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Great Spectacles in Venice: Make Venice Vacations An Enjoyable Experience   by Apurva Shree Featured Venice Self-Catering Accommodation / Venice Featured Hotels A Venice vacation is nothing if not steeped in tradition. In fact, ever since the city has become a popular tourist attraction where visitors probably outnumber natives by a factor of ten, the traditions have become more pronounced, more colorful, and more enjoyable and yes, more orthodox.

Let us see a few of the major tourist attractions in Venice that you can enjoy during your Venice vacations.

Marriage to the Sea

On Ascension Day every year, the city recreates its marriage to the sea to emphasize the fact that the city is indeed totally dependent on the sea. The Doge is taken to S. NicolÚ del Lido in his traditional boat. There is a great colorful parade of ships, boats and gondolas of all sizes escorting him, and with great pomp and gaiety he throws a wedding ring in to the middle of the lagoon. The show carries on for quite some time and is followed by enthusiastic races among gondola drivers. This is a must see in your itinerary during the Venice vacation.

Carnival

The carnival in Venice, Italy has a flavor unparalleled anywhere else. For ten days. Venice is a hotbed of activities and locals and tourists alike take part in the dancing and entertainment with great gusto. St Marks’ Square is the hub of main activities but fortunately, the carnival is celebrated all over town in a large number of dancing halls and the crowds are somewhat distributed. The carnival is one of the most important tourist attractions in Venice and you should plan your Venice vacations accordingly. The masks are a must have for the carnival and the very notion of being masked gives a certain abandon to the proceedings. Carnival or not, every tourist is bound to carry a mask or two back home.

The Historic Regatta

If the city has a hundred and fifty waterways and canals, can a boat race be far behind? Every year, the regatta of hundreds of boats speeding past thousands of tourists enjoying their Venice vacations and locals, all loudly cheering whichever boat takes their fancy, is a major spectacle. There isn’t just one regatta alone. Although part of one event, there are races for champions (the gondolini), for women (the mascarete) and for the young (the pupparini). Huge crowds, loud cheering and colorful stands are the highlight to a fun and frolic filled day!

The Festival of the Redeemer

If you look at Venice history, In 1576, a plague hit Venice. Legend has it that it was brought into the city by rats carried on a ship from the Orient. Thousands died till finally, the plague was contained in 1630! The celebrations continue to this day and are held on the third Sunday of July. All monuments are lighted up and a beautiful fireworks display lights up the entire lagoon far into the night.

No matter which season you select for your Venice vacations, there is bound to be something spectacular to attract. After all, Venice is not a historical odyssey for nothing!

Venice Italy is surely going to spellbound you with a number of major monuments in Venice and festivities all year around. Consider the Venice festival calendar, while planning your Venice vacations. 

About the Author:  VeniceVacations.Net offers all information about enjoying your holiday in Venice. 

Eating out in Venice can be a very unsatisfying experience for the casual traveler. With a local population of only 60.000 people and several millions tourists to feed each year, most restaurant owners in Venice couldn't care less if you feel ripped-off when it comes the time to pay the bill. Fortunately this attitude, while not uncommon, is not generalized. There are still some 'local' places to eat, and it is possible to eat a good meal while paying prices that are only slightly higher than elsewhere in Italy.

To get a truly Italian experience it is always best to eat where locals eat. This means that the menu will be written only in Italian and you are expected to know what all of the items on the menu are. You should also keep in mind that Venice is a popular destination for Italians as well as foreigners. If you see a crowd of Italian speaking people seating outside of a restaurant, do not assume they are 'locals'. Chances are they are tourists just like you.

As a quick rule of thumb: you should avoid all the places where a 'tourist menu' is advertised as well as those with pictures of the food on the outside. Waiters in bow ties or who tout for customers outside the door are also warning signs. Wine prices are another useful indicator. In an average restaurant you'd expect to find house wine (vino della casa) listed by the quarter and half-liter. A half-liter should only cost around 5 Euros. Watch out if they only serve bottles of wine at 20 Euros and above.

Although Venice is not considered to be one of the capitals of the Italian cuisine, it is nearly impossible for a traveler to miss one of the most rewarding holiday experiences: enjoying a good meal in a truly unique surrounding. At the very least, an evening meal represents an opportunity to refuel after a day full of activities. Being in Venice, the key is doing your homework. Search the Internet for advice from people that has already been in Venice or ask a trusted local contact if you can. Booking ahead is always a good idea, especially for evening meals, at busy times like summer weekends, and if you want a special table.

As for the various kind of food establishments, Venice is no different from the rest of Italy. A 'ristorante' generally indicates an upscale establishment, while a 'trattoria' is a more humble, traditional eatery, serving simple filling dishes. A pizzeria is a place where you can eat pizza; not really a specialty in Venice although there are a couple of decent pizza places. An 'osteria' (or ostaria) is similar to a trattoria, but with a slant towards drinking: instead of a full meal, you might have some wine along with a plate of food or a lighter snack. Like the osteria, a Venetian 'bacaro' offers a chance to eat some food in a less formal context. The busy Venetians frequently eat quickly and lightly, selecting snacks called 'cicchetti' from a display at the counter, then eating them standing or seated on stools.

In Venice restaurants (but this is true for the rest of Italy as well) you should expect to pay as much as 2 Euros per person on top of the price of what you have ordered. This is called 'coperto' and it accounts for the table dressing and the small basket of bread you will be provided. A few restaurants also add on up to 12% as an additional service charge although this is unusual and should be stated in the price list. Italians tend to tip a few euros rather than the 10% or more which is common elsewhere: However, there is no strict rule about tipping and in family-run restaurants where you are served by the proprietors it is common not to tip at all.

As you may expect, in Venice you will find a lot of seafood and lagoon fish on offer. 'Polenta', a coarse ground cornmeal generally made into a mush-like porridge, is a regional specialty, often served with fish, meat, mushrooms or 'gorgonzola' cheese. Seasonal specialties include peas and 'radicchio', both of which used in the preparation of rice based dishes ('risotto'). Pasta is not as widely used as it is in other Italian regions but there are a few typical recipes like 'bigoli in salsa' (thick homemade spaghetti in anchovy sauce). Other local dishes you might see on a menu include 'sarde in saor' (marinated sweet and sour sardines), 'castraure' (baby artichokes), 'seppie in nero' (cuttlefish in its ink), 'granseola' (spider-crab), 'fegato alla veneziana' (calf's liver with onions) and 'carpaccio' (thin-sliced raw beef). Desserts are not usually terribly good in Venice - typically the choice is something like dry local Burano cookies, panna cotta or tiramisù.

The area around Rialto is chock full of eating places and the most popular food shops and bars are here as well. This is also the area where 90% of the tourists use to gather. If you are adventurous enough to wander around, you will be not disappointed. Venice lies on an a small island so you really can't get lost and chances are you will bump into the thriving little 'baccaro' where you can get a plate of assorted appetizers for less than 10 euros. Quite often you won't find tables in there and no waiter service as well, so simply go to the counter, have some snacks and a glass of wine, and enjoy the taste of the hidden Venice.

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This article is part of a series covering the most important Italian travel destinations and regional cuisines. You can find similar articles about eating out in Florence, Naples, Milan and Rome.  Born in the USA, but happily ensconced in Elba Island, Bob McCormack is a freelance writer with a very special passion for food and wine. His travel articles and Elba hotels reviews have appeared in numerous national and international publications.  http://www.visitelba.com