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Venice
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Harry's BarPop into Harry's Bar near Piazza San Marco, one of Hemingway's favorite haunts, and you'll see where the novelist created his signature cocktail made of 15 parts gin to 1 part vermouth. If you decide to try one, make sure you know the way back to your hotel. Squero di San TrovasoIf you'd like to see one of the last remaining gondola workshops in Venice, visit this 17th century boatyard where they still construct and repair the city's most popular mode of transportation. Chiesa di Sant'AlviseMost people who walk by this remote building with a plain façade have no idea that it is a medieval church with an ornate baroque interior. TorcelloThe Old West does not have sole proprietorship on ghost towns. This birthplace of Venetian commerce, once home to some 20,000 people, now numbers less than 80. Wander past the eerily overgrown main square to discover the village's former glory, evidenced by intricate Byzantine mosaics in the town church. Il Mondo in MiniaturaNo, you haven't stepped onto Gulliver's Isle of Lilliput. But artist Giovanni Moro's hand-painted replicas of Venice's historic buildings and churches in miniature are the perfect memento of your time in this larger-than-life city. Caffè FlorianThe place for romantic rendezvous in Venice since 1720. Enjoy a breezy nightcap in the shadows of San Marco and listen to the dueling café orchestras illustrate perfectly the frenetically paced and yet simultaneously peaceful Venetian vibe. Peggy Guggenheim MuseumIn pure Renaissance fashion, this collection of avant-garde art maintains the city's rich legacy of intellectual and artistic freedom. A morning with the likes of Kandinksy, Chagall, Pollack and Picasso is perfectly accentuated by a light lunch at The Museum Café, overlooking a beautiful sculpture garden. Osteria "Alla Botte" CicchetteriaThe cobbled back streets of Venice hide this local pub that still serves the traditional cicchetti - tiny plates of bite-sized appetizers served on a toothpick. Mingle with the young, local crowd and practice asking for "un altro bicchiere de vino." Venetian MusicRest your feet and appease your ears at one of the many Vivaldi concerts in town. A general rule of thumb: performers in wigs and tights put on a more whimsical show, while musicians in black and white suits give a higher-caliber performance. MuranoFor more than 1,000 years, the city of Murano has carried on a legacy of glassmaking artistry. So valued were the methods of this unique craft, it was once considered treason for glass workers to leave the city. |
