I completely agree that Venezia can be quite homely and friendly. I haven't returned since October 2019 because of the world situation and it is a great sadness to me. I've tentatively booked leave for a couple of weeks in October to stay in Venice but the restrictions currently in place would have to alter to make it worth my while so I am keeping everything crossed in the hope that I can travel to Venice then. I have met some delightful people and made some interesting discoveries, including Gigi Bon's amazing Wunderkammer which is off the Camp S. Samuele, near the apartment with the garden where I stayed.
https://www.gigibonvenezia.com/sito/en/about-me.html.
Re. Rome and NYC - I think Rome could grow on me, I revisited
La Grande Bellezza a while ago as I love the filming, I like the characters a lot less but I don't think I'm supposed to am I. With regards to NY the opening of Woody Allen's Manhattan is captivating and one of my favourite openings of all time.
I do like the Chrysler Building which is very pretty at night.
With regard to my
bonnes addresses for restaurant, bars &c. I am trying to attach a document so that I don't bore people with my meanderings but I'm such a Luddite with technology that I cannot. So ... here are some of my favourite places ...
http://www.lazucca.it/en
One of my favourite places is Zucca. The food is yummy and really nice ambience. Lots of my art historian friends and academics from Warwick eat here.
(Kylie would probably avoid it for fear of lots of alcohol-fuelled English people misbehaving, dancing on the tables and puking in the canal). One always has to book here, sometimes quite a way in advance as it is so popular. The staff has become a bit arrogant and even rude because of the success of the restaurant.
For example, the last time I was there (October 2019), I was dining with “A Bridge of Sighs” Insta. Handle of the rhinoceros lady. I asked for a wine recommendation but was distracted by a question that the Bridge of Sighs had asked me. When I asked the waiter to repeat himself, he told me off for not listening to him. I was gobsmacked. So was The Bridge of Sighs. The food is good enough to put up with this rudeness within reason, though.
https://www.ristorantedafiore.com/
Da Fiore is another favourite. A little more refined and upscale than Zucca. Great on fish and seafood. I go there when I’m checking out various possibilities with fish!
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...ntine_del_Vino_Gia_Schiavi-Venice_Veneto.html
I love this place for Cicchetti and an excellent range of Italian wines to purchase per prendere e andare via. Some wines sold by the glass over the counter can be a bit rough, but the staff can be persuaded to open a bottle of Amarone and sell by the glass.
Nevertheless, it’s lovely and full of atmosphere and people.
http://www.trattoriamaddalena.com/it/
This is in Burano, but I had a delightful lunch here for a friend’s birthday and would highly recommend it.
I also enjoy some of the usual suspects… Cips on the Guidecca is always a pleasure, both for the View of the Piazzetta across the Grand Canal and the best Bellini I’ve ever tasted. I also love the Locanda Cipriani on Torcello.. To see the mosaics at the Basilica followed by lunch is just wonderful... I like Florian’s too… I might attend an early mass at S. Marco and then have breakfast at Florian’s before it becomes too busy and can enjoy the Piazza S. Marco and the decadent interior in comparative peace. I imagine the Tiepolos stopping off there for a coffee or an aperitif after a hard day making wonderful frescoes.
For Museum Cafes, I like the café at the Guggenheim. Qatar was lending a Fortuny painting to the Fortuny Museum in Venice for an exhibition in 2019 (QM’s painting travelled down the Grand Canal in a boat … how cool is that?). I directed my colleague around Venice on WhatsApp to my favourite places, and she enjoyed lunch in the Guggenheim garden.
I am fond of Ristorante Acqua Pazza – arguably a bit overpriced, but delicious pizza, and I often drop in for a lemon risotto and Sicilian white for lunch.
https://www.veniceacquapazza.com/it..._medium=organic&utm_campaign=GoogleMyBusiness
Last but not least … Vizio Virtu is my favourite chocolate shop in Venice, and I thoroughly recommend the Sigmund Freud!