Venice - Italy - page 308

today, such political rivalry has been replaced by a more melodic battle in which
the quartets and quintets of the rival cafes play competing renditions of stirring
classics and Andrew Lloyd Webber favorites.
At one end of the Procuratie Vecchie (towards the Basilica) is the 15th-century
Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower), which has been under repair for years but is
due for public unveiling any day now. Once the scaffolding has come down, vis-
itors will again be able to witness the hourly bell-striking performed by two large
bronze Moors.
Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark's Basilica)

( % 041-5225205; go to
www.alata.it for preferential entrance through St. Peter's Door; free admission;
Apr-Sept Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm, Sun 2-4pm, the rest of the year Mon-Sat

555

Rolling Along, Saving a Lot . . . or Not
The Rolling Venice Card costs only € 3 and can save you a great deal;
unfortunately, it's only for visitors ages 14 to 29. Besides offering consid-
erable discounts on dining, lodging, and shopping at numerous participat-
ing businesses, the card also allows you to pay lower prices on entry to
various museums, events such as the Art Biennale, and public transport.
The card is valid for an entire year. It can be bought at any tourist office,
as well as at certain ACTV VeLa offices and ticket kiosks; pick one up at the
ACTV office at Piazzale Roma upon arrival in the city ( % 041-2747650;
daily 7am-8pm).
For visitors planning an intensive look at Venice, there's a more expen-
sive and comprehensive discount card simply called VENICEcard ( % 041-
5459611; www.alata.com), but it's mostly useful because it can be
delivered directly to your home (at an additional fee, of course). The
organizers of the discount card advertise that you can save up to € 30 per
day, with the card, but you'd have to use it for accommodations, all
restaurants, theater performances, and every sight in town to achieve any
great savings; it is definitely not worthwhile for people under 30, who pay
less and benefit more from the Rolling Venice Card.
The city has two museum cards. The first is for all the attractions
around St. Mark's Square (at € 11 it's a good value). The second, a so-
called Museum Pass ( € 16 adult), additionally gets you into Ca' Pesaro
(the city's modern-art museum), Ca' Rezzonica (the museum of 17th-c.
Venice), Palazzo Mocenigo (the costume museum), Murano's glass
museum (Museo del Vetro), and Burano's lace museum (Museo del
Merletto). The pass is only recommended if you're in town for more than
2 days—the chances of getting to the lesser museums if you have only
2 days are slim; and, as you know, there is more to Venice than
museum-hopping.