Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere.

Some of the sights, sites, and activities in Venice:

Piazza San Marco, Basilica San Marco, Campanile, Palace of the Doges, Grand Canal on a vaporetto, Lagoon islands: (Murano, Burano, Torcello), San Michelle, Gondola yard. The Arsenal and the Naval Museum, Correr Museum, Accademia art museum, Peggy Guggenheim Gallery, numerous art shows and exhibits that are always running, The Ghetto. Another dozen or so specialty museums (Lace museum, Archaeological musuem, etc).

Too many churches to list with interesting and world-class art and architecture, but...Basilica Santa Mariadella Salute, Basilica dei Frari, Santa Maria dei Miracoli, San Sebastiano, San Pietro di Castello, Santo Giovanni E Paolo, Madonna dell'Orto. Venice's churches have some of Italy's greatest works of art--many free to view--by the likes of Tintoretto, Veronese, Titian, Bellini, Vivarini, and Carpaccio.

Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Scuola San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, Scuola San Nicolo, Scuola Grande Dei Carmini, Scuole Grande of San Rocco.

Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Ca’ Rezzonico museum, Querini-Stampalia palace/museum, San Giovanni Evangelista, Ponte di Rialto, Rialto market, Ca’ d’Oro, Ca' Pesaro museum, gondola tour of smaller, hidden canals. Opera and concerts at La Fenice and other venues. Walking away from the daytripping herds and discovering a quiet, secret city that most tourists have no clue exists--quiet campos with perhaps a restaurant or two and a couple of shops, and neighborhood children playing or couples strolling before dinner.

And don't forget the Lido of Venice beach resort in the summer.

Of course, there's a variety of special events year round.

quinny, if you want a view, I think it will be hard to find anything below 160 Euros (that's what I'm usually paying, for a stunning view, but it's an apartment, not even a hotel).

Rufus, excuse me, but having read your sightseeing list of Venice several times now, I just have to ask you what you're meaning by "Scuola San Nicolo". I don't think there is anything of that name in Venice, and I'd be very curious to be corrected. Or do you mean the church (not scuola) of S. Nicolò dei Mendicoli (certainly a place worth visiting)?

> church of S. Nicolò dei Mendicoli

I visited this church at my last visit to Venice. Since it was Sunday, I attended by chance a morning service, very local colored small gathering. Nice experience and a beautiful ceiling painting hard to expect from the outside look of the church.

http://flickr.com/photos/disorientation/94124271/
(not my album)

Hi, franco.

I dug my old Venice travel notes out, and I think the name is correct. It had a collection of religious icons on display and wasn't far from San Giorgio.

That particular Venice trip was a "few" years back, so I guess it is possible that the place closed down or the displays were moved elsewhere.

so franco, can you recommend something specific? I'd love to know whether it be apartment or hotel for 1 or 2 nights...

I googled and found this on a list of things to do on the SlowTrav site:

In the Castello District:
>>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>
49. Scuola di San Nicolo dei Greci. An icon museum.
<<<<<<<<<<<<&l t;<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<

Rufus and Neopolitan, thank you both, of course I know that museum, and the building as well (by the youngest of the Lombardo family, Sante Lombardo, as far as I recall), but I had never heard that name "Scuola di S. Nicolo". You never stop learning!
quinny, I'm afraid of already being a pest to regular Fodorites because I've recommended that apartment so incredibly often (the problem is, there are so many people visiting Venice - nobody has ever asked me about my favourite accomodation in, say, Cognac, or San Severino Marche, or Gamlitz). For you, quinny, I do it once more, even though you could easily find it clicking on my name and browsing posts a little: www.rosadivenezia.com
But it's 160 Euros per night, I repeat (though someone recently claimed to have seen it advertised on the web for only 120 - but I believe this was an error on behalf of that poster, as he or she didn't ever post again).

Hi, franco. Is there another, better known name for the place that I should use? I would hate to recommend something that people can't find because I'm using some obscure name for it.

No, no, Rufus, I didn't doubt that name is correct, and since you've asked now, I've checked it in Paolo Giordani's book (maybe the best one on Venice, IMO), and he, too, uses that name. It's just that I hadn't heard it before - for me, it was just the icon museum at S. Giorgio dei Greci.
Btw, I was mistaken once more - checking with Giordani, I've seen now that only the church is by Sante Lombardo, the Scuola (Icon Museum) is by Longhena, and only when I saw the picture in the book, I recalled the building properly; yes, quite typically Longhena. A place like Venice, with her enormous wealth of art, is a huge challenge for the memory!

quinny, Pensione La Calcina that I mentioned way back up this thread is excellent and close to your budget. A nice breakfast is included.