DID you know that Sir Elton John gets very annoyed if the public gawp at him when he’s off duty?
Apparently so, which makes you wonder why the singer would have a holiday home somewhere as busy as Venice – a city with five million tourists a year, all of whom are there to gawp.
GettyThe iconic Rialto Bridge over Venice’s Grand Canal[/caption]
Stay at the huge, gothic hotel the Hilton Molino Stucky and find the perfect base for both exploring and relaxing in Venice
Elton John has a home on Giudecca, the island where the Hilton Molino Stucky is locatedBarcroft Media
He’s canny, though, that Elton. His pad is on Giudecca, the island immediately over the water from St Mark’s Square.
It is a quiet, mainly residential area that is an oasis of calm allowing you to experience all the buzz this amazing city of canals offers without the hassle. Stay at the huge, gothic hotel that dominates the island, the Hilton Molino Stucky, and you have the perfect base for both exploring and relaxing.
WHY SHOULD I GO?
Venice is one of the easiest bucket list destinations to tick off. It is just two and a half hours away by plane and its treasures can be discovered on a long weekend.
It is regularly voted the world’s most beautiful city but that doesn’t quite prepare you for just how spectacular all those Renaissance churches and palazzos are.
And there are few things as stirring as getting the vaporetto (waterbus) from the airport and seeing the city loom out of the lagoon. The light and colours are exactly the same as the Canaletto paintings that immortalised Venice in the 18th century.
Venice is busy all year round but it’s sensible to avoid summer. We went last December when the city was gearing up for Christmas and it was magical, if a bit rainy.
STREETS MADE FOR WALKING?
Absolutely. It’s the best way to get around. Central Venice (it looks like a fish on the map) is made up of more than 100 small islands connected by bridges and narrow cobbled alleyways with seemingly endless sharp turns. At times you will feel lost but at every corner, signs point you to main sights St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge and you soon get your bearings.
The city is smaller than you think too. Nothing is very far away. Having said that, the vaporettos are fun and ideal for exploring the splendour of the Grand Canal.
ANYTHING FOR BUCKET LIST?
Where to start. Beautiful St Mark’s Square with its porticos is the city’s meeting place. St Mark’s Basilica is a must and if you have a head for heights, climb the Campanile bell tower. The beautiful Doge’s Palace is a reminder of Venice’s importance in the Middle Ages as a global centre for art and commerce. Visiting the palace also allows you to actually cross the Bridge of Sighs rather than just take a picture of it.
The Rialto Bridge, which connects the two oldest neighbourhoods of San Marco and San Polo, is the most photographed bit of Venice. Just accept that you will be fighting for space with hundreds of other selfie-takers. It’s got to be done.
The other must-do is a gondola ride. OK, this is a rip-off but if you go into it with your eyes open, then fine. We paid €80 cash for three for a trip that seemed to last about 30 seconds – although we did get to see explorer Marco Polo’s house.
WHERE SHOULD I EAT?
There are a lot of tourist-trap restaurants on the main drags, offering expensive but mediocre grub. Avoid St Mark’s Square and the Rialto and head into the warren of streets behind them and you will find cheaper, better places. Try a bar and order the cicchetti, the Venetian equivalent of tapas that is bread topped with meat, fish, cheese or veg.
Or eat on Giudecca. There are some great waterfront restaurants there used by locals – always a good sign. Try Trattoria Altanella, Trattoria Ai Cacciatori and Ostaria Ae Botti. All serve the usual Italian crowd pleasers, as well as Venetian dishes such as cuttlefish with rice or pasta.
FEELING THIRSTY?
Venice has everything from cosy Irish pubs and studenty hangouts to posh cocktail bars and jazz places. Harry’s Bar, which invented the Bellini, is not the best but it is the best known.
It was popularised by author Ernest Hemingway in the 1930s and has always been a magnet for celebs. If any actual stars had turned up for this year’s film festival, that’s where they’d be relaxing because it is THE bar to go to.
Prepare for a wallet-emptying experience, though – a single Bellini will set you back over €20.
WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
Once you realise you don’t need to stay in the centre of Venice to get the most from the city, Giudecca makes perfect sense.
Stay at the Hilton Molino Stucky and you’re only 15 minutes from St Mark’s Square on the complimentary waterbus.
This revamped 19th century flour mill (Stucky is the name of the original owner) is now a five-star hotel that’s become a huge part of the Venice scene.
The rooftop Skyline bar offers amazing views across to the city (there’s a pool up there too) and the restaurants are two of the city’s best. The cosy Bacaromi offers Venetian specialities while the posher Aromi is more gourmet with a terrace that looks out across the water. Like everything in Venice, the Hilton ain’t exactly cheap but like the city itself, it is rather special.
And anyway in Venice pushing the boat out is a way of life.
All right reservebd www.andreasarti.comOne of the luxury rooms in the Hilton Molino Stucky[/caption]
ShutterstockThe beautiful St Mark’s Square[/caption]
GO: VENICE
GETTING THERE: Easyjet flies to Venice from Gatwick, Manchester, Luton and Bristol. Flights in November are from £100pp return. See easyjet.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the Hilton Molino Stucky start at £175 per night based on two sharing with breakfast included. See Hilton.com.