ITINERARY (subject to change):
MON. JAN 6 - Depart USA for Milan (MXP)
TUES. JAN 7 - Arrive Milan (7:30 AM); Chartered bus to Venice/Piazzale Roma (incl, 3.5 hrs, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM); vaporetto (incl., 12:30 PM) to HQ (5826 Cannaregio; 35 min) and to Hotel La Fenice et des Artistes (S. Marco, 1936, 30124; 5 more minutes) to drop off bags; brief, informal walking tour of Venice (1:30 - 3:00 PM; Ponte de Rialto, Libreria Acqua Alta, Piazza San Marco, Doges Palace); settle into accommodations (3:00 PM - 5:30 PM); Group Dinner @ HQ (5:30 PM - 6:30 PM); Nighttime vaporetto ride up the Grand Canal (incl, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM, Rialto to Lido and back) Canalside bàcari crawl (8:00 PM - ?). Note: you are now free to sleep!
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| Liberia Acqua Alta, labeled the "most beautiful bookstore in the world." |
WEDS. JAN 8 - Hotel Breakfast (incl, 9:00 AM); Workshop @ HQ (10:30 AM - 1:30 PM); Free Time/Lunch (1:30 PM - 6 PM; take advantage of vaporetto pass); Group Dinner @ HQ (incl, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Lecture (Rudden) & Group Reading @ HQ (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
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| Doge's Palace, the very symbol of Venice and a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. |
THURS. JAN 9 - Hotel breakfast (incl. 9:00 AM); Free Time/Lunch (10:30 PM - 6:00 PM, take advantage of last day vaporetto pass); Group Dinner (incl. 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Ghost Tour (7:30 - 10:00 PM)
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| The darker side of the city. Tales of torture, murder, and intrigue. |
FRI. JAN 10 - Hotel breakfast (incl, 9:00 AM), Workshop @ HQ (10:30 AM - 1:30 PM), Free Time/One-on-Ones w. Dave Rudden (1:30 PM - 6:00 PM); Group Dinner @ HQ (incl, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Lecture (Dawson) & Group Reading @ HQ (7:00 PM -9:00 PM)
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| Murano and Burano, two of the most beautiful islands near Venice |
SAT. JAN 11 - Hotel breakfast (incl, 9:00 AM); Workshop @ HQ (10:30 AM - 1:30 PM); Free Time/One-on-Ones w. Dave Rudden (1:30 PM - 6:00 PM); Group Dinner (incl, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Q&A (Rudden, Dawson) & Group Reading @ HQ (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM)
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| Neo-Baroque splendor at Cafe Florian, an iconic, opulent 300-year-old-cafe. |
SUN. JAN 12 - Hotel breakfast (incl. 9:00 PM); Free Time/One-on-ones (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM) chartered bus to Milan/one-on-ones w. Dave Rudden (incl., 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM); check-in at Agriturismo La Garzonera, a family-run farm in the Italian countryside (but only ten minutes from the airport) that raises Shetland ponies and produces honey, small fruits, jams and organic vegetables). Group dinner (incl., 5:30 - 7:00 PM), D&D one-off (7:00 PM - 9:30 PM)
INCLUDED: Chartered ground transportation to/from Venice. Airport Shuttle to MXP (Mon. Jan 13). All accommodations. Breakfast (6). Dinner (6). Rolling Venice Card & 3 Day Vaportetto Pass.
NOTE: Each participant will also get a Rolling Venice Card (which offers substantial discounts on attractions like Doges Palace, Correr Museum, and Ca' Rezzonico Palace) and a three day TRAVEL PASS, which allows unlimited use of all public transport for 72 hours.
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| Workshop HQ at 5826 Cannaregi. |
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| Hotel La Fenice et Des Artiste near Piazza San Marco. |
Participants will be staying in twin rooms w. private bathrooms at Hotel La Fenice et Des Artistes (pictured above), a Three Star Superior Hotel near Piazza San Marco. Rooms have views over a "charming Venetian square or small, traditional canal where you can watch the gondolas pass by."
