Venice - Italy - page 338

opposite the museum, across the small canal, with a terrace on the water. The cui-
sine is Venetian, with delicious fish and meat dishes. Trattoria “Busa alla Torre”
da Lele (Campo S. Stefano, 3, Murano; % 041-739662) is tremendously popular,
possibly because of the large personality of its charitable owner. Lele developed
a close relationship with New York in the wake of the September 11, 2001, ter-
rorist attacks by setting up a trust fund for the orphaned son of one of the vic-
tims. Now he brings New York City firefighters to Venice to take part in rowing
regattas.
Vaporetti leave Murano every half-hour, headed for the fishing-village island of
Burano

55

. Dominated by lace shops, Burano will strike you as one of the most
colorful places on earth. Not much happens here, but just about every house is
painted a different color, creating an immensely picturesque visual palette. And it
really is a quiet, restful place with real village charm. There's an interesting church
across the way from the Scuola dei Merletti, the lace museum where the art of
lace-making is also taught.
To really escape humanity, catch vaporetto no. T from Burano to the island of
Torcello

55

, where a once-substantial population has dwindled to a farcical
number below 100. Nevertheless, traces of a prosperous past (this was also where
Venice's first settlers came) still exist in its churches, particularly the 11th-century
Santa Maria Assunta cathedral ( % 041-730119; € 3; Nov-Feb daily 10am-5pm,
Mar-Oct daily 10:30am-6pm), celebrated for its excellent mosaics depicting vivid
scenes of tortured sinners from the Last Judgment executed in the Byzantine style.
Next door, Mass is still held at Santa Fosca church, while the campanile (

€

3) is

great for panoramic views of the island and the lagoon.

The ABCs of Venice

% 041-5294111), is in Castello, and has
an emergency room. A waterborne ambu-
lance can be dispatched from here, and
will transfer patients directly during an
emergency.
Internet Inquire at your hotel about the
Telecom communication center, where
there's free Internet for 30 minutes.
San Marco's Net House is on Campo San
Stefano ( % 041-2271190) and is open
from 8am until 3am; you'll pay € 7 per
hour, discounted for students and Rolling
Venice Card holders. A popular place
to log on is Casanova (Lista di Spagna,
Cannaregio 158/A; ( % 041-2750199;
9am-1:30pm), charging € 7 an hour, or
€ 4 with student ID.

American Express Located at Salizzada
San Moisè, in San Marco

( % 041-

5200844; fax [phone]).
Banks ATMs (known here as Bancomat)
are the most convenient way of accessing
funds; there are ATMs at the airport and
many all over the city. Most banks are
along San Marco's Calle Larga XXII
Marzo, and also near Campo Manin; try
to get your banking done in the morning
(8:30am-1:30pm) on a weekday.
Emergencies Dial % 113 for any emer-
gency. In case of fire, dial % 115. For an
ambulance or other medical emergency,
dial % 118.
Hospital Venice's hospital, SS. Giovanni
e Paolo (Campo SS. Giovanni e Paolo;