World City Guide

Nightlife

Nightlife

Visitors expecting debauchery and nefarious nights in the licentious ‘City of Revel’, which Venice was once dubbed, will be disappointed. With so few young people able to afford to live in the city and most places set up for tourists, the city’s nightlife often lacks real soul. In short, visitors to Venice will often be hard-pushed to find entertainment beyond their plate of cuttlefish risotto. Most of the action takes place in the early evening, when Venetians take their daily stroll or passeggiata along the Riva degli Schiavioni or to their neighbourhood campo. Sometimes they stop off for an aperitif – preferably a glass of chilled prosecco, the local white wine that fizzes on the tongue. For a quick tipple, the swankiest venues are concentrated around St Mark’s Square, where you can spend your euros with decadent abandon. Other more bohemian areas are in the back streets of Cannaregio and San Polo, where you can swill a beaker of local wine alongside fishermen and students. The average price of a beer in Venice is 3-5. Punters have to be over 18 to drink and most pubs close at either 2400 or 0100, although some places stay open later, especially those attached to hotels.

Due to problems with noise pollution, Venetian nightclubs are virtually non-existent and those that do exist operate a well-honed entry system that favours short-skirted women. More places open on the Lido, in the summer, when you can rub shoulder pads with Hollywood’s glitziest. However, for the rest of the year, the best of the city’s bright lights are the lanterns on the boats twinkling in the lagoon.

For information and listings, A Guest in Venice is published fortnightly in summer and monthly during the winter season and is available from good hotels (see ‘culture’ section).

Bars: Harry’s Bar, Calle Vallaresso, on the western edge of St Mark’s Square, is the home of the legendary Bellini – a cocktail of prosecco, fresh peach juice and a dash of grenadine. No introduction to Venice (or prosecco) is complete without one. The bar is owned by the Cipriani family and has played host to Hollywood’s most rich and glamorous. The two grