adventureseeker

3 weeks to go...

We are celebrating our 10yr anniversary and with 4 nights and full days in Venice (our first trip to Italy). We're staying at Locanda Orseolo.

What would you do the first day arriving at 10am (after a 13 hr flight through the night)? We'll be jetlagged, but ecstatic.

I'd like your input (good, bad and ugly) on:

1) Restaurants:

Riveria
Cantina Canaletto
Acqua Pazza
Osteria alla Botte
La Zucca
Vini da Gigio
Osteria Antico Dolo
Masaniello
(we like to mix it up....ambiance, lively, hip, romantic, mom & pop, local flair. oh, and great food)
(drinks & cicchetti) Osteria Bancogiro & Cantina Do Mori

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Burano-Trattoria al gatto Nero da Ruggero
Torcello
San Giorgio Maggiore
Rialto Market
Fish Market
Zattere Promenade
Squero (Gondola factory)
Ca Rezzonico Palazzo Gallery
Mondonova (authentic mask maker) Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Secret Itineries Tour/Doge's Palace
St. Mark’s Basilica
La Fenice (tour)
Museo Storico Navale (for the DH)
Gondola ride (small canals at night)
Cafe' Florian (inside for tea, outside at night for music/drinks)
Above all.....getting lost in Venice!

It's a long list, but we like to be on the go. We also enjoy lingering at a cafe' to re-energize and people watch.

Any Musical performance recommendations?
We're looking at I Musici Veneziani: Vivaldi-4 Seasons at Scuola Grande di San Teodoro. This looks divine. A renowned orchestra in XVIII Venetian costume at an elegant venue.

A special shout out to: Girlspytravel, Franco and all the rest who have made this special trip something to look forward to!

ira

Hi A,

>What would you do the first day...

Just wander around and stay up until dinner time.

Don't do anything that requires thought.

The Rialto fish market is best seen very early in the morning, when they are setting up.

Enjoy your visit.

traveler2005

Congratulations to the two of you. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary and will also be staying at the Locanda Orseolo. We'll be taking a cruise from Venice and haven't done as much planning as you as to what to do in Venice. We were there several years ago - but not for as long as you. I enjoyed reading your list and will look forward to the replies.

Debbie

amyb

AdventureSeeker...

Ira has good advice (as always) and I second the recommendation to just wander that first day. It is one of the most delightful places to wander, if only because you'll get lost, never see the same place twice and never know what you'll see next (if you get off the main tourist areas).

But I highly recommend the Secret Itineraries Tour. You will get mixed reviews on this, but I am into history and I loved it. Be sure to go to the top of the campanile for a gorgeous view out over the Grand Canal -- one of the few travel experiences that took my breath away.

I spent three days there and in retrospect kind of wish I'd scrapped Burano/Torcello for more time to wander. There was so much more to see in Venice itself, but I had convinced myself to see Burano.

I think it's tough to recommend restaurants in Venice because they are sometimes hard to find and can change between visits. But I had one mediocre meal and two really good meals there. I would highly recommend Trattoria Vino da Arturo (Calle degli Assassini). It was near impossible for me to find (walked by it about 50 times, I swear!) but it was well worth it once I did. Details on this and others are in my trip report, which I won't repeat here: http://tinyurl.com/2m6mnj

I hope you have a wonderful time, it should be a nice time of year to be there. Enjoy and happy anniversary!

franco

Ok, I'm trying to answer as much as I can:
Riveria - actually Riviera; don't know it personally; favourite Venice restaurant with Fodorite foodie plafield
Cantina Canaletto - never heard of
Acqua Pazza - really good food, but not only the water is mad (acqua pazza = mad water), also the prices are. I would never go there if I had to pay the bill myself.
Osteria alla Botte - my favourite, as you'll probably know
La Zucca - good, but not great, and no Venetian food (cook's fantasies, with many vegetarian dishes among them)
Vini da Gigio - excellent
Osteria Antico Dolo - very good and commendable, notwithstanding its touristy fame
Masaniello - Acqua Pazza's little brother, not exactly the same standard, but similar prices. IF I'd be willing to pay them, I'd certainly choose Acqua Pazza.

