michael_cain_77398

I'll be with a group of six who have two full days in Venice this September. (I actually have a week, but the rest are arriving later). I'm trying to develop an itinerary that 1) has a local flavor, & avoids the madding crowds as much as possible, 2) manages to capture a good variety of major sights, and 3) is relaxed and leaves time for long lunches and exploring and lingering over glasses of wine.

Two of us are major planners; the other four will smile and follow our lead. I'm hoping for insight on whether this plan meet our goals:

Evening One:
- Check into apartment in the East Castello / West Canneregio area
- Cicchetti crawl along the Fondamenta della Misericordia.


Day One: Wherein I take the lead and they follow.

- Vaporetto down Grand Canal to San Giorgio Maggiore. The church looks nice, but one of our group is a mad fan for bell towers, and the one on San Giorgio looks fabulous.
- Vaporetto to Giudecca. Explore. Chiesa del Redentore. Grab lunch.
- Vaporetto to Dorsoduro. We'll probably only have the time or energy for one museum, Accademia or Guggenheim.
- (if time: Scuola Grande di San Rocco)
- siesta
- 7 pm: We have tickets for Tosca at La Fenice.

Day Two: We brave the tourist crowds

- 10:45: Secret Passages tour, Palazzo Ducale (already reserved; this was the earliest time I could get)
- lunch. Not in San Marco area! Maybe Dorsoduro or San Polo.
- 3 pm: Clock tower tour (reserved)
- More cicchetti
- 8 pm: Rowing lessons with Row Venice, Cannaregio (reserved)

Day Three: 1 pm train to Verona.

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Any feedback is appreciated!

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For myself, I'll be spending another half day wandering, a day exploring the Bienalle exhibits, and a day exploring Torcello.

rialtogrl

If you are meeting the Row Venice boat at their usual spot, I would do cichetti around that area (Misercordia) that night and the first night, get your cichetti around the Rialto market and Campo Santa Margherita, to mix it up a little. If you check in too late to go over the Grand Canal, you could hit Strada Nova and around Campo SS Apostoli & Campo Maria Nova. Cantina Vecia Carbonera, Alla Vedova, Ai Promessi Sposi, Osteria da Alberto... you could make a nice evening out of those.

Peter_S_Aus

My suggestion - after San Giorgio, skip Giudecca. Giedecca has less of interest than Dorsoduro. Take a vaporetto back to Zattere, have a Cicchetti lunch at Cantina Schiavoni, which is just opposite the church of San Trovaso. To get there, you will walk past the Squero San Trovaso, a gondola repair boat yard. Check the architecture of the squero - it is Alpine rather than Venetian, as many of the Venetian boat builders came from the Alps.

You are then a short walk from the Accademia, a longer walk to the Guggenheim. Those two galleries have very different art, so it depends what turns you on.

At the Cantina, just point to the cicchetti that you want, and if you want to take a glass of wine outside, have it poured in a plastic glass. We often take our plate of lunch over the bridge, and sit on the grass in front of the church.

If you go the Guggenheim, take the Giglio traghetto back across the Grand Canal, rather than walking back to the Accademia bridge.

The Rialto fish market is fun to see early in the morning when it is setting up. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Hisurfer

Great advice, thanks! The gang land at 5 pm, so we should have plenty of time to wander towards Campo Santa Margherita. I like having a destination in mind, even if we get lost or distracted en route.

And skipping Giudecca for more time in Dorsoduro makes tons of sense! I added G. just 'cause I saw the vaporetto stopped there. I had already bookmarked Gli Schiavi (and a few others, like al Squero) in that area. That makes it easier for us to split up after lunch too, if needed - some of us will want to hit the museums, some will just want to wander.

Peter_S_Aus

We like the Bar de Pugni, at the bridge connecting Campo Margerita and Campo San Barnaba (just beside the well photographed fruit and veg boat). If you are there, check out the photos of Fabio Bressalino (?) in the shop just to the right of the Bar de Pugni.

Peter_S_Aus

If you do fInd yourself on the Pont de Pugni - the Bridge of Fists - take a look at the white stone footprints let into the paving. They marked the starting line for organised fist fights between Venice's rival clans, the Nicollotti and the Castelani.

Eventually the fights had to be stopped. Too many edged weapons and cudgels in evidence.

rialtogrl

Do you already have the Michaela Scibilia Tap Venice app? If you have an iphone it can come in very handy as it has a lot of the best restaurants and cichetti bars in town, with maps and descriptions etc.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tap-...343376531?mt=8

Hisurfer

I love the Scibilia app! Thanks for the recommendation. I had seen it before, but was put off by some very negative reviews. Turns out those reviewers were idiots. Que sorpresa. I suspect we'll be using it a lot once we're on the ground.

TraceyJ

Happened on this thread and wanted to add my two cents, i mean lira, lol... great sandwich place in san polo is Ai Nomboli - we went several times, and always filled with gondolieri during their lunch break. inexpensive and delicious food.