Most people who visit Venice are inclined to stay in the San Marco area. My reaction to that is “nice place to visit, but wouldn’t want to live there”. The second you across over the Rialto or from Cannaregio, you enter into the land of crowds, high priced & low quality restaurants, fake Gucci bags on every corner and the part of Venice that can seem like Disneyland. Of course seeing Piazza San Marco & the Doge’s Palace is at top of my list as well. I just think that staying in one of the other neighborhoods gives you a better sense of real life Venice and often for considerably less.

There are some really lovely B&B/locanda lodgings worth mentioning.

* Ca’ Gottardi in Cannaregio
* Ca’Angeli in San Polo
* Pensione La Calcina in Dorsoduro

Food is Venice is actually VERY good, if you know where to go. Here are a few of my favorites:

* Pizzeria & Trattoria Antico Panifico – San Polo 945/A/B, Tel: 041 277 09 67
* La Patatina – San Polo 2741/A (at the San Polo bridge), Tel: 041 523 7238
* Bancogiro – Campo San Giamometto, Santa Croce 122, Tel: 041 523 2061
* Alla Vedova – Calle del Pistor, Cannaregio 3912, Tel: 041 528 5324

The Venetian drink is the Spritz (possibly my favorite aperitivo) made with white wine, soda and either aperol (my preferred) or campari – and “dressed” with an orange wedge and olive. In Campo San Giacometto, near the Rialto Bridge, you will find several different bacari (bars/watering holes) catering to “happy hour” serving this fine concoction and other libations along with some cicchetti (snacks) including:

* Nazaria
* Al Marca (just a closet on the street serving damn fine drinks!)
* Ancora
* Osteria Bancogiro

Beyond the obvious “must do’s & see’s, you might want to meet up with my friend, Nan McElroy, who is an American turned Venetian resident running a nice “orientation service” on the city (and believe me, even the well traveled could use this service in a city like Venice) and can suggest/ provide some unique tours & excursions. She has also written a nifty little book called “Italy: Instructions for Use” that best sums up just about everything you need to know for traveling in this country…