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| Agriturismo La Garzonera,a family-run farm in the Italian countryside |
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POINTS OF INTEREST:
PLAZA SAN MARCO - Napoleon called this ‘the drawing room of Europe.’Ride the elevator to the top of the campanile (bell tower) for great views, watch high tides bubble up through the drains, and visit the famous Correr Museum, located above the famous porticos. Most importantly, have a drink at one of the famous cafes, some of which have been going strong for hundreds of years. Florian has been serving eager Venice tourists since 1720, but the better place might be Quadri, on the opposite side of the square – it’s owned by the local Alajmo brothers, who have a Michelin-starred restaurant upstairs and gourmet bar snacks downstairs.
DOGE'S PALACE: Few buildings on the planet are as gloriously camp as the pink-tinged, candy-striped Doge’s Palace, dandling on the water’s edge. It’s certainly seen some action – the political heart of the Venetian Republic, which lasted for over 1000 years until 1797, this is where doges were ‘crowned’ (and the naughty ones executed), while prisoners were tried and marched to their deaths over the Bridge of Sighs. Some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance came to slather its walls in paintings, and even Casanova was imprisoned here, although he swiftly escaped over the rooftops to slay another day. Highlights include the one of the largest canvas paintings in the world (‘Paradise’ by Tintoretto in the Sala del Maggior Consiglio), the haunted prisons, and the Bridge of Sighs, where you can recreate your own death walk. The regular exhibitions, including contemporary art installations, are always worth a look.
BASILLICA SAN MARCO: All that glitters probably is gold, if the Venetians are anything to go by. They looted left right and center, down the Adriatic and across to Constantinople to make this, their main church, as spectacular as possible. From the intricate Byzantine-style mosaics on the floor (don’t miss the rhinoceros) to the glowing golden roof and wall mosaics, whose saints and martyrs sparkle, it’s deliciously outré. For a small extra fee you can visit the museum upstairs, and walk outside for views of the Piazza.
GRAND CANAL: This is one of the world’s greatest waterways for good reason – splitting Venice neatly into two, lined with palazzos each fancier than the next, and crossed by just four bridges, including the Rialto (below). Hop on the number 1 boat at Piazzale Roma, and it’ll take you on a 45-minute leisurely cruise, past churches (including the iconic domed Salute church) and mindblowingly beautiful palazzos like the gothic wedding cake that is Ca’ d’Oro. Consider a ride in a traghetto – essentially a public gondola, they cross the Grand Canal at five points. You get all the views, with less of the waves caused by all the boats – and all for €2 a pop.
PONTE DI RIALTO: Only in Venice can a bridge be a tourist attraction, a work of art… and a shopping mall. The marble-clad affair, linking the San Marco and San Polo districts via the Grand Canal since 1591, is second only to Piazza San Marco when it comes to visitor numbers. Fight for a space to get a prime view of the Grand Canal, check out the shops that line it (but be aware they’re mostly tourist traps), and most importantly cross it (if you’re coming from the San Marco side) to reach the market that’s been going strong for over 1,000 years. Today, the market itself may be of slightly less interest to visitors, since it’s mainly fruit, veg and fish, but the bars that have fuelled market workers for centuries are some of the best in the city for both atmosphere and cicchetti (see below).
CICHETTI: People often slate Venice as expensive – with bad food. These people haven’t eaten cicchetti, the legendary Venetian bar snacks, which started as bitesize fodder for gondoliers and workers on the run. Today, they usually come in the form of baguette slices topped with anything from seafood to meat and cheese – you’ll find some of the best in town at Schiavi in Dorsoduro, where gourmet toppings include egg dusted with tiny flowers and tuna tartare with a sprinkling of cacao. The more traditional cicchetti, though, don’t involve bread – they’re anything from a boiled egg with anchovies, to sarde in saor, sweet-sour-style sardines marinated with onion, raisins and pine nuts. Pair it with an ombra – the Venetian term for a small glass of house wine. The bars around the Rialto market are a good place to start a cicchetti crawl. A favorite spot among locals is Adriatico Mar.
