Venice - Italy - page 316

break down the Campanile gates so they could climb the stairs to the top and
hoist the flag of St. Mark, claiming that they wished to revive the Republic, some
200 years after its demise. Needless to say, their attempt failed and they were less
than popular with local authorities. ( Tip: An alternate high-altitude view of the
city is from the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore; it costs some-
what less and is far less crowded.)
Although only open during special exhibitions, the Palazzo Grassi ( % 041-
5231680; www.palazzograssi.it) on Campo San Samuel is certainly worth a visit
as a latter-day example of canal-side opulence. Owned by the Fiat motor com-
pany, the 18th-century neoclassical structure was designed by Giorgio Massari.
Querini Stampalia

(Santa Maria Formosa, Castello 5252; % 041-2711411;
www.querinistampalia.it; € 6; Tues-Sun 10am-6pm) is a 15th-century palazzo
housing a foundation for the preservation and restoration of Venetian culture and
art; there's a library and a museum which is crammed with period furniture and
paintings by the likes of Bellini and Giambattista Tiepolo. Besides displaying
impressive Renaissance paintings and Romanesque decoration, it presents regular

55

Catching Rays on the Lido
The Lido of Venice is one of the places where the modern seaside vacation
first became popular. In the late 1800s, wealthy Europeans came here on
the advice of their doctors to enjoy the sultry air and restorative effects
of ocean salt water. The famous beaches of the Lido were lined with
cabanas where aristocrats and well-to-do's could strip down to their cover-
all bathing suits to maintain a sense of public dignity. It was along these
salubrious shores that Thomas Mann set his study in morbidity, Death in
Venice, which Visconti refashioned as a film set in the Hotel des Bains, the
ultimate turn-of-the-20th-century resort.
Today Hotel des Bains continues to attract privileged summer vacation-
ers intent on soaking up the sun while taking a dip in the warm and—some
would say—polluted waters of the Adriatic. Unfortunately, catching rays
on the Lido can be a pricey business; locals and seasonal visitors fork out
hefty sums to occupy a beach cabana for a day or the entire season, the cost
dependent chiefly on proximity to the water's edge. Those beaches directly
in front of the posh hotels charge the earth, and there is little—besides
the promise of swimming alongside some Italian celebrity—to make them
particularly worth your own attention.
A far better idea is to catch a bus (or hire a bicycle from Bruno Lazzari,
21B Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta; % 041-5268019 ) and head for
Alberoni, at the far end of the Lido, and acquire a tan where the locals
come to play. The bathing establishments here, built under Mussolini, are
a popular hangout for families and also attract a sizable gay beach cul-
ture. And you won't have to rent a cabana to enjoy the sand, sea, and sexy
sunbathers.