Perfect holiday tips for Venice – Part II

Your trip to Venice is not over! There are some other interesting Tips&Hints that we want to share with you, so that your trip could be absolutely perfect. We’ve talked about the most beautiful touristic attractions in Venice, about the accommodation and the long romantic morning or evening walks that any of us should take while traveling to the City of Water.

We’ve also shown you some of the apps you should download on your smartphone in order to have an exquisite self-tour in Venice. Let’s see what’s next!

Great food in Venice

Dining in Venice can be quite expensive, but if you are a passionate foodie, then you’ll love the street food. There is nothing more exciting than savoring a delicious gelato while taking a long evening walk, or eating takeout pasta on the bank of a canal. This is Venice and you should live it to the max! Of course, you can’t miss a romantic dinner or two, at a fancy Italian restaurant with a spectacular a la carte menu.

Calm morning in warm summer Venice, Italy

Here you have some authenticity indicators that you have to keep in mind when it comes to Italian restaurants/osterias/bars/cafes:

1. The menu is written in Italian and Italian ONLY;
2. There are only Italian drinks on the beverages menu – fine wines and Italian Beers;
3. Avoid the coperto sit up places. You don’t have to pay for your seat, the view, the band or the bread. Although this is a very common thing in Venice, it is also unpleasant for the tourists;
4. Don’t get put off by the “squat toilets”, because this is the way authentic Italians build their bathrooms. Wash your hands better and get over these details;
5. Don’t be disappointed if the menu has only three or four dishes. They are sure to be spectacular!

And as we were talking about the street food in Venice and its charms, this is our list of favorite on the run places to eat in the City of Water:

1. Dal Moro’s Pasta to Go (formerly Alfredo’s) – A tiny pasta shop, famous for its fresh, homemade pasta to go. You get to choose your sauce (vegetarian, meat, spicy or mild) and your favorite type of pasta. You can eat your boxed up lunch/dinner or even breakfast, if you’re a real pasta lover, outside, leaning against the passage wall, on a bench or why not on the bank of a canal. It is located at Calle de la Casseleria 5324, about 3 minutes away from St. Mark’s Basilica.
2. Rosticceria San Bartolomeo – This is a cafeteria-style restaurant, located near the Rialto Bridge, where you can try a wide variety of dishes with low prices. They may somehow look not so appealing, but they are extremely delicious. The address is Calle della Bissa, 5424 (San Marco).
   
3. La Boutique del Gelato – Italy is all about gelato and many of the places you will bump into will be traps, serving poor quality overprices products. This is the place you should go to if you want to try the real thing. It is also very popular among the locals so it has the authenticity factor on. La Boutique del Gelato is located at Salizzada San Lio (5727 Castello), about 5 minutes away from the Rialto Bridge.
   
   
4. Cantina Do Mori – This little place is said to have been frequented by the well-known Casanova. It did also feature in chef’s Anthony Bourdain’s ‘No Reservations’ show, because of its delicious cicchetti at moderate prices. Located at a short distance from the Rialto Bridge, you can visit Cantina do Mori at Sestiere San Polo,429.
5. Osteria Al Squero – It is a great central place where you can enjoy delicious cicchetti and drink bubbly aromatic spritz. It has decent prices and a huge selection of wines from which you can choose a favorite. Its address is Dorsoduro 943-944 30123 Venice, Italy.

In case you are a great cook and you love to try fresh new ingredients in every trip you take, you can’t miss the Mercato di Rialto. It is a foodie heaven, full of colorful fruits and vegetables, fish and lots of assortments of meat.

If you don’t want to cook at all, we offer you the possibility to hire a professional chef or an Italian mamma to cook delicious meals for you. You just need to list your desires and dietary requirements and a delicious meal will be ready for you to enjoy. There is usually an additional cost for this service, which varies according to the number of courses and the choice of food. More details at http://bit.ly/ItalianBreaksCook.

Take a gondola ride

Although they are highly priced many might think they’re also overrated, gondola rides in Venice are bucket list material for most of us. Even if it takes only half an hour, they might be the most romantic 30 minutes of your life. This is a unique experience that should be done at least one in a lifetime.

Special places in Venice

Wandering the streets of Venice you will get to find lots of special unforgettable places, that can’t be found elsewhere in the world. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Libreria Aqua Alta – This is a unique library decorated with authentic gondolas and old bathtubs. Everything is about books here, even the stairs are made of books which you can walk on. Even if you don’t know how to read in Italian and you’re not interested in buying a book or a souvenir, you should at least live the experience. It is like a museum!
2. Arcobaleno – this place will be loved not only by the artists, but also by everyone who’s in love with colors. It is a beautiful pigments shop that gathers up all the authentic Venetian tints: the Titian red, the Tiepolo sky-blue,  the Veronese rose, the Bellini peach and the Tintoretto teal. You can find this wonderful color oasis at Calle delle Botteghe 3457.
3. It is not actually a place, since it was closed 15 years ago, but you should see theMarforio Dragon. It used to be a famous tiny beautiful umbrella/travel bag shop that every Italian in Venice keeps in heart with nostalgia.
4. Emily Lace Shop – This is a lace shop that can be easily confused with a wonderful museum. The delicate and elegant works of art that are exposed there will make your trip sophisticated and unforgettable. You can find this Venetian treasure at Piazza Galuppi, 205 – 30012 Burano.
   
5. Palazzo Ca’ Mocenigo – It is one of the most beautiful touristic attraction in Italy. You must visit it because it gathers all the museum that any tourist will be interested in. We’re talking about the Ca’Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art, the Study Centre of the History of Fabrics and Costumes where you can also attend to an introductory workshop on perfume making, the Glass Museum, the Lace Museum and The Natural History Museum and. This will be indeed an unforgettable experience.

These being said, you can’t miss the chance to live the experience of the City of Water, Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, the City of Masks. Venice will always be one of the most beautiful places on earth and with these Tips&Hints we’ve offered you, you’re good to go on the most amazing trip of your life.