Osteria Bancogiro & Cantina Do Mori - both are fun, Do Mori a more traditional venue, Bancogiro more fancy

SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Burano-Trattoria al gatto Nero da Ruggero - the island is nice but unnecessary, the trattoria has a reputation for good food at rip-off prices
Torcello - among Venice's greatest sights
San Giorgio Maggiore - the best view on the architecture is from Piazzetta S. Marco, the interior is relatively weak, but DO go if you're interested in painting (the very best of Tintoretto's many Last Suppers is there)
Rialto Market - GREAT fun
Fish Market - part of the Rialto market, there's no difference (the BEST part of it)
Zattere Promenade - nice, not too important
Squero (Gondola factory) - very picturesque, visible only from outside (i.e. from across the canal), no possibility to enter
Ca Rezzonico Palazzo Gallery - wonderful for who is interested in late baroque/rococo
Mondonova (authentic mask maker) - don't know
Peggy Guggenheim Museum - world-class
Secret Itineries Tour/Doge's Palace - a highlight; assign enough time, the Palace is huge, and the regular visit is NOT part of the Itinerari Segreti tour, you have to do it on your own afterwards - you'll need minimum half a day for the tour plus the palace
St. Mark’s Basilica - another highlight, if you're not claustrophobic
La Fenice (tour) - worth it
Museo Storico Navale (for the DH) - ok, for the DH
Gondola ride (small canals at night) - not my sort of stuff, can't comment
Cafe' Florian (inside for tea, outside at night for music/drinks) - a highlight, the stratospheric prices notwithstanding
Above all.....getting lost in Venice! - very good point indeed

It's a long list, but we like to be on the go. - it's not THAT long, quite doable

We're looking at I Musici Veneziani: Vivaldi-4 Seasons at Scuola Grande di San Teodoro. A renowned orchestra in XVIII Venetian costume at an elegant venue. - That's mistaken, sorry. No hint of a renowned orchestra, rather, costumed dilettanti. The venue is indeed interesting also for me (visible only during the concerts), but I think buying a ticket for a concert that you don't really want to hear just in order to see the Scuola Grande di S. Teodoro is only for the craziest Venice buffs (I'll do it, one day, but couldn't screw up my courage so far).

adventureseeker

Franco:

-I Didn't know that Masaniello was the bro of Acqua.

-thank you for the heads up on timeline of Doge's Palace/SI tour. I'll carve out enough time to enjoy.

-any insight on the La Fenice Tour? Their site mentions that they only do private tours of 10+ otherwise it's audio guide. I emailed them for info on how to reserve (I've heard that it books up fast), but no response.

BTW: If I wasn't so dead set on Locanda Orseolo, we'd rent the apartment you recommend. That is a gem and at a great price. Next time!

Thx again for all your help and guidance.

**************************
amyb: I'll check out your trip report...thx.

bfrac

Bookmarking, great tips and advice.

LAwoman

Would add - tour the Grand Canal in a front seat on the #1 Vaparetto. Need to do early, to guarantee a good seat.

Agree that the Zattere Promenade is nice but not too important.

amyb

One more thing, try to book the Fenice tour ahead of time if you can. When I arrived, they were already booked for the entire week.

franco

adventureseeker - never try to make any appointments, in Italy, by email! That's simply no Italian way of communication. Always call by phone!
Have fun!

BowenLinda

Wander your first day but after dinner head to Cafe Florian for your oh-so-expensive drink and listen to the orchestras. Did that a few years ago and it was a wonderful start to the trip.

You don't have a lot of time but I'd still take a vaporetto ride to Burano and Torcello (I'd skip Murano this trip). It'll take up most of your day but I find both islands a "must" for different reasons.

Yes and yes to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum if you're an art lover

annhig

hi, Seeker,

first of all congrats and thanks - congrats on your anniversary, and thanks so much for posting this - i love the look of this hotel and have bookmarked it for future reference!

were i you, I wouldn't book anything for the first day. you don't want to risk losing a booking due to jet-lag. assuming it'll take about an hour to get to your hotel, I would reckon on a wash and brush up, gentle stroll for lunch, back to hotel for a nap, then evening wander around followed by dinner. Flexibility is the key!

as for the rest of your list, try to group the sights in the same place together, or that run smoothly one to another, connecting by vaporetti - even though Venice is not big, it's still quite tiring to walk round.

For example, we spent a very nice day starting at the accademia, round San salute, lunch, back down the street to the guggenheim, then back over the accademia bridge for tea.

have a great time,

regards, ann

were i

jedijill

Make sure you ask Bruno, Mateo, or Barbara at the Locanda Orseolo for restauraunt recommendations. I ate at everyone of their suggestions in February and was not disappointed. Unfortunately I don't remember the names but they were all reasonably priced (for Venice) and delicious.

plafield

If you mean Ristorante Riviera on the Zattare, we loved this place! So much we went back a second time. Not cheap, but the food and the waterside dining is to die for. The prix fixe dinner was. Do yourselves a favor and pay cash. I've read that they do a currency exchange thing with credit cards that costs you extra money.

