In October 2015, we travelled to Venice to visit La Biennale and had an amazing 48 hours full of arts and delicious Italian food.
Venice Biennale starts early May and ends late November. It is highly recommended to visit Venice during spring or autumn due to weather conditions (it is crazy hot and humid during summer so you should avoid). Also if you visit Venice in spring or in autumn you will be able to stroll and get lost in narrow streets without fighting for some personal space; tourists love visiting Venice in summer and it becomes overcrowded and hotel rates sky rocket.
[Image] [Image]Map (Starred places are highlights): [Image] Where To Stay:
La Biennalle exhibitions mainly take place in the Giardini which is the beautiful park located at the east part of Venice and in Arsenale which is located 15 minute walking distance from the Giardini. Our priority was visiting the exhibitions and we had very limited time so we selected the hotel right next to the Giardini. [Image] Hotel Santa Elena was a very affordable and simple hotel that gave us what we needed for this weekend getaway. The receptionists were super helpful which was a bonus. If you want to stay in a fancy hotel by the Canal you need to pay around 600-1500 euros per night and you can check Hotel AD Place, Hotel Ca'Degli Angeli, Hotel Ca Segredo, Hotel Al Ponte Dei Sospiri. Almost all of these fancy hotels have Baroque interior design which feels a bit too dark for me. When we were strolling we came across Hotal Ca Maria Adele; which had a really nice location. That might be a good choice if you want to stay central.
Where to Eat:
When we landed on Friday night; straight from the airport we went to Harry's Bar; where Cipriani legend started. Make sure you book your table two weeks in advance and drink lots of Bellini's to get tipsy before you have paid the bill! Of course the pasta, meat and fish were yummy but the highlight dish was the octopus salad. Make sure you taste it. It is expensive but the food and the way they treat you is a true experience. Cipriani's Baked Tagliolini with Ham[Image]
For lunch (if it is not raining make sure you ask to be seated in the terrace) we headed to Corte Sconta. You will only see Italian families; its a super cozy restaurant with delicious food. [Image] Special pasta of the day with Scallops and Mushrooms[Image]
Altough we had so much food for lunch we were ready to make an aperitivo around 18:00 pm and we headed to Al Portego. We had artichokes, melanzane, octopus salad and meatballs they were all delicious. Get ready to fight for the bar counter or a table outside to stand by.
For dinner we preferred Trattoria Antico Calice and we enjoyed the best spaghetti vongole ever. This restaurant was crowded by locals. Special Pasta of the day - Vongole[Image]
On Sunday the sun was shining and we had a lovely lunch at Lineadombra. This place has good sea food with a lovely terrace on the water; best paired with visit to the Guggenheim and Punta della Dogana. Raw artichoke and parmesan layered between thinly sliced raw beef[Image] Burrata with artichoke hearts and truffles[Image]
Due to limited time we couldn't make it but Do Forni and Harry's Dolci are highly recommended restaurants.
How to Travel in Venice:
When we landed in Venice Friday night we had no clue how to reach the city centre. There are several ways depending on your budget. If you want a hassle free travel from the airport to your hotel you should get a private taxi boat which is a door to door VIP service. This costs 110 euros up-to 4 people and takes 25 minutes to the city center. If you want to take a car taxi it will cost you 40 euros and it will drop you off at Piazza Roma from where you need to jump in either the public boat transportation or hire a private boat taxi. We used all of these and they are all feasible. We haven't done the canal tour with traditional Venetian gondola but what I have experienced is that the private taxi boats provides the canal tour with better comfort. [Image]
How to Enjoy Art:
La Biennale exhibitions take place mainly in two locations the Giardini which is the beautiful park located at the east part of Venice and in Arsenale (which is an old shipyard) which is located 15 minute walking distance from the Giardini. Apart from these main exhibition areas some other art works are spread around the city. Most of the countries has their own pavilions in the Giardini and apart from the art work that changes every year the architecture of each country's building is very impressive. This year my favorite pavilions were Japan, French, Brazil and Poland. We did the Giardini and the Arsenale tour on the same day which was a bit overwhelming. I found Kutlug Ataman's video installation titled The Portrait Of Sakip Sabanci as the most fascinating art work in Arsenale. Japanese Pavilion at Giardini[Image] The Key in the Hand installation by Chiharu Shiota: "Keys connect us to each other; boats carry people and time'[Image] German Pavilion[Image] French Pavilion: Soft viewing area with concrete look[Image] Walking Tree[Image] At Arsenale - awareness on AIDS [Image] Kutlug Ataman Piece[Image] Dubai at Arsenale[Image] South Africa Pavilion at Arsenale[Image]
Sunday morning we went to Punta della Dogana which feels like a small Tate Modern. It is a contemporary art museum located near the Canal. The building itself is quite impressive. The architect is Tadao Ando who also built the Benesse House Museum in Naoshima, Japan which is impressive and we had a chance to visit last summer. [Image] [Image]
Do's and Don't's: Do wear your most comfortable shoes you will walk a lot and don't go to Venice during summer.
What will remind me of Venice: The sinking feeling :)
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