Special dinner in Venice

My vote would be for Osteria da Alberto. It's a little harder to find than others in Rick's book, so fewer tourists. They have a shorter early sitting (more tourists) and a longer late sitting (more locals). No outside tables that I recall, but nice cozy interior seating and good food. Stroll by at lunch hour and make a reservation if you like it. It's nice but not fancy or elegant, so not certain whether it will fit your bill for such a special occasion.

Hi Barbara, I enjoyed a special dinner at Restaurant Piscina in the Pensione La Calcina. It's pretty pricey but it has a wonderful view of the Guidecca canal. It's located in the Dorsoduro area - far away from the tourist areas. See what you think.

http://www.lacalcina.com/HTML/en/calcina_piscina_1b_en.html

Hi Barb,
My wife and I just returned two days ago and we spent 3 nights in Venice. I would say you should ask at your hotel and I bet they will be able to recommend a nice place. We just celebrated our 30th anniversary on this trip! And just about everywhere in Venice is so nice...you won't have a problem! Just avoid the heavy traffic spots, like Rialto, and you should enjoy your dinner! Venice was so beautiful and we loved just about every minute of it!
Tom & Sherry Trojanowski
Steger, IL

Thanks for the question and info. We are celebrating our 39th in Italy and will be in Venice Oct. 17th-20. Appreciated the information and congratulations to those who celebrated !

I'm sure that a very special place that is truly Venetian would be the ideal place for that special anniversary - especially since you are in Venice. Having a special dinner with the Venetians is great. However, if you want an alternative, I would suggest the new Hilton Molino Stuky just across the Giudecca Canal. Their top-on-the-line Aromi dining room is fabulous. The hotel just opened on June 1 so its hard to claim any tradition. But, the menu is Venetian (although it looked a bit Americanized to us). They also have another dining room but it's not as romantic. We are Hilton Diamond members and were in the Aromi on opening night. The Hilton has a free private shuttle that departs just East of the San Zaccaria Pieta vaporetto stop. The hotel is also about a 1,000 feet from the Palanca vaporetto stop.

We also ate at Osteria da Alberto at the recommendation of our B&B owner. Just some advice that if you do not like seafood, you might want to look elsewhere. It was excellent, but we did not expect such a limited menu. When my husband ordered a pasta dish with cuttlefish, we didn't expect it to have a sauce with squid ink (nor did we know that cuttlefish is in the same family as squid and octopus). But it was very tasty. Prices were reasonable. Make a reservation since it is very small.

For a memorable after dinner event, go to St. Mark's Square and have a drink at one of the three cafes that have live music. It's a bit pricey with 5-6 euros per person cover charge for the music plus the drinks/desserts are a bit pricey. But it is really magical, and who can put a price on celebrating 40 years together!

We ate at a wonderful spot near the La Fenice Theatre. I do not remember its name - but it was romantic and very good food. There was a lot of outdoor seating but also indoor seating.

It was in the corner where the street wraps around the theater.

Congratulations!!!

A restaurant that we really like, that has also received good reviews from places like Gambero Rosso, is Anice Stellato. It's located quite a bit out of the way, in Cannaregio, but well worth the walk (and it's a nice walk, as well). Because it's out of the way, there are fewer tourists there. Anice Stellato is nice but not too formal.

I've also seen good reviews of Vecio Fritolin; also out of the way, in San Polo. But I haven't been there myself (yet). Based on the pictures on their website, its about as formal as Anice Stellato.

Enjoy!