Escape _ Venice, star of the sea

Vecio Fritolin

We don't take Venetian food seriously. The British like gutsy dishes from Tuscany and we know that tomato, garlic and pasta from the South is good for us, but we don't really get the subtle taste of Venice. It must be approached with respect and where better to educate your palate than at Veco Fritolin which champions traditional cooking? Fortunately you won't have to slum it. The proprietor, Irina Freguia, is vivacious and well-connected and the restaurant attracts a glossy crowd of opera lovers from La Fenice, government ministers, discreet locals and tourists who appreciate authentic cooking instead of the ubiquitous burger chains. Fresh fish and vegetables are bought each morning from the Rialto market nearby. Irina makes fresh bread every day from old family recipes: a soft white milk bread, coarse black bread, and biscotti with rosemary. Delicate fried fillets of fish are served with the white polenta of the Veneto and traditional saor, the light sweet/sour sauce that's centuries old. Revisit old favourites of risotto, spaghetti and rigatoni with freshly-caught lobster, calamari, prawns, octopus and scallops. There's also at least one meat dish. The interior of this quirky little restaurant is festooned with fisherman's kit and old implements for frying the fresh catch, and wandering through the quiet, narrow streets, you feel the magic of the old city that's lost in crowds. Calle della Regina, Rialto, Venice, +39 041 522 2881; www.veciofritolin.it

Ca'Sagredo Hotel

This small, luxurious hotel, opened 2nd May, is a real find, a beautifully preserved Venetian palazzo that was once a grand private house. It stands on the Grand Canal in the chiefly residential district of Cannaregio (and hence removed from the hordes). Nevertheless it's extremely convenient, the vaporetto stops alongside and it's an easy walk to Rialto, the best shopping, Accademia Bridge and St Mark's Square. The building of Ca'Sagredo, which is classified as a National Monument, dates back to the 15th century and magnificent public rooms on the first floor are decorated with original paintings and frescoes by Tiepolo, Ricci and Longhi. Period details, furniture and textiles add an almost theatrical feel, and while bedrooms are equipped with all modern comfort and techno-tricks, they are utterly romantic. Some of the suites are so grand with palatial proportions and wonderful views that you can enjoy your very own Doge of Venice moment. On the ground floor there's a smart bar often used by well-dressed locals, and a small, chic restaurant overlooking the water with a few tables outside. This is a very elegant addition to a city that often parodies itself with endless carnival masks. And best of all, alongside all this refinement is a terrific team of staff who are friendly, humorous and endlessly helpful. You won't want to leave. Campo Santa Sofia, Cannaregio, Venice, +39 041 241 3111; www.casagredohotel.com

Molino Stucky Hilton

The new Hilton in Venice (opened 1st July) is unlike any other hotel in the city. It's not a palace or a cute historic pensione, it's a massive neo-Gothic brick structure, once a 19th century flour mill, that has been empty for 50 years. Under the clever restoration by Hilton, it has become an imposing 380 room hotel with a state of the art spa, a top class Italian restaurant overlooking the water, several bars and lobbies, and an unmissable rooftop bar with a panoramic outdoor pool that is the envy of every other hotel in town. In addition, the enormous site contains a large conference hall that can take up to 1,000 delegates, and a further 14 meeting rooms. This makes the hotel suitable for the most ambitious events and product launches, and is the first of its kind in Venice. It stands on the island of Giudecca, the quiet district which is also home to the lavish Cipriani hotel. A regular brisk shuttle service takes guests across to the main part of the city. Despite the size of the complex, the Molina Stucky has bags of character with 13 different buildings incorporated into the design and lots of original features remain. Work on the mill included restoring the facade brick by brick, and a mosaic of Flora, goddess of the harvest has been preserved, once more looking over the canals and rooftops of Venice. Even if you aren't staying there, it's a must for cocktails on the roof or a slap-up dinner of modern Italian food at the Aromi restaurant. Giudecca 753, Venice, +39 041 522 1267; www.hilton.com/venice

Il Nido di Giulietta e Romeo

The Donatella Versace of the hotel world, this new property doesn't do discreet and creates a flamboyant hideaway for Romeo and Juliet in a quiet square away from tourist bustle. A word of warning - it is not on the Grand Canal nor reachable by either gondola or water taxi. You'll need light portable luggage to negotiate the bridges and narrow streets on the way. However, if a romantic weekend is your goal, you'll be fine. It's a handsome old townhouse with lots of period detail but the owners have gone for modern furniture and pictures, minimalist furniture coupled with porn-movie bathrooms, shimmering gold mosaic walls and extravagant crystal chandeliers. Make sure you don't have the room decorated in petrol blue and orange that has terrifying sharp edges at shin and thigh level. And it has strip lighting for God's sake. However I was unlucky. My friends had lovely rooms that I wanted to move into immediately. Grrr. San Polo 1858, Campo San Cassiano, Venice, +39 041 722 833; www.bertoliresort.com

Venice Biennale

Every two years, in the middle of June, newspapers and gossip columns are full of news from the Venice Biennale, the astonishing art exhibition that attracts the biggest names and most promising talent from 76 countries around the world. Then the art circus moves on and you never hear about it again. But in fact the Biennale lasts all through summer and well into autumn. October and November are a wonderful time to visit. It's also a great way to explore as installations and exhibitions are spread throughout the whole city, from the major national pavilions in the Giardini de Castello and Arsenale to small churches and historic buildings all over the city. You can easily spend two days and not think your time wasted. Not everything is wonderful, you may grind your teeth with vexation at some of the more pretentious work, but it's thought-provoking and keeps your eye in to the modern art scene. Tracey Emin occupies the British pavilion with touching girlish drawings of sex and loneliness. She is outshone by another disaffected French woman artist at the French pavilion who, having been abandoned by her lover, devotes her whole work to a humorous and collaborative exploration of pain. Nearer the town centre there's an installation from the White Cube gallery at San Stae Church, and at the Telecom Italia Future Centre there's an exhibition of sculpture by Taiwanese-born Li Chen, entitled Energy of Emptiness. These massive, serene pieces in bronze and stone draw on Chinese traditions and myths but remain supremely modern. You must see the Bill Viola work, Ocean without a Shore, at the tiny church of San Gallo near Piazza San Marco. Using three stone altars as portals into another life, his extraordinary video installations show life dissolving into death through curtains of water. It's mesmerising, moving and humbling to sit in the dark and watch these incarnations emerge and subside from reality into another world. The Biennale closes on 21st November 2007. www.labiennale.org/en

Caption:
Bill Viola, Ocean Without a Shore, 2007
Production still Photo: Kira Perov