supposed Sunday guided tours almost never take place, and in autumn, they are not even scheduled). This &quot;new&quot; cemetery, however, is still old enough, and it's really an intriguing place.

6. The Arsenale was the heart of the military and industrial power of the mighty Republic of Venice, the factory where they built their war and trade ships (and much more). What remains today, are more or less the ruins of the historic arsenal, but they're still impressive enough (and well-preserved enough to host part of the Biennale, also of the Biennale di Architettura). The most impressive part is the Corderia, Venice's largest building of all times (they manufactured the ropes for their ships there). Don't miss the experience, it's a great sight off the beaten track.

7. Don't know where you got this info. The Synagogues are extraordinarily interesting and beautiful, above all the one built by Baldassare Longhena (the architect of S. Maria della Salute).

8. Go when the sun is shining. The interior is getting some (though not too much) light from outside.

9. Generally spoken, both sides of Rialto are confusing, with a high probability to get lost, but the S. Silvestro side maybe even more so. Anyhow, for waiting with the luggage, I'd immediately choose the S. Marco side - don't underestimate the effort of hopping off and on the vaporetto with your luggage!

11. I never understand why anyone should take a tour where it's possible to make the visit on your own, so I'm just talking about places that you can ONLY visit with a tour. Very interesting is the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo (open on Saturdays and Sundays - the vaporetto no. 13, the S. Erasmo line, will stop there on these two days): the late medieval/early Renaissance quarantine station of Venice, rather far out in the lagoon (inevitably, for a quarantine station). Sailors and their wares had to wait for several weeks there before entering the city, if Venice had the slightest suspicion they could bring in any disease. They were treated extremely well and got a medical service of the highest possible standard - of the time, of course, with tragical mistakes, as we know today. It was thought then that fragrances were a remedy against the Black Death, so they burnt rosemary and similar herbs to make the incense &quot;disinfect&quot; the merchandise... Anyhow, many of the sailors must have never before and never again experienced the same standard of living and of hygiene as during these weeks in Venice's quarantine station.
Else, the Scuola di S. Girolamo a S. Fantin is a small hidden jewel in the midst of the touristy hustle-bustle of the S. Marco district; excellent paintings of lesser Renaissance masters like Palma il Giovane. It houses the Ateneo Veneto now, an important scholarship institute in the field of the humanities. Nobody ever comes and visits; they're literally happy if they can show you around. For more &quot;different&quot; suggestions, you might want to read my &quot;favourite Venetian sightseeing&quot; thread (just click on my screenname, and you'll easily find it).

13. No, and I wouldn't (see above) if it doesn't include the great, normally closed, and totally unknown, crypt (which, however, I strongly doubt).

14. Addition: this is one of the greatest sights of Venice - Carpaccio (the painter, not the beef) at his very best.

15. See above - ugly, cheap-looking, modern, and the main problem is that there are cars and busses, which deprives you of the best Venice experience: to see no car at all for several days. Only reason to visit, as I told, is the Jewish cemetery.

16. Yes. The monks were a little weird, as monks usually are (no big surprise, given the strange life they have), but very, very, very friendly and nice. It's difficult to get there; the point is not that you'd need a reservation, you need a boat (no public service goes there)! There are kind of taxis or private ferries that do only S. Francesco from Burano, but that's one of the worst tourist rip-off traps all over Venice and its lagoon - their prices are simply incredible (it's a way of five minutes each). The monastery is not that beautiful (in fact, from the artistic and architectonic point of view, it's not at all beautiful - just its location is splendid) that I'd pay such a crazy price. I went there with a Venetian who has his private boat, but this won't be a possible solution for you, unless your Italian is very, very good.

17. The bags service is at S. Basso, if this is of interest to you or anybody, an ex-church to the left of the Basilica. Big signs will guide you there.