Hi all,
I just returned from a wonderful 2 weeks in Italy. The majority of the trip I stayed in Venice. Thought I'd share some information on the hotel where I stayed:
Hotel Santa Lucia - Don't let the 1 star scare you - this place is great. Of course it is in Italy and therefore resonably priced, centrally located and well run. It is less than 5 minutes from the train station and therefore the Ferrovia vaporetto stops. Ferrovia is one of the larger vaporetto stops, and so you can catch many lines there. The hotel itself is located on a quiet side street off a busy, toursity street, so don't count on eating right by the hotel. I chose a single room with shared bathroom and it worked out perfectly. The room was clean, quiet and functional (no lovely view but that's never a priority for me). The shared bathroom was right next door and I rarely had to share it with anyone. The staff was so friendly and helpful! You can choose to have breakfast included (5 euro), and to me that was worth it. Most mornings I chose to eat outside in the cute, private, and quiet courtyard - great way to start the day. In particular, the staff was so sweet to let me practice my very small Italian vocabulary and help with new words and phrases! I certainly recommend this hotel!
Taverna al Remer (Cannaregio 5701 – 3121 Venezia)
I was introduced to this great restaurant at the end of a Take Walks Tour (food tour – highly recommend). That day we were treated to a pasta dish with black squid ink sauce. I never would have been brave enough to order this dish on my own but highly recommend it now! It was so great with a salty taste and chunks of squid included! I was so impressed with this place that I went back for dinner a few nights later. It is a little hard to find. Even though you can spot it from the Grand Canal, you have to take quite a few turns to find it. You can find it from the Rialto Mercato stop (and take the traghetto across the Grand Canal) or get off at the Ca’Dor stop. I would recommend asking your hotel for help finding it or call the restaurant 041 5228789 for directions.
Pizzeria Oke (Zattere vapporeto stop; Dorsoduro, 1414 – 30123 Venezia)
This one is in Italy but thought I would second their recommendation. You’ll be impressed with the view, the food and the service. While they have a full menu, how do you pass up choosing from at least 20 different pizzas? I chose one topped with speck and gorgonzola! Good choice! There is indoor seating but if you don’t have a reservation, you should definitely wait for an outdoor table to come open – worth the wait!
Padova – Pago Pago Ristorante Pizzaria (Via G. Galilei, 50) On a day trip to see Srovegni Chapel and Basilica di Sant’Antonio I had lunch at another RS recommended (and easy to find) pizzeria. Rarely does RS go wrong and they didn’t here either! This place is great and not filled with English-speaking tourists despite its central location. Another great pizza, good service, and reasonable price. Three pages of pizzas makes it hard to choose anything else. I had a Sicilian inspired Margherita with buffalo mozzarella.