Inside Venice

Strolling Piazza San Marco after midnight when you have it all to yourself...wandering the Arsenale to experience authentic neighborhoods...

Quick Tips:

Renting an apartment in Venice is a great way to avoid pricey, small hotels and get to see the city from the inside...European Escapes (www.EuropeanEscapes.com) and a number of other agencies have info.

Best Way To Get Around:

Despite the canals, one of the world's great walking cities...and a magical place to get lost.

Lovely and very spacious Venetian apartment, also featured an idyllic courtyard perfect for dining al fresco and at less $ than many hotels, offered much more space than the 2 of us needed.

The name translates to 'the Hidden Spot,' and this tough to find neighborhood restaurant serves sublime -and abundant seafood. It was also recently featured in Esquire as one of the world's finest restaurants, though it's the type of place you'll be surounded by locals rather than tourists, thus rare in Venice.

Expensive and over-touristed but still inspiring to sip Bellini's in this world-famous canalside haunt of Ernest Hemingway...though it generally closes a bit to early (by 11 pm) for drinking in Hemingway-proscribed manner...and prices are more than Papa paid (18,000 lire for a bellini)...but if anything, Venice proves that expensive and crowded can still be inspiring. If you decide to dine there, the food is fantastic, but likewise very expensive and reservations are necessary.

Inarguably one of the most magical of cities, Venice is rarely more magical than shared with a loved one when wandering through the fondamentas (canals with sidewalks on both sides), little streets or even through Piazza San Marco. Most of the younger generation are finding Venice an over-priced and difficult place to live, so nightlife leaves much to be desired and if you've had a proper lingering, mulit-course Venetian dinner, and fortified yourself with some after-dinner Amaro, there's nothing better than roaming the city holding hands with your loved one...and after midnight, you're almost assured to have the place to yourself!