Venice, Italy

The Merchant of Venice was the first Shakespeare play that I read at school, and while it doesn't give much detail of the city itself, I knew that this was a place that I had to visit one day.

A City, built on a marsh where there are more canals than roads, Venice is truly one of the most unique cities in the world. Located in North-Eastern Italy, it is one of those places that you have to make time to visit if you are ever in Italy.

Activities
When in Venice the first thing you should do is go on a gondola ride! Yes it's cliché, but it is so unique to the city that it is  must do! If you're able to, you should also try and book a gondola ride that has a singer, it just completely adds to the experience! When I was in Venice on a group tour we went out on the gondolas with a  singer who then serenaded us in the middle of the canal while we drank champagne. It was so much fun, as you can see from the video below (sorry for the shaky camera. Boats and sparkling wine to not equal good camera work).

Another thing that you should do while in Venice is visit a  glass-blowing factory. Venice is famous for it's Murano glass, and seeing how it is made is simply breath taking.

If you are visiting Venice between January and March, then you should definitely look into which Carnevale events are on during your stay. Famous for the masked balls, Carnevale is a once in a lifetime experience.


Accommodation

The Hotel Ca' Dogaressa is a family run hotel that is reasonably priced. While it is not in town, it is located close to the Guguile Vaparetto water bus stop, making it easy to get into St Marks Square, and anywhere else that you want to go in Venice.

Restuarants
When in Venice, the restaurant that I would definitely recommend is Al Vecio Pipa, on the island of Burano. Burano is famous for it's brightly coloured houses that were painted the same colour as the family boat, so that if a boat was shipwrecked during a storm, the Venetians would know exactly who it belonged to.

Al Vecio Pipa is a seafood restaurant, and when I visited Venice we had a six course meal of the best seafood I have ever tasted (and I've eaten a lot of seafood in my life). We had seafood risotto, fettuccine  marinara, seafood lasagne (with a white sauce) grilled fish and chips, a salmon pate, all finished with some of the best espresso I have ever tasted and home made 'S' biscuits. If seafood isn't your thing, don't worry, because in typical Italian fashion, they just want you to eat! There was a gentlemen in our group who did not like seafood and the owner of the restaurant would not rest until he accepted something else, at no extra charge (even though our meal was pre-paid). With wonderful hospitality and a great atmosphere, I definitely think it is the number one restaurant in Venice.

A small tip when travelling in Italy. In tourist areas, menus prices are often based on where you are sitting in the restaurant. Standing at the bar is the cheapest, followed by sitting inside, and finally sitting outside. This is because the restaurants often hire musical entertainment for their guests outside, so you are paying for the atmosphere as well as the food.

So there is a little introduction to Venice, I hope you get to visit one day! It is definitely one of my favourite places in the world and I can't wait to go again.

-Steph