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'INSIDER TIPS' | |
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In Venice, a vaporetto (boat) ride along the Grand Canal is one of the world's great voyages. When your feet grow weary, take the slow Vaporetto no. 1 and travel the full route. Then do it again at night. Gliding down the Grand Canal you can savour the many magnificent, if not faded, Palazzo that still regally line the waters edge. Its a journey you will never tire of. There are various Venice passes that allow unlimited use of public transport, museums and shop discounts http://www.veniceconnected.com/ If you can plan a vague itinerary before you go, pre purchasing various passes online will reward you with discounted rates - well worth the savings. Check the Museum Pass prior to purchasing to see what is included, you may find the private museums of greater interest of which you will have to pay seperately. |
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Holidays in Veneto
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The Veneto is celebrating Unesco's recent decision to declare the Dolomites a Unesco World Heritage site. Along with the Veneto's four Unesco cultural sites, the region now possesses its first site of outstanding natural beauty. The Dolomites join Sicily's Aeolian Islands on the prestigious Unesco List. The majestic mountains, often dubbed an open-air museum, form the backbone of the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. These glorious jagged peaks are already beloved by skiers and hikers. But the challenge is to make the Dolomites even more accessible while preserving them for humanity.
The Veneto is infinitely versatile, embracing lakes, Adriatic beaches, ski resorts and art cities. This is one of Italy's artiest regions, linked to legendary painters such as Bellini, Titian, Tiepolo, Tintoretto and Veronese. These were all artists of colour and light, who reflect the chameleon qualities of the shimmering lagoon city of Venice.
But only one architect's name trips off the tongue: Palladio. The 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio's birth was celebrated worldwide last year but the festivities continue in the Veneto. Italy's most influential architect is recalled in new cultural trails around Vicenza and Treviso, the places most associated with Palladianism.
Palladio's magnificent churches light up the Venetian skyline. His palatial villas line the Brenta Canal, and adorn the countryside around Vicenza and Treviso. No architect has better captured the spirit of gracious country living. Palladianism is still a popular choice for Hollywood stars or lovers of clean lines everywhere.
Venice, flanked by Palladian churches, can play cultural one-upmanship better than most cities. Even the cafés of St Mark's Square are awash with famous ghosts, and tourism is as ancient as the city itself. Built on 118 tiny islands, this former maritime republic once held sway over an empire stretching from northern Italy to Cyprus.
The backstreets around the Rialto Bridge are riddled with hole-in-the-wall wine bars (bacari) that haven't changed much since Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Bargain in the Rialto and be whisked back into an era of spice-traders and money-lenders, when this was the greedy heart of the Venetian Republic. Allow yourself to get lost, a quintessential Venetian experience. Then feel the spirit of city by wandering the back alleys, popping into churches, or sitting at a waterside café whenever the whim takes you.
Scour the Rialto market to avoid fishy surprises at dinner. If inky cuttlefish and soft-shelled crabs from Murano (moeche) are on the menu, relax. Sit in a grand café and sample a spritz, the local aperitif ("spriss" in Venetian dialect). The lurid orange drink combines dry white wine, soda water and Campari or Aperol. If you like it, you've fallen for Venice. If not, carry on with the bar crawl till you've seen sense.
Verona, Shakespeare's setting for Romeo and Juliet, appeals to lovers of all ages. You can now even get married on 'Juliet's Balcony'. The celebrated Arena di Verona opera season (www.arenadiverona.it) attracts opera buffs to the Roman amphitheatre. The sophisticated centre is a people-watching parade, from café-studded Piazza Bra to Piazza delle Erbe, once the site of the Roman forum. Verona is also a citadel of consumerism, awash with sunglasses, shoes and jewellery.
Further north, Cortina D'Ampezzo is an equally chic ski resort, a magnet for the fur-coat-and-Ferrari brigade. Sporty Lake Garda, west of Verona, feels more like a sea than a lake but mixes the great outdoors with the dolce vita. Windsurfers and sailors soon succumb to wine-tasting and bathing in sulphurous springs.