Tips for Venice

Venice is my hometown and I am passionate about this city. My favourite time to visit Venice is in November, when the city is surrounded by thick fog which makes it very mysterious. But if it is your first time there, I would suggest that you travel to Venice during one of the main events: Carnival (“Carnevale”), the International Art Exhibition “La Biennale”, the Redentore Feast, the Venice International Film Festival (“Mostra del Cinema”) or the Regata Storica.

Carnevale

Carnival is a huge celebration that goes on for two weeks (next year it will be from 27th January to 13th February). There are two types of masquerade balls: public and private. Private require an invitation, for public you just buy the ticket. Public don’t require invitations, you just buy the ticket on the website and have quite high prices (the average price is 250 eur dinner included). The most famous (and also expensive) public masquerade ball is Il Ballo del Doge in Palazzo Pisani Moretta on the Grand Canal. The XXV edition of Il Ballo del Doge will take place on Saturday, 10th February 2018 (more details on http://www.antoniasautter.it/il-ballo-del-doge/). The dress code is compulsory in Venice for Carnival balls, even better the period costume otherwise you can wear evening dresses/tuxedos for men. Your invitation/ticket will inform on what type of dress you need. Last February I went to “Le voyage dans la lune” masquerade ball, the location was amazing! My dress was like the night with the stars! Another spot for carnival parties is Palazzina Grassi which is also an hotel I would recommend. I went to Angels & Demons masquerade ball! Look at my pictures below! (More on my Instagram).

If you want to save money you can go to Piazza San Marco which is the center of Carnival activities, and that’s where you’ll find the most beautiful costumes.

La Biennale

If you are an art lover you must go to La Biennale, a major international modern art exhibition. It goes from May to November. The 57th International Art Exhibition, titled “Viva Arte Viva”, this year opened to the public on 13th May and will close on 26th November, 2017. It is held at the former Venetian Military Dockyard - The Arsenale - and in the national pavilions of the Giardini. As usual, there will be many other art events throughout the city. I went to Biennale Arte 2015 and I am looking forward to going back this year. There were many installations and my favourite one was "The Key in the Hand" in the Japan pavilion. "The artist's aim is to represent memories, opportunities and hope. The boats symbolize the hands holding 50000 keys which are connected to each other by thousands of red strings. Keys are everyday objects that protect valuable things and by coming into contact with people’s warmth on a daily basis, the keys accumulate a web of memories that coexist within us."

The Giardini

Redentore

The Redentore Feast is an heartfelt celebration in Venice because it combines religion with entertainment. This event began as a feast to give thanks for the end of the 1576 terrible plague. Preparations begin early in the morning when people decorate their boats, terraces and rooftops so that at midnight they can admire the fireworks which last about one hour. At sunset, the San Marco's basin begins to fill up with boats of all kinds while people drink, eat and dance all evening long. The Redentore is held on the third Sunday of July every year.

The fireworks from the terrace of Hilton Molino Stucky

Mostra del Cinema

The 74th Venice International Film Festival will be held like always at Venice Lido. This year the event will take place from 30th August to 9th September. You have the opportunity to watch the movies in the theatre with the actors and you can experience a red carpet walk :-) but you don’t need to dress up too fancy! You can buy tickets on the website http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/. In general the movies are in the original language with Italian subtitles.

Regata Storica

And if you are in Venice for the Film Festival another event you can go see is the Regata storica. This is the major rowing event of the year. This unique sport has been taken place in the Venetian lagoon for thousands of years. The 16th century-style boats with gondoliers in Venetian costume row the boats up the Grand Canal. This is a brightly coloured parade of boats. This year it will be on 3rd September.

Must-see

• The Guggenheim Museum: the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which is located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal is among the most important museums in Italy for modern art.

• Gallerie dell’Accademia: this museum has a very rich collection of Venetian paintings from the 14th century until the 18th century.

• Santa Maria della Salute is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica.

• Damien Hirst’s exhibition at Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana until 3rd December 2017. Look at my next post.

• Views from the terrace of Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the new luxury department store. You will find the queue but it is free so it is worth to wait!

And then Piazza San Marco, Ponte di Rialto, Teatro la Fenice, Ponte dei Sospiri…

Where to eat/drink

Lunch

• Ristorante Grand Canal http://www.hotelmonaco.it/ristorante-grand-canal-venezia-centro/

• Bistrot Quadri on Piazza San Marco https://www.alajmo.it/en/sezione/abc-quadri/abc-quadri

Aperitivo

• Osteria Bancogiro near Rialto bridge http://www.osteriabancogiro.it/. Here you can try the original Spritz, a wine-based cocktail commonly served as an aperitif, or drink a good glass of prosecco. You should also try the typical venetian appetizers called “cicchetti”, small plates of food. You can taste: polenta and baccalà (fish), mozzarella in carrozza (fried mozzarella with ham), seppioline (squids)…

• The garden of hotel AMAN (sophisticated and glamorous). https://www.aman.com/resorts/aman-venice

• Centurion Palace (drinking a prosecco on the Grand Canal) https://www.sinahotels.com/en/h/sina-centurion-palace-venice/

Dinner

• Taverna Al Remer http://www.alremer.it/ (traditional venetian food)

• Caffe Centrale (modern cusine) http://www.caffecentralevenezia.com/?lang=en

• Harry’s bar (the most famous venetian restaurant in the world). Drink a Bellini and try gamberi with riso al curry and tagliolini gratinati (pasta) http://www.harrysbarvenezia.com/

• Vinaria http://www.vinariaristorante.it/en/index.html (Stunning view on the Grand Canal). Try the pizza gourmet

Where to stay

• Hotel Monaco http://www.hotelmonaco.it/en/

• Hilton Molino Stucky http://molinostuckyhilton.it/ perfect for summer because there is a rooftop swimming pool!

• Hotel Accademia http://www.pensioneaccademia.it/en/home-en

Continue to follow the blog since I will update this post!

xoxo

Flaminia

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