Other must-see visits for first or even tenth time visitors to Venice are the Basilica San Marco, the Torre dell’ Orologio (the clock tower), the Campanile di San Marco (the bell tower), the Gallerie dell’ Accademia, the Doge’s Pallace, the Rialto Bridge, and the Teatro La Fenice (the opera house).
A museum in Piazza San Marco that many miss is the massive Museo Correr, housing the imperial apartments of the former king of Italy, among other collections and installations. Built in the 19th century, this tour takes you along the entire second floor of the bell tower side of Piazza San Marco, and when we purchased tickets to this museum, the Doge’s Palace was included. At the entrance at the back of the piazza and up a flight of stairs, is a really sweet and quiet restaurant where you can enjoy a lunch and look out over Piazza San Marco without the fear that a pigeon or seagull will scoop down and grab your food. Which they do!
Another beautiful museum is Ca’ Rezzonico. A stunning palace on the Grand Canal, construction was completed in 1756 for the Rezzonico family. It’s now the Museum of 18th-Century Venice and within the palace is showcased the exquisite sculpture, the Veiled Woman, by Antonio Corradini.
Caffè Centrale Street Entrance
When I’m in Venice, I also always pay a visit to the large and Gothic Palazzo Fortuny. Mariano Fortuny, probably best known for his textile design, transformed his home into his own personal atelier showcasing his painting, stage design, photography, tapestrie, and famous lamps. In all of these museums, exhibitions are constantly changing.
Of course, I couldn’t make a trip to Venice and not visit my favorite restaurant Caffè Centrale. Housed in an ancient building, the décor is modern and stylish with a nod to their heritage. Dangling high above our heads was a classic Murano glass chandelier.
Be sure to try the beef tenderloin in Amarone wine sauce or maybe the Catalana of crustaceans (salad of grilled shellfish.) Most recently I enjoyed an appetizer of cold vacuum-sealed roasted pork, seasoned with orange Marsala sauce and walnuts. It was so light and classic. This was followed by a brilliant entrée of rib-eye steak with sautéed seasonal vegetables. It’s Venice, so you can even have a gondola drop you off, or pick you up, at their canal-side dock. Now how romantic is that?
This is such a welcoming place to dine with friends, but ironically there are no “designated” gay restaurants or bars in this town. If anyone reading this article would like to open a gay club in Venice with me, give a shout out.
Everyone says that Venice is a city to get lost in. Well, no matter what city I visit, I get seriously lost at least once, and Venice is no exception. One early evening while walking past the Piazza San Marco we headed east, I think, behind the Basilica. We walked over one canal and then another until we entered what was clearly a residential area of Venice. My sense was that we were approaching the Arsenale district, but we didn’t have a map. The sun had gone down and no longer were there shops or restaurants or canals with gondoliers and tourists. There was no one and nothing except narrow walkways flanked by towering ancient brick buildings. After an hour of coming up against one dead end after another, the amusing adventure had turned into one of panic. How the hell do we get out of this maze?
Luckily, we stumbled upon a French couple who were also lost, but they had GPS tracking on their cell phone. If we hadn’t met up, I’m certain we’d still be in Venice. Hmm, that doesn’t sound too bad. Walking GPS apps for Smartphones and other GPS apps are a godsend. Now, I wouldn’t go anywhere without GPS.
Venice is a walking town. So unless you are going to outlying islands, I’d skip the vaporetto all together. But if you want to head out to Murano (for glass blowing), Burano (for lace-making), or Torcello (for solitude), or if you can’t handle all the walking in Venice proper, there’s a 24-hour, a 48-hour, a 72-hour, a seven-day, and even a monthly waterbus card. You can buy them at machines at vaporetto stops (which can be a bit confusing), or from a teller in a booth. Just make sure you place your card up to the entry signal and wait till you hear it beep before you enter the boat.You don’t want to be caught without doing that as there’s a fine. Also, your time does not begin until you activate the card with your first trip. My suggestion if you want to do the three islands is to get the 24-hour card. It’s $20 and you can hop on and off of any vaporretti you wish. Pick one day when the weather’s nice and do all of your island hopping and end up with a stunning nighttime ride down the Grand Canal.
When it comes to music, it’s hard to visit Venice and not enjoy some Verdi, I mean he is Venice’s hometown musical genius. So we went to the Chiesdi di San Vidal and enjoyed a stunning Verdi concert. I thought it was going to be good, but maybe amateurish. No way, these musicians were truly awesome.
Back at my apartment, on the second to the last night of this offseason visit to Venice, there was news of a storm approaching. Most people were probably concerned that bad weather might be headed our way, but I was delighted. I checked the Internet and the next morning there was a full moon timed with a high tide. Could it be?
Barely able to fall asleep I was so excited, I awoke early the next morning to the sound of a loud banging. I looked out of my window and realized it was a vaparetto slamming into its stop, desperately trying to dock. Right after that, an emergency siren screamed out to all of Venice that the acqua alta had arrived.
At about 11 A.M. the storm surge rose an amazing height of 58.66 inches. That’s 4.89 feet! In actuality, that meant it was only about thigh high on Venetian walkways but still problematic for those of us who didn’t pack hip boots. I couldn’t wait to get outside and experience it. Out of nowhere, vendors emerged selling make-shift waders and shop owners put Wellies for sale, front and center in their windows. Overnight, workers had set-up waist-high scaffolding allowing people to walk above the water. By mid-afternoon the sea had retreated and other than some pooling here and there, every thing was back to normal. Venetians continued with their everyday routines leaving us tourists walking around thinking, what the hell just happened? I had just witnessed the sixth-highest acqua alta in recorded history.
Arthur Wooten in Piazza San Marco at Midnight
That afternoon, I double-checked that our show at Musica a Palazzo scheduled for that evening was still on and they said, “But of course!” Performed in the 15th-century Barbarigo Minotto Palace, you can choose between seeing one of three operas or a collection of love duets. (We chose the duets.) Allow time to find the palace, as it’s a bit tricky getting there. Once you go down a dark alley, you ring a buzzer and enter a majestic courtyard. We climbed the staircase up to the second floor where we were greeted with flutes of Champagne and escorted into the grand salon. The singers and musicians were all professional and extremely talented. After several songs in the salon, there was an intermission, we were offered more Champagne, and then headed into the master bedroom where the duets continued. Next time I’m in Venice I’m going back to see one of the operas, it was that fabulous. And this was the palazzo I was searching for to use in my novel. It’s exactly what I pictured in my mind, so I furiously took notes and photos.
While heading back to the apartment, I reflected back upon this trip to Venice. Revisiting a city can often be a letdown, but never Venice for me. If anything, it was more exciting than ever, and at every turn I found something that creatively inspired me. I felt I had so much more insight into what Acqua Alta was going to encompass. I just needed that final moment, that perfect ending, and then it happened. I walked out onto the Piazza San Marco one more time and found myself completely alone. Not another soul was in sight. and suddenly the bell tower started tolling midnight. I didn’t find my ending, it found me.
