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City Guide - Venice - Nightlife | ||
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Nightlife Carnival city, once the home of some 12,000 courtesans who set up camp to tickle the fancy of pleasure-seeking aristocrats like Lord Byron, is no longer the licentious 'city of revel' it was once dubbed. Visitors to Venice will be hard-pushed to find entertainment beyond their plate of cuttlefish and risotto. Most of the action takes place in the early evening when Venetians take their daily stroll or passeggiata along the Riva degli Schiavioni or to their neighbourhood campo. Sometimes they stop off for an aperitif - preferably a glass of chilled prosecco, the local white wine that fizzes on the tongue. For a quick tipple, the swankiest venues are concentrated around St Mark's Square, where you can spend your Lire with decadent abandon. Other more bohemian areas are in the backstreets of Cannaregio and San Polo, where you can swill a beaker of local wine alongside fishermen and students. Nightclubs are virtually non-existent, due to the problems with noise pollution, and those that do exist operate a well-honed entry system that favours short-skirted women. More places open in the summer on the Lido, when you can rub shoulder pads with Hollywood's glitziest, but for the rest of the year the best of the city's bright lights are the lanterns on the boats twinkling in the lagoon. Bars: Harry's Bar, Calle Vallaresso, on the western edge of St Mark's Square, is the home of the legendary Bellini, a cocktail of prosecco, fresh peach juice and a dash of grenadine. No introduction to Venice - or prosecco - is complete without one. The bar is owned by the Cipriani family and has played host to Hollywood's most rich and glamorous. Also worth a snifter are Bar Al Volto, Calle Cavalli 4052, San Marco - a watering hole that stocks over 1300 wines and a dizzy array of appetisers, and Café Blue, Salizada San Pantalon, Dorsoduro, with an array of board games and a popular happy hour (2000-2100). Two bars frequented by the locals are Do Mori, Calle Do Mori, San Polo, and the nearby Do Spade, Sottoportego dello Spade, San Polo, both bursting with camaraderie. The Corner Pub, Calle della Chiesa, near the Guggenheim Museum, is an inviting late stop (until 0200). While homesick Celts should head for the slightly naff Fiddler's Elbow, Corte dei Pali, Cannaregio. Casinos: Venice has one casino, but two locations. In summer, the Casino Municipale di Venezia welcomes beach bums and film stars to its home in the Palazzo del Casino on the Lido. In winter, it closes its doors and retreats to the more refined surroundings of Palazzo Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal - last resting place of Richard Wagner, who died here in 1883. Gamblers should be willing to dress up and put up. Clubs: Since these are few and far between in Venice, most young people head for Mestre where there is more space and less noise restriction, or further afield to the student town of Padua. But if you are stuck in Venice and you want to dance the night away, the best option is Disco Club Piccolo Mondo, Calle Contarini-Corfu, Dorsoduro, where house music is enjoyed by a mixed clientele (entry around L15,000). Or try the Casanova Music Café, Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio, the latest Venetian hotspot for rubbing groins with Latin smoothies. Expect to pay L20,000, which includes a free drink. Live music: Venues for live music in the city are scarce. Two of the best known are Bacaro Jazz, Salizada del Fontego dei Tedeschi, San Marco, for hot jazz and a cool clientele, and Paradiso Perduto, Fondamenta Misericordia, Cannaregio, a late-night joint that's popular with students. |