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Dining in Europe > Venice The restaurants in Venice offer a wide variety of food ranging from international fast food to five star Italian cuisine. Many of the specialities are fish based, and there are excellent vegetables in season from the gardens of St. Erasmo Island. For a light snack, which can also become a veritable meal, try a snack at an 'osteria', or 'cicheti' which is normally meatballs, fried vegetables, anchovies and cured meats, or even a sandwich, which are served on incomparable bread made with dough containing the city water. In these inns, many of which are close to the Rialto Market, customers can be assured that the food will be extremely fresh, as they are subject to a quality control which is carried out daily by the local residents. Don't forget to visit Do Spade, Antico Dolo, Do Mori, Da Pinto. Campo Santa Margherita, away from the tourist trail, is always reasonable, and can be found near Piazzale Roma and the University. This is predominantly an area of pubs, bakeries, ice cream parlours and pizzerias, that caters for a mostly student clientele. In summer this is the only area that stays open until late at night, much against the will of the elderly population in this district. This is also the 'artistic' quarter, where actors, directors, architects, designers and a range of other arty types hang out. A lot of the gourmet restaurants in Venice, where there is both a high quality of food and presentation, can be found in San Marco, the most prestigious area of the city. Harrys Bar is a name to remember, as well as Do Forni and Antico Pignolo. There are also some areas further out which have good restaurants such as the Castello district, where Franzcan be found, an excellent restaurant, near the Santo Stefano church. There is also Da Fiore, which a few years ago, was named as the best restaurant in the world. Venice loves to have a good drink, as does the whole of the Veneto region. There are many inn-wine bars that have become real institutions and are very popular. Unnamed house wines can be found everywhere, of various qualities: TheDo Mori, for example. In autumn, look out for the 'torbolino'; a Pinot Nero which has not been stored and whose presence announces that winter is on its way. T. Shrank Entertainment in VeniceVenice is a rather soporific city, especially when you compare it to other major cities of the world. There are several reasons for this. The first is the high average age of its citizens ' probably the highest in Italy. The second is the relative difficulty one faces in getting around. This is not a place for cars and other personal means of transport, and a boat ride is not really ideal for an evening out. Finally, there is a lack of space in Venice, so everything is very cramped. In short, you will search in vain for nocturnal activities. There simply isn't anything to do. However, if you really can't do without them, you can drive to Piazzale Roma (a true Venetian would need a very good justification for doing so) and then on to Jesolo ' a city for night-owls. Besides, by nature Venetians do things differently. They enjoy entertaining friends in the privacy of their own homes. As a consequence, there are very few restaurants which stay open until late ' to the point where going for something to eat after the cinema would be a major feat. It is only relatively recently that some restaurants have been re-opened where you can get something to eat and listen to live music e.g. "Il Paradiso perduto, in the Misericordia district, which is noted for its ambience and also for its endless disputes with local residents. An exception to this rule is the Campo Santa Margherita during the summer. The presence of hundreds of students on their summer holidays transforms the square into a pleasure pavilion, with restaurants, live music and extemporaneous art exhibitions. Amongst the most popular are those at Du Champ, the Caffè Rosso and Ai Sportivi. Another exception is during the Carnival: In September, Campo San Polo hosts an open-air cinema, where you can sit under the stars and watch films which have only recently been released at the Biennale Cinema. The opening seasons of the Goldoni Thestre, and the operatic-symphonic Fenice Theatre (until September at Palafenice in Tronchetto, but repeated for a little longer in the historic centre of renovated Malibran) attempt to shift the winter-blues. For those addicted to risk-taking, there are two Casinos, in the city, as well as in Mestre which appeared over the summer. Finally, there is the Lido ' an island which makes this water-logged city go bathing-mad. But even here, whether you like it or not, the emphasis is on Mann, rather than Maracaibo. The beach is extremely beautiful, but where it is most beautiful, it is also very much under scrutiny and very expensive. Where the sand runs out, towards