Osteria Alla Botte is Franco's favorite and I was sorry we didn't make it there. I've also heard nothing but wonderful comments about la Zucca.

We loved casa Rrezzonico. A gem. Also Florians at night, after the day trippers have left. So worth the money to soak up that ambiance and listen to the music.

San Giorgio Maggiore: gorgeous view from the bell tower. Definitely worth the time to go.

We decied against any of the islands (Torcello) becuase we wanted time to just wander Venice. We also had 4 days and I'm glad we stayed on Venice proper and didn't take all the time you need to do the islands in the lagoon.

Have wondeful time!

adventureseeker

Plafield,

A "shout out" to you too. Franco reminded me that the Riviera was your fave. I perused your trip reports for ideas.

I agree that the islands should be a backburner. We'll play that one by ear.

jedijill,

You are so right about getting rec. from the Locanda Orseolo gang. I emailed them the same time I posted this thread to get feedback. I'm also relying on them to assist in booking the reservations for the sights.

Any others have comments about the restaurants? I guess we're forced to hole up in Venice for 2 weeks to try them all!

adventureseeker

annhig,

My pleasure! I found out about Locanda Orseolo from this excellent board. It's the only place I wanted to stay in Venice....so I booked a year ago since it fills up fast. This darling Locanda gets glowing reviews consistently at the Tripadvisor.com site. You can also view candid shots from former guests. The same owners recently opened another inn in Venice. They have a good thing going!

If you desire an apartment rental Franco recommends this place which looks heavenly and is priced right:
http://www.rosadivenezia.com/en/index.htm

Thx for the suggestion of grouping the sites. I made a very loose itinerary of daily jaunts that are focused by area. I like to get the most out of our journey....yet allow spontaneity.

Thank you for your warm congratulations!

adventureseeker

And yes,

Day #1 will be all about wandering, getting our bearings and soaking in Venice.

With a date at the Florian at night. We're there Oct. 11-15....I'm hoping the music will still be playing!

ready2travel

This is wonderful. I'm not only bookmarking, I'm furiously printing everything out.

We just booked the Locanda Orseolo for 6 nights (5 1/2 days) in April, thanks to everyone on Fodor and TripAdvisor. Also just booked 4 nights in Bellagio on Lake Como. We are celebrating joint special birthdays and I hope we'll be jetlagged but ecstatic, too.

Now that we have our flights, hotel reservations and car rental, I can concentrate on restaurants and sightseeing/wandering. Haven't been to Venice since Christmas Eve 1997 and have wonderful memories of wandering, getting lost and finding treasures. I'm printing out everyone's suggestions.

One thing that was totally new for me: what is the La Fenice tour and why is it so terrific?

annhig

hi, again, a/seeker,

I've just been looking at my michelin italy. Another area we liked exploring was around the "frari"in San polo. AS well as the Frari with its works by titian and some pretty odious mausoleums, there is the scuola di san rocco nearby, with the magnificant tintorettos on the ceiling, which you look at with mirrors.

there was a lovely tea-shop near-by which made the best english tea I've ever had outside the UK, and some delightful squares and shops. a vaporetto from san marco stops nearby [sorry, I don't know which one].

if you get lost, the way to prominent landmarks is written in large letters on the corners of the buildings. this is a great help!

finally, we stayed in a hotel up near the station -marked "Ferrovia" on the buildings. Starting at the Rialto, there are many interesting "local" ie non-tourist shops along the main drag towards the station, [strada nova] and in the same area is the ghetto, which itself is well worth a look.

A very interesting half day can be spent there, and you can get a vaporetto back to san marco from the station.

regards, ann

adventureseeker

Annhig....great tips. I'm adding them to my "list". Thank you.

ready2travel:

I am thrilled you've booked Locanda Orseolo. I knew it was a very special place and I absolutely had to stay there.

La Fenice is the historic opera house. Here's a link w/ a brief synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Fenice

It has been restored as much as possible to it's original splendor utilizing the artistic craftsmen and masterworkers (many of which use the old world methods).

I read John Brendt's lovely book "City of Falling Angels" which I HIGHLY recommend that accounts for the La Fenice fire with much history, fun details and great stories of the colorful Venetian community (Ezra Pound, Peggy Guggenheim, Francesco da Mosta, etc.). Definitely a must!

I'd love to see a performance there, but during our visit there are none....so a tour will have to suffice.

Just a tip...I started my trip planning by bookmarking and then printing pages and pages of text. I then created a New Document in MS Word and simply cut and paste all the info that I was interested in and just plugged it into the MS Word document where I arranged the info by category (ie: Venice-Sights or Restaurants, etc.) It has made my planning so simple and organized. It's the size of a novel!

Enjoy!