GALLERIE DELL' ACCADEMIA: When Napoleon conquered Venice, he swiped plenty of its best Renaissance artworks and took them back to France. Lots have been recovered, however, and are now part of this vast gallery, one of the best in Italy, sporting one of the finest collections of Renaissance art on the planet. The high-ceilinged rooms are stuffed with altarpieces by Venetian greats like Titian, Tintoretto, Bellini and Carpaccio, as well as those who hit the big time here, from Mantegna to Veronese.
FONDAMENTA DELLA MISERICORDIA: A wondrously watery take on a bar strip: dozens of wine bars, restaurants and gin joints lining a wide canal in residential district Cannaregio, backing onto the Jewish quarter. Try Vino Vero for fancy wines, Al Timon whose seating includes a boat moored on the canal, and Ae Bricoe for delicious cicchetti. There’s also a great artist wedged between bars, Nelson Kishi at his shop Codex Venezia, for a truly unique souvenir of Venice.
CHURCH OF SAN SEBASTIANO: The beauty of Venice is that much of its world-class artwork still hangs in the place it was created for. This church on the far end of Dorsoduro is one of the most spectacular examples – it’s almost entirely decorated by 16th-century artist Paolo Veronese, from the dramatic paintings above the altars in the myriad chapels right down to the Sistine Chapel-style frescoed walls featuring martyrs and sibyl-like figures, and even the panelled doors over the organ. Veronese is one of the big names you’ll find in the Accademia gallery, but where the works feel sensationally dramatic there, over here there’s an intimate feel to the place he created as an installation for the ages. Buy a Chorus pass on the door instead of a single ticket, and you’ll get access to 19 of Venice’s loveliest, most atmospheric, art-swaddled churches.
SCALA DEL BOVOLO: This incredible spiral staircase is located just a few minutes from Campo Santo Stefano at the end of a tiny alley. This smaller version of the tower of Pisa was built in 1499 as part of the Contarini palace. Legend goes that Pietro Contarini had the tower and staircase built in order to reach his bedroom, located at the top floor of the mansion, directly on horseback. A sort of an ancient private elevator. In the garden, you will find an ancient stone well. Its well-head dates back to the 11th Century. A visit inside Scala del Bovolo (bovolo means sea snail in Venetian dialect) needs to be booked in advance.LIBRERIA ACQUA ALTAHIS: Often dubbed "the most beautiful bookstore in the world," this unique shop has seen some serious flooding as per the best Venetian tradition. Located in Calle Lunga Santa Maria Formosa, just off the Santa Maria Formosa square, the shop is a must-see for lovers of new and second-hand books. A fig tree will welcome you at the entrance. Explore the rooms where books are stored in bathtubs, gondolas and canoes, safely protected from the capricious waters of the canals. You can grab a book and sit in the bookshop “garden”, that is a gondola anchored to the canal.
TERTRARCHS IN ST. MARKS SQUARE: It is a common practice to touch the Tertrarchs for good luck. The porphyry statues date from the 3rd century AD and were stolen by the Venetians from Constantinople at the end of the Fourth Crusade. The Sack of Constantinople of 1204 went down in history as one of the most barbaric looting and pillaging events of the medieval era. The famous bronze horses of St Mark’s were also looted from Constantinople at the same time and brought back to Venice where they presided over St Mark’s Square, until Napoleon, ironically stole them and took them to Paris. When the Tetrarchs arrived in Venice they were embedded into the south-west corner of St. Mark’s Basilica – and have remained there ever since.
PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: More soon.
