Telephone numbers listed below should be preceded by 011-39 when dialed from the United States.
Where to Stay
Hotel Cipriani Double rooms from $1,077 to $1,718, suites from $2,230 to $5,215. 10 Giudecca; 041-520-7744; 800-237-1236; hotelcipriani.com.
Apartment Rentals
Among the many agencies that offer apartments online, Views on Venice lists some of the best properties. Francesca Pasti, my favorite landlady, has two newly restored and elegantly appointed apartments with the only private tennis court in Venice. 041-524-1070; venezia@adriabella.com; viewsonvenice.com.
If you desire more privacy, you can choose to stay at the Cipriani Hotel's residence, the 15th-century Palazzo Vendramin, whose princely suites are outfitted with compact but completely equipped kitchens. To that convenience add the luxury of Cipriani service, with a butler of your own, who flies to your door at the press of a button. Suites from $2,800. 041-520-7744; 800-237-1236.
Where to Eat
Al Fontego dei Pescatori 3726 Calle Priuli, Cannaregio; 041-520-0538.
Caffè Florian Piazza San Marco; 041-520-5641.
Da Ivo 1809 Ramo dei Fuseri, San Marco; 041-520-5889.
Didovich 5909 Campo Santa Marina, Castello; 041-520-9268.
Gelateria Nico 922 Zattere; 041-522-5293.
Ristorante Da Fiore 2202A Calle del Scaleter, San Polo; 041-721-308.
Ristorante Fiaschetteria Toscana 5719 Salizzada San Giovanni Grisostomo, Cannaregio; 041-528-5281.
Vini da Gigio 3628A Fondamente San Felicia, Cannaregio; 041-528-5140.
Caffè del Doge Caffè del Doge is one of Italy's best importers and roasters of premium coffee beans, which are showcased in this Milan-style espresso bar in the Rialto market. Taste your way through its coffee blends, and buy some to take home. 608–609 Calle dei Cinque, San Polo; 041-522-7787.
Al Notturno This rustic hideaway, surrounded by the marshes of the lagoon and about an hour's drive from the city, may be Venice's best-kept secret. Hard to find and hard to book, it is open for one seating a day on weekends, and occasionally on weekday evenings if Mr. Ballarin, the owner, has a minimum of thirteen reservations. In spring and summer it specializes in seafood; in the fall, in game. (It closes for the winter.) The cuisine is simple and homey, starring ingredients of insuperable freshness. It would be prudent to rely on a Venetian guide to get you there; any good hotel concierge can arrange the trip for you. 34 Via Lio Piccolo; 041-966-260.
Where to Shop
Artistica Ferro Ermanno and Alessandro Ervas, father and son blacksmiths, have revived the Venetian art of hand-forged wrought iron. In their shop you can buy objects small enough to pack in your suitcase, or you can order graceful chairs and other large items to be shipped. 2137 Calle Lunga del Cristo, Santa Croce; 041-520-0490.
Atelier Rolando Segalin di Danieli Ghezzo Legendary maker of men's elegant custom shoes. Ask to see the slip-ons Orson Welles wore. 4365 Calle dei Fuseri, San Marco; 041-522-2115.
Camiceria San Marco Shirts custom-made from a wide selection of silk and cotton fabrics. 1340 Calle Vallaresso, San Marco; 041-522-1432.
Cartavenezia Pen and ink make their richest impression on this luscious stationery, made from pure white cotton. 2125 Calle Lunga, Santa Croce; 041-524-1283.
Dittura Gianni This shop specializes in furlane, the matchlessly light and flexible velvet slippers created in Friuli. There is another outlet in San Vio, near the Accademia and the wonderful Cini private museum. 819–820 Calle Fiubera, San Marco; 041-522-3502.
Giovanna Zanella Maker of women's imaginative custom shoes. Giovanna was Rolando Segalin's first female apprentice. 5641 Calle Carminati, Castello; 041-523-5500.
Gloria Astolfo Original, playful costume jewelry. 1581 Calle Frezzeria, San Marco; 041-520-6827.
I Ritmi di Sara Italian exercise wear, well cut from fine cotton, is the world's most comfortable and flattering. It is hard to find in the States, but Sara, a former dancer, has a full line of Freddy and, best of all, Fuerte Ventura. 1783 Strada Nuova, Cannaregio; 041-524-4140.
La Bottega del Costume Glorious costumes. 6290 Corte Veniera, off San Giovanni and Paolo, Castello; 041-241-0618.
L'Angolo del Passato For Marie Brandolini's vibrantly colored Murano glass tumblers. 3276 Campiello degli Squilini, Dorsoduro; 041-528-7896.
Le Zoie Michele Dal Bon restores and sells period jewelry—zoie means "jewels" in the Venetian dialect—as well as watches. 1566 Calle dei Boteri, San Polo; 041-275-8694.
Manù A specialty is murrine, antique Venetian-glass beads, in ready-made or strung-to-order necklaces. 1228 Calle del Salvadego, off the Frezzeria, San Marco; 041-522-9294.
Successor G. Carli The forcola, or oarlock, carved by hand from a single piece of aged fruitwood, permits a gondolier to steer his craft with uncanny precision; it is also a singular piece of sculpture. Carli was the greatest of forcola carvers, and the young Paolo Brandolisio is keeping the art alive. 4725 Sotto Portego, Castello; 041-522-4155.
Virginia Preo Cashmere Delicious cashmere. 5800 Salizzada San Giovanni Grisostomo, Cannaregio; 041-522-8651.
Personal Trainer
Carlo Tomiol Carlo, a magnificent-looking man who was the trainer for a soccer club, now gives private instruction in his small but luxuriously equipped studio in Campo San Luca. 339-528-8553.
Gondola
You haven't seen Venice until you have seen it quietly and privately from a gondola, preferably late at night. One reliable gondolier with whom you can make suitable arrangements is Roberto Righetti. 339-438-4154.
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