Venice Entertainment

Venice Entertainment

Even recreation comes in a cultured form in Venice – think classical music and performance arts rather than late-night bars and nightclubs. Noise controls in Venice means that nightclubs (discoteca) cannot really thrive here and it is not unusual to find streets that were buzzing at daytime to be stone dead by 11pm.

Some of the better areas for evening atmosphere are the wine bar-rich areas of Campo Santa Margherita, and in San Polo, Dorsoduro and Canneregio – for a real treat take afternoon cocktails at a refined celebrity haunt like Harry's Bar, Florian or Quadri. Nightclubbers head for venues in mainland Mestre and the Lido. Charming open areas like Piazza San Marco, Campo San Luca, San Bartolomeo and Santa Margherita are where Venetians gather for alfreco socialising.

Venice has a strong classical music scene – top venues to hear Baroque classics from the likes of Vivaldi include Chiesa di Santa Maria delta Pieta, Chiesa di San Bartolomeo and Chiesa delle Zitelle on Giudecca. San Marco's Scuola Grande di San Teodoro and San Polo's Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista also host concerts, where musicians don 18th century costume and masks, giving an idiosyncratic take on famous works.

Jazz has a fair following in the city though major pop and rock acts more often appear in Padua or Mestre rather than Venice itself. The Teatro Goldoni hosts a Contemporary Music Festival in October.

Performance art afficionados welcomed the recent return of Venice's opera treasure, the Teatro La Fenice, decimated by fire in 1996. La Fenice also hosts high-calibre ballet, music and theater.

Principal theater venues in Venice include Teatro Goldoni – between the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark's Square - Teatro Fenice, Teatro Malibran and Teatro Italia; all boasting beautiful interiors.

The outstanding Biennale festival showcases some of the world's leading contemporary artists in music, theater, art, dance, cinema and architecture at choice venues every two years. The next festival runs from June to October 2005.

Venice has quite a small number of cinemas: most are on the Mestre mainland. English language films are shown at the large and modern Giorgione Movie d'Essai cinema in Cannaregio on Tuesdays. The revered Accademia in Dorsoduro shows a wide range of American and independent films. Dubbed American and European films get an airing at the open-air Summer Arena in Campo San Polo. Meanwhile, film buffs arrive en mass at Lido in late August for the 62nd Venice Film Festival.

Venice's regattas and races offer unique sporting entertainment, and visitors are even invited to join in the Vogalonga Marathon on Ascension Day in May – simply hire a rowing boat from a club such as Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro. Other popular spectator events include the Murano Regatta (July 3rd) – where skilled boatsmen race through the island's network of canals; the annual International Triathlon (August 6th) on the Lido; the costumed Regatta Storica in September and the Venice Marathon in October.

AC Venezia play home football fixtures at the Stadio Pierluigi Penzo from September to May. Lido Island offers eight miles of clean, sandy beach with a range of activities plus tennis courts and the classy Alberoni Golf Club inland. Most of the beaches are accessible a short distance from the ferry terminal linking ferries to Venice.

The Venice Tourist Board and Ospite di Venezia have detailed entertainment listings, whilst the fortnightly guide 'A Guest in Venice' is available from many hotels.


Venice Shopping

Perhaps best known for its glassware, jewelry, antiques and fabrics – notably lace, linen and silk - shopping in Venice can be a hit-and-miss affair where craftsmanship and tourist tat are uneasy companions.

Beginning at St Mark's Square, a range of premium range shops occupy the area west of the square at Frezzeria. From St Mark's, head northwest to Rialto via the Mercerie, Campo San Luca and Calle dei Fabbri. Plentiful shoe shops and leather goods, fashion retailers, jewelers and antiques occupy this historic commercial thoroughfare.

At Rialto, sidestep the peddlers of plastic gondolas, cheap carnival masks and gaudy costumes and look instead for bargains in the stores on the San Polo side of the Rialto Bridge, for arty goods such as ceramics and marbled paper.

Visit the islands of Murano and Burano for the finest, colorful handmade glass and delicate lace, but still with a discerning eye for avoiding nasty examples. Original and repro antique glassware is also available in San Marco.

Other good shopping areas include the Frezzeria, west of San Marco, around Calle del Teatro and San Bartolomeo. Exclusive fashion and gifts can be had on Calle Larga XXII Marzo, the street that runs to Campo Santo Stefano from Piazza San Marco. Department stores are a virtual non-entity in Venice.

Food shoppers should not miss the Rialto markets - surely one of the world's most scenic bazaars that has been nourishing Venetians since the 11th century. Get to the Pescheria fish market early (traders set up from 6am) for the pick of the day's catch, which includes everything from eels and octopus to tasty lagoon shrimps. The Erberia fruit and vegetable market next to the Rialto bridge showcases the most flavoursome Italian produce: the market also offers flowers and souvenirs.

Shops in Venice are normally open from 9am to 12:30 pm, then 4pm to 7:30pm. In less touristy areas, some shops close on Wednesdays. The annual vacation exodus during August brings the shutters down on many establishments in the city. It is worth checking with stores whether they participate in the 'Italy Tax Free' scheme offering buyer incentives for non-EU residents.