JEWISH GHETTO: More soon.
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ISLANDS:
BURANO: Burano might be a 40-minute Vaporetto from the main island, but it’s worth the day trip. This island is filled with homes painted in every colour of the rainbow. Stroll past the 13th-century church of Santa Caterina to check out local restaurants, like the Trattoria Al Gatto Nero, which serves fresh seafood and homemade pasta (look for the bright blue building).
MURANO: Come for the glass and stay for the island. Murano is a mini Venice, complete with its own palace-lined ‘Grand Canal’ snaking down its middle – and it’s only a five-minute vaporetto ride into the north lagoon (depending on where you alight). It is, of course, best known for its glass – the streets are lined with glass shops (make sure you’re buying something made locally, not a foreign-import trinket), blazing furnaces fire the factories where maestri blow and hand-turn glass, and there’s a superb – and compact – museum (below). But it’s a gorgeous island in its own right. Don’t miss the Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato with its 12th-century mosaic ‘carpet’ of geometric patterns and fantastical animals, or the art-stuffed San Pietro Martire church. If you’re buying, Lucevetro has glasses, accessories and glass artwork designed and made on the island at accessible prices, while big spenders should head to Venini, whose collaborations with 20th-century designers have made it world famous.
TORCELLO: Just across the water from Burano is this semi-deserted island, whose current population just about hits double figures. Back in the day, though, this was where Venice began – before the Venetians settled around the Rialto, Torcello was a thriving port. Today it’s best known for the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built in the seventh century, and topped and tailed with glittering 11th-century mosaics, including the dramatic Last Judgement on the back wall, which has some particularly gruesome depictions of those unlucky souls in hell. Ernest Hemingway sought solitude and stimulation to write, and the island's charm won him over. He stayed at Locanda Cipriani, a rustic inn (still in operation) owned by the proprietor of Harry's Bar. He wrote Across the River and into the Trees here in 1948
SAN MICHELE CEMETERY: The most obviously haunted place in Venice is the San Michele Cemetery. The new cemetery was established in 1807, by filling the canals of the then two separate islands (San Michele and San Cristoforo), to create one larger one. Bodies were carried to the island on special funeral gondolas. The island was formerly used for prisoners, which in itself imbues the island with a storied past. The cemeteries are guarded by large cypress trees whose branches ache and moan with the wind. Thousands of people are now buried on the island, under some of the most lavish monuments you’ll find anywhere in the world. The cemetery is divided into different sections; Catholic, Greco/Orthodox, Protestant, Victims of War, and gondoliers. Many famous folks are buried in San Michele, including Ezra Pound and Igor Stravinsky.
LIDO: When you’ve had enough culture, escape to the Lido – the seven-mile sandbar separating the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. Take a bus (yes, this island has cars) to the eastern end to find its wilder side, with dramatic breakwaters and dunes that feel a world away from the city.
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BEST VIEWS:
Few cities look as good from on high as this one, and you’ve a few places to choose from if you want a bird’s eye view. The most obvious one is the campanile in Piazza San Marco – but while that nets you stellar views of the Piazza and the Doge’s Palace, it has the same problem as the observatory of the Empire State Building – you’re in the view. The campanile on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, just across the water, is a good alternative for classic Venice views, while for the Grand Canal, you’ll want to head to the rooftop of the Fondaco di Tedeschi department store, right above the Rialto Bridge.
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SUNRISE/SUNSET
SUNRISE (7:50 AM): Accademia Bridge and Punta della Dogana: the sun will rise slowly from behind the Lido island and the skyline of the San Giorgio Maggiore island.
SUNSET (4:40 PM): Zattere walkway, nice view with Giudecca island in front, Accademia Bridge, a unique perspective from a higher view point of the Grand Cana, and the VERY BEST, the Riva dei sette Martiri, the best viewpoint including the St Mark Basin, the Salute’s Custom Point and the St George’s Island
