Venice by Certa
Itinerary
Venice is a city of contrast, the contrasts that live in its slow place, in being both international and a small village at the same time, in the crazy light of the sunset, in its smell, its silences, and the pleasures of strolling. In water and in nature. It is a continuous discovery. We will take you to the less-frequented "calle" of the city and expose you to what we consider to be its unmissable charms – not least the engaging, passionate and characterful people who call it home. Buon viaggio!
STAY
Our top 3:
🛎 Hotel Flora, a refined corner of quietness few steps from St Mark where the Romanelli family has been welcoming guests for more than fifty years. A Seventeenth-century palazzo with 40 finely-decorated rooms and an inner courtyard.
🛎 Combo, located in the restored Ex Convento dei Crociferi. The history of the place may describe your stay best: the historic building was designed to offer residents a profound peace, and singular communion with their surroundings.
🛎 Istituto Canossiano San Trovaso, many of the city's monasteries and convents run B&Bs on the side, and staying in one is a unique way of seeing Venice. The Istituto Canossiano San Trovaso, run by nuns in arty Dorsoduro, is as close as they get to hotels: large, comfy rooms in a 17th-century building, at a fraction of the price of similar-standard hotels.
EAT
Our top 3:
🍝 Gran Caffé Quadri - by day, Quadri is known for its outdoor tables and inhouse orchestra serenading guests as they sit in St Mark's Square. By night, though, this Venice institution opens a Michelin-starred restaurant upstairs.
🍝 Venissa - Mazzorbo, a lagoon island next to Burano, has long been known for its agriculture. Local prosecco magnates the Bisol family have taken things up a notch by replanting an ancient vineyard, adding a vegetable garden and opening a Michelin-starred restaurant and trattoria. The menu is inventive lagoon food, and if you want to make a night out of it, there's a tiny hotel upstairs. Reservations recommended.
🍝 La Zucca - If you don't love seafood, Venice can be a struggle. Not at La Zucca ("The Pumpkin"), which has a delightful veggie-heavy menu, whatever your dietary preferences.
DRINK
Our top 3:
🍸 Mercante - at the foot of the Ponte dei Frari bridge, the bar prides itself on being one of the few in Venice to shake up truly inventive modern cocktails.
🍸 Harry's Bar - Drinking at Harry’s isn’t about the latest mixology trends. Instead, it’s about imbibing well-done classic cocktails. Order a bellini first, then move on to a martini or a negroni. And keep a keen eye out on the crowd—you never know what celebrity might pop in.
🍸 Vino Vero - On the quiet Cannaregio fringe, along a placid canal, sits Vino Vero, a beloved bacaro that proudly hangs a sign reading “No spritz; we love wine!” That they do—with an extensive list of wines by the glass and bottle.
DISCOVER
It's all about the mix of crumbling old world glamour and mysterious chic. Yes, it's a major tourist town, but with this list of the best things to do, we've tried to guide you towards the stuff that's really worth seeing, be it on everyone's hit list or more of a low-key secret.
Our top 3:
🏛 Palazzo Grassi, The contemporary art collection of French billionaire Francois Pinault is split between two Venetian venues: Palazzo Grassi and Punta Della Dogana, the former customs house at the tip of Dorsoduro.
🏛 Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Part 19th-century house museum, part contemporary exhibition space, part architecture nerd's dream garden, Fondazione Querini Stampalia is a microcosm of everything that's fascinating about Venice.
🏛 Peggy Guggenheim Collection, This squat palazzo on the Grand Canal was once the home of the eccentric gallerist and collector Peggy Guggenheim. Today the eponymous museum still maintains the feeling of a private house.
SHOP
Our top 3:
🛒 Giusy Moretti, Giusy Moretti's jewels are real limited editions for the simple fact that the designer uses only extremely rare and unreproducible Murrine created between 1870 and 1924 by her ancestors, very famous Murano glass masters.
🛒 Pied à Terre, a pocket-sized boutique hidden behind a market stall near the Rialto bridge is the top place to buy furlane, the chic gondolier slippers that have become a sort of hallmark of low-key Italian style.
🛒 The Merchant of Venice, a luxury fragrance house directly inspired by the city that is its home – and that of the Vidal family. It brings to life in scented form the interconnected maritime trade routes that once covered a vast area from Asia to Africa.
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