Holiday in Venice

SHOPPING

Be wary of shopping in the heavily touristed P.S. Marco or around the Ponte di Rialto (excluding Rivoaltus). Shops outside these areas often have better quality products and greater selection for about half the price. Interesting clothing, glass, and mask boutiques line the streets leading from the Ponte di Rialto to Campo S. Polo and Strada Nuova and from the Ponte di Rialto toward the station. The map accompanying the Rolling Venice card lists many shops that offer discounts to card holders. The most concentrated and varied selections of Venetian glass and lace require trips to the nearby islands of Murano (703) and Burano (703).

NIGHTLIFE

Venetian nightlife is quieter and more relaxed than that of other major Italian cities. Most locals would rather spend an evening sipping wine or beer and listening to string quartets in P.S. Marco than gyrating in a disco, but Venice does have a few hot dance spots. Student nightlife is concentrated around Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro and the areas around the Lista di Spagna in Cannaregio.

Paradiso Perduto, Fondamenta della Misericordia 2540. Students and locals flood this unassuming bar with conversation and laughter, while the young wait-staff doles out large portions of cicchetti (mixed plate ‚11). Live jazz Su. Open Th-Su 7pm-2am.

13 Cafe Blue, S. Pantalon, Dorsoduro 3778. Let Johnny from Liverpool flip ice cubes into your drink at this lively, friendly bar. Free Internet available. Live jazz F and Su evening during the winter. Open in summer noon-2am; off-season 9:30am-2am.

Piccolo Mondo, Accademia, Dorsoduro 1056A. Dance-happy students, locals, and tourists keep the party going at this small but popular discoteca where such notables as Michael Jordan, Mick Jagger, and Prince Albert of Monaco have strutted their stuff. Drinks from ‚7. Open nightly 10pm-4am. AmExMCV.

Duchamp, C. Santa Margherita 3019. Lively place with plenty of outdoor seating for the social, student-heavy crowd that congregates here. Beer ‚4.30. Wine ‚1.30. Open Su-F 9pm-2am, Sa 5pm-2am.

Casanova, Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio 158A. This modem, stylish club claims to be the only real disco in Venice, and modestly-sized crowds mean there’s always plenty of room on the dance floor. Enthusiastic dancers make up for the lack of numbers, shaking things up until closing. Cover ‚10 F-Sa includes 1 drink. Open daily 10pm-4am.

TRANSPORTATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION. Trains 0045 800 08 61) go from P. XXV Aprile to: Bologna (2hr. every hr. ‚5.80); Milan (2hr. every hr. ‚7); Trent (lhr. every 2 hr. ‚4.70); and Venice (l%hr. every hr. ‚6). From the train station, walk 20min. up Corso Porta Nuova, or take bus #11,12,13, 72, or 73 (weekends take #91,92, or 93) to Verona’s heart, the Arena in Piazza Bra. The tourist office is left of the piazza, (045 806 86 80. Open M-Sa 9am-7pm, Su 9am-3pm.) Internet Train, V. Roma 17a, has modem, high-speed computers. (‚2.50 per 30min. Open M-F llam-lOpm, Sa-Su 2-8pm.). Postal Code: 37100.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD. Reserve hotel rooms ahead, especially in opera season (June-Sept.). The HOstello della Gioventu (HI) O, Villa Francescatti, Salita Fontana del Ferro 15, is in a renovated 16th-century villa with gorgeous gardens; from the station, take bus #73 or night bus #90 to P. Isolo, turn right, and follow the yellow signs uphill. ( 045 59 03 60. Lockout 9am-5pm. Curfew 11pm; flexible for opera-goers. No reservations. Dorms ‚13.) To get to Locanda Catullo O, V. Catullo 1, walk to V. Mazzini, turn onto V. Catullo, and turn left on Vco. Catullo. (045 800 27 86. July-Sept. 3-night min. stay. Singles ‚40; doubles ‚55-65; triples ‚81-96.) Verona is famous for its wines, such as the dry white soave and red valpolicella. Prices in Piazza Isolo are cheaper than those in P. delle Erbe. Cantore , V. A. Mario 2, near P. Bra, boasts delicious pizza and pasta dishes. (045 803 18 30. Primi ‚6.80. Secondi ‚8. Cover ‚1.50. AmExMCV.) Pam supermarket is at V. dei Mutilati 3. (Open M-Sa 8am-8pm and Su 9:30am-lpm and 3-7pm.)

SIGHTS. The physical and emotional heart of Verona is the majestic, pink-marble, first-century BArena in P. Bra. (Open M l:45-6:30pm, Tu-Su 8:30am-6:30pm. ‚3.10, students ‚2.10.) From P. Bra, V. Mazzini leads to the markets and stunning medieval of Piazza delle Erbe, the former Roman forum. The 83m UTorre dei Lambertini, in P. dei Signori, offers a stunning view of Verona. (Open M l:30-5:30pm, Tu-Su 8:30am-7:30pm. ‚2.60, students ‚2.10.) The Giardino Giusti, V. Giardino Giusti 2, is a magnificent 16th-century garden with a labyrinth of mythological statues. (Open daily 9am-8pm. ‚5.) The della Scala fortress, Castelvecchio, down V. Roma from P. Bra, is filled with walkways, parapets, and an art collection that includes Pisanello’s Madonna and Child. (Open M l:30-7:30pm, Tu-Su 8:30am-7:30pm. ‚5, students ‚4. Thousands of tourists have immortalized Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s House), V. Cappello 23, although the dell Cappello (Capulet) family never really lived there. A balcony overlooks a courtyard full of tourists waiting to rub the bronze statue of Juliet. (Open M l:30-7:30pm, Tu-Su 8:30am-7:30pm. ‚3.10, students ‚2.10.) From late June to early September, tourists and singers from around the world descend on the Arena for the city’s annual Opera Festival. (045 800 51 51. General admission Su-Th ‚19.50, F-Sa ‚21.50.)

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