# The final stretch of
the matchless Grand Canal
It’s impossible not to feel swept off your feet in Venice:
with its architectural glories reflected in the Grand Canal, world-class opera
bringing out goosebumps and candlelit tables loaded with seafood making every
meal a celebration.
ST MARK’S BASILICA
At dawn, morning sunlight bathes millions of coloured tiles with an
otherworldly glow and jaws drop to the semiprecious stone floors. At dusk, the
fading sun illuminates the mosaics. Two eyes may seem insufficient to absorb
800 years of architecture in the pride of the city’s churches (basilicasanmarco.it; Piazza San
Marco; 9.45am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2pm-4pm Sun; main basilicafree).
I FRARI The soaring
Italian-brick Gothic Basilica dei Frari features Canova’s ethereal,
pyramid-shaped white-marble tomb and a rare triptych by Bellini (1488) – yet
visitors are drawn to the small altar piece. This is Titian’s 1518 Assumption
of the Virgin, in which a radiant Madonna in a red cloak raches heavenward,
steps on to a cloud and escapes this mortal coil (basilicadeifrari.it, chrousvenezia.org; campo dei Frari, San
Polo; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat; 1pm-6pm Sun).
# At St Mark’s Basilica, gold is used
extensively both inside and out
Take To The Water
A gondola may be the traditional mode of transport for romantics, but haggling
the fee then paying extra for a tune takes the shine off it. Instead, glide
across Venetian waters in traditional sailing boats such as a sanpierota.
Laguna Eco Adventures runs tours including a circuit of outlying lagoon
islands, plus a sunset drift along Venice’s canals (lagunaecoadventures.com).
Go To Opera
Before the curtain rises at Teatro La Fenice, Venice’s jewel’s-box opera house,
the drama has already begun, as wraps shed in lower-tier boxes reveal jewels,
and critics predict which singers will excel. When the overture begins, the
thousand-strong audience awaits spectacles that could match premiers by
Stravinsky and Rossini. Book ahead (teatrolafenice.it;
Campo San Fantin).
Wander Through
Cannaregio The neighbourhood of Cannaregio brings welcome calm after the
bustle of San Marco, and offers a wealth of history. It is home to the original
Ghetto, where galleries and synagogues preserve the traditions of Venice’s
historic Jewish community. Stroll along the foncamente
(canal banks) running north of the Ghetto and along the lagoon for some of the
city’s most scenic walks.
Osteria San Marco
Romance is already in the air in Venice, but the top-notch wines at this
modern, intimate osteria surely help. From 6.30pm till 8pm, locals crowd
the bar for wines available by the glass. The food ca nbe costly but the cheese
plates and book-size wine list make this a top post-opera destination
(osteriasanmarco.it; Frezzeria; 12.30pm-11pm Mon-Sat).
Met Venetians
rarely patronize hotel restaurants, but they might concede that this one inside
the Hotel Metropole deserves acclaim. Moonlit lagoon panoramas take a backseat
once the food starts to arrive. Playful takes on local game and seafood might
include savoury pheasant cannelloni or eel-stuffed pasta (hotelmetroploe.com;
Riva degli Schiavoni; dinner Tue-Sun, lunch Sat & Sun, five course menu).
# The Met restaurant has more than 1,000 wine
on its list
Marcopolo airport, five miles outside Venice, is served by
BA, easyjet, Jet2, Monarch and Thomson Airways, from 10 UK airports (easyjet.com). Ryanair flies totTreviso
Airport, 16 miles away (ryanair.com).
Airport bus services link both airports with Venice’s Piazzale Roma (actv.it, atvo.it) and the Alilaguna fast ferry runs from
Marco Polo airport (alilaguna.it). The
city’s main mode of public transport is the vaporetto
(waterbus) or the samller motoscafo (hellovenezia.com).
Down a lane from glitzy CAlle larga XXI Marzo, Hotel Flora is an ivy-covered retreat
that quietly otucalsses brasher neighbours with its plush rooms, delightful
tearoom and gym offering shiatsu massage (hotelflora.it;
Calle dei Bergamaschi).
Evenings seem enchanted in the opulent, 16th-century
Palazzo Abadessa. Rooms have plush
beds and silk-damask walls; go for Baroque and request a large room with
ceiling frescoes and Murano chandeliers (abadessa.com;
Calle Priuli).
Splash out in an old Palladian cloister with San Marco
views, private boat service and a superb spa. The Bauers Palladio Hotel has 50 rosy, demure rooms and suites, many
with garden terraces (palladiohotelspa.com;
Giudecca).
Secret of the calli Take a romantic stroll around Venice’s
backstreets Campo San Polo to San
Giacomo dell’Orio Head north via Calle Bernardo and Calle del Scaleter to
hidden Campo SAnt’Agostin for draught beer and glass jewellery shops; continue
along Rio Tewra Primo to join happy hour by medieval San Giacomo dell’Orio
church.
San Zaccaria to Santa
Maria dei Miracoli chapel Head north of San Zaccaria church past convivial
Campo Santa Maria Formosa for cicheti
(tapas) in Campo Santa Marina, or antique shop by the chapel.
La Fenice to Bacino Orseolo From Campo San Fantin outside
the opera house, Calle Drio La Chiesa and Piscina de Frezzeria lead east past
artisan studios, ending up at Bacino Orseolo, a picturesque basin for parking
dozens of gondolas.
The Lowdown from HotelTraveling.com For the best panoramic
views of Venice, head up the Campaniel (bell tower) in St Mark’s Square. A
visit with your partner at sunset is particularly romantic.
Discover romance in Venice on the hoteltraveling.com
