We Are Going To Venice

Mrs R just finalized plans for us to spend our 10 th Anniversary in Venice.

We stay at the Danieli. Even though the room rate is obscene, it is much less than the normal rate. We go right before labor day. While we are there,there is also the Venice Film Festival so we may see a ton of stars.

We plan to go back to the Giorgione Hotel for a drink where we stayed 10 years ago. We are taking the direct flight from JFK to Marco Polo Airport. We will than proceed by private motor launch to our hotel.You know it is a long flight when they serve you food.

Anyone have any suggestions while we are there? We already have done Murano, Burano & Torcello. We have also had dinner at Harry's Bar & Ice Cream at Florian's. We took the obligatory Gondola ride last time . We also toured the Doge's Palace, The Accademia and did a lot of random walking at various vaporetto stops. We also had a great meal at the Cafe Orientale which is right near the Rialto Bridge. Unfortunately, nothing will be happening at La Fenice but we will try and take a guided tour .

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YAY YAY YAY!
Congrats! Have fun! I love Venice. I really hope I can live there one day.
And the Film Festival? YAY! Have fun!

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Sounds like you've hit all the highlights already.

We had lunch at the Danieli the second time we were in Venice. The food was great! Nice relaxed atmosphere by an interior garden, too.

My favorite thing to do there is just wander around and "get lost" on the side streets. You can't get TOO lost, which is a good thing, and exploring the shops and smaller areas is always a lot of fun.

Enjoy, Mr. Roxy! And congratulations.

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that's the beauty of Venice....you never really get lost, rather you see things you'd never expect.

Go to the top of the Campanile, the best view, and definately, DEFINATELY see St. Marks....and pay extra to see the gold panel, simply amazing.

Heck it's been 10 years, do Murano and Burano again.....

by private motor launch I assume you mean water taxi, ala Katherine Hepburn in Summertime....the ONLY was to enter Venice from Marco Polo

the inside of the Main Post Office is a trip.

Film Festival is VERY busy.....

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The view from the balcony of St. Marks is fantastic too, if you haven't done that. It's a terrific view of the whole square, right across from the campanile.

Plus the controversial REAL four horses from ancient Egypt are just inside up there... They look exactly like the copies that adorn the outside, but that's where they keep the valuable ones now.

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exactly.

this just on Yahoo

Water levels in Venice fall to 14-year low after rare low tide


and I think the gold panel in St. Marks is called something like Pala de Oro.....

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Our favorite restaurant in Venice--among so many wonderful restaurants in Venice--is Al Covo, near the Arsenale. It is owned by a Venetian man and his Texan wife, who learned how to cook all her husband's nonna's recipes. The clientele is a combination of chic Venetians and American tourists. I have sent many people there, and some enjoyed it so much on their first night there that they went back a second time.



Al Covo
Campiello della Pescaria, Castello 3968
041-5223812

Here is the review from the Frommer's guide:
Al Covo Frommer's Exceptional

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Pal Joey: I LOVE Al Covo. We stopped by it by chance, and my mom started talking to the owner's wife when she came to see how we liked the meal.

It turns out they both grew up in the exact same little Texas town, and they knew many of the same people. Small world.

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I've been there when Diane greets a fellow Texan. Her perfect Venetian accent disappears and the Texas comes out. Then when she turns to speak to one of the waiters, it comes out in a HUGE Texan accent.

Roxy--be prepared for everything in Europe to be SUPER expensive, thanks to George Bush and the Republican theory of the weak dollar being good for foreign investment. Good for Big Business, bad for American tourists abroad.

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Speaking of staying and eating where the locals do, the Sandra Gustafson guides to Italy, Paris and London and among my favorites. Originally entitled Cheap Eats and Cheap Sleeps, she changed it several years ago to great. but the idea is still the same: she reviews the most affordable options and then gives you reviews of a few places where you can go for a splurge and not feel ripped off.




Sandra Gustafson's Great Eats Italy: Florence - Rome - Venice; Fifth Edition

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Updated On: 2/23/08 at 11:16 AM

Try Salute Cathedral (it's right across the Grande Canal from the Piazzale S. Maco.

Also, the Lido is nice for bathing or the casinos.

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Updated On: 2/23/08 at 01:58 PM

I'm so very glad to know that Mr and Mrs Roxy are going to Venice this summer. They aren't planning on coming back, are they?

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The sad thing, Roxy, is that I'll be in Europe just about that time. It would be truly unfortunate if our paths crossed. If that does happen, I'll ignore you thay same way I've done in the past.

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Updated On: 2/23/08 at 09:14 PM