the Murazzi islands, the water is dirty and there are breakwaters, with not so much as a stick of celery to take shelter beneath. V.Manickavasagar Recommended ToursA visit to Venice can last a few hours or many months. It all depends on what you want to do here. There are also trips to Venice which hardly touch on the city. This all stems from the fact that, geographically, the actual city itself is not that large. If you are only planning a short trip, the Basilica di San Marco is a must see, and is the heart of the city. There is little else that illustrates so perfectly, without words, the relationship between Venice and Byzantium. It has a central plan of a Greek cross with five, large domes, one of which is at the extremity of the cross, and one at the crossing of the transept. The main façade looks out over the piazza, with four portals that lead into the body of the church. There were originally five portals, but one, facing towards the piazzetta, has been transformed into a large window. Immediately next to the church, and in perfect harmony with its neighbour, is the Palazzo del doge, evidence of the duplicity between the political and religious powers. Built as a castle, in a basic style, it has evolved into a symbol of Italian architecture and engineering from the proto-modern period. It is home to art works of exceptional importance, but has unfortunately also lost many works to fires at different times. On the other side of the piazzetta, is the National Marciana Library, which contains treasures of renaissance wisdom, which emerged in Venice as it was a city relatively free of censorship. Many texts are marked as published in Argentina, but in reality they were the work of thousands of Venetian printers, who hid behind this strategy. In the counter-reform period, the activity of these printers helped to maintain a situation of free communication between different worlds. The Correr Museum, is also in Piazza San Marco, part of the circuit of city museums. This museum is dedicated to the history and culture of the city, and also has other exhibits. Under the Procuratie, and above the historic Florian café, is the Archeological Museum. Art lovers can't miss the gallerie dell'Accademia, by the bridge of the same name, which houses some treasures of Venetian painting dating from the height of its splendour, in the 16th century. Slightly off the traditional tourist route are the sites of ethnic and religious minorities. The secular tolerance of the Republic allowed the persecuted, as well as foreigners who were not accepted elsewhere, a place to live peacefully in Venice. The Island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, is the centre of Armenian diaspora culture, and there is also the Moorat Raphael Palace, near San Sebastian. Also in Venice is the first ghetto in history. 'Ghetto' is a Venetian word, derived from 'getto', meaning the cast of the foundries which were originally in the area before moving away for security reasons. The word 'getto' became 'ghetto' because the Jews from Germany had difficulty in pronouncing the 'g'. The synagogues and museum can be visited here. The Greek community meets right behind San Marco, in the San Giorgio dei Greci church, which is adjacent to the museum of Byzantine Icons. The Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni was started by the Dalmati, and linked to the secular tradition of the city, who defended it strenuously until the fall of the Republic. It now holds the Carpaccio cycle, which is of exceptional importance. In the fondaco dei Tedeschi at the foot of the Rialto Bridge you will find the Post Office, while the National History Museum is to be found in the fondaco dei Turchi, Don't miss out on a visit to the islands, which are an integral part of the city history. Torcello was one of the first to be settled, and was then abandoned as it became unhealthy. There is also Murano, home of blown glass, and Burano, an island of colour and lace. Venice is not just a city of stone, if you hire a boat (although you need to be very specific about the boat you want in a city surrounded by water!!) you can cruise through areas of nature for hours in the northern lagoon near to Burano, there is also San Franceso del Deserto and the valleys. Travelling southwards, you will come across Chioggia and the lagoon of Cason dei sette morti (the lagoon of the seven dead). Enjoy oases of fauna, archaeological areas, or maybe you'll find that fantasy island sunken beneath a load of booty!! Once on terra firma, you can visit Brenta, its river, or take in its beautiful villas. From Malcontenta up to Vicenza and Rotonda you can see traces of a Padovan architect. You could drop into Padova if you wanted and visit la Specola, Galileos observatory, who worked for Venice as a maths scholar. Dining in Europe > Venice
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