Venice - Italy - page 337

Romance in the Piazza
It's Tuesday night and there's life on the Piazza San Marco. The sextet at Caffè
Florian has moved from Vivaldi's Four Seasons to Ravel's Bolero and the assembled
crowd is delighted. The music pelting out of Florian, or Grand Caffè Quadri across
the way, is available absolutely free of charge. Grab your partner and dance the
night away right in the heart of St. Mark's, under the stars, in one of the world's
most romantic cities.

popular nightspot with a good reputation; occasionally, the DJ (Michael the
Mullet) puts on a good show. Meanwhile, in Cannaregio, Paradiso Perduto
(Fondamenta della Misericordia, Cannaregio 2640; % 041-720581) is a popular
restaurant attached to a mildly bohemian nightspot known as Paradise Lost.
Finally, Casanova Discothèque (Cannaregio 158A; % 041-2750199) draws a
young crowd.

ISLAND HOPPING TO MURANO,
BURANO & TORCELLO
Getting to the islands of the lagoon is simple, especially if you have a vaporetto
pass for 24 or 72 hours, which will allow you to go to each of the three most-vis-
ited islands in a single day without having to worry about paying for each leg of
the journey. I strongly urge you to avoid the agency-operated tours that are touted
in major tourist areas.
Murano

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is celebrated almost exclusively for its glassware; this is where many
innovations were developed to give the world better qualities and types of glass
and mirrors. Today, there are two levels of glassmaking: ultradesigner chic for
those with hard-wearing credit cards, and cheap trinkets that—while available for
purchase on the island (and in shops around Venice)—usually come from China.
You can take time to admire the craftsmanship of some of the better glass fac-
tories (which are more like art studios), but you should know that you'll be the
object of a sales pitch immediately following the demonstration. Some of the
showrooms are enjoyable, but there is only so much colored and textured glass
you can appreciate in a day.
One of the finest producers of high-end glassware is Vivarini (Fondamenta
Vetrai, 138; % 041-739285; www.formiaglass.it or www.vivariniglass.it), where
the furnace of the Mian family has produced some of the most coveted glass pieces
to come off the island. Only visit the Museo Vetrario ( Museum of Glass Art;
Fondamenta Giustinian, 8; % 041-739586; € 4 or free with San Marco ticket;
Thurs-Tues 10am-4pm, Nov-Mar open till 5pm) if you have a serious interest in
the history of glass production; while there are a few unusual and eccentric pieces
here, it is otherwise a very dull exhibit of lifeless glassware.
A far better reason to hang around Murano is to try one of two worthwhile
restaurants. Ristorante Ai Pianta Leoni (Riva Longa, 25; % 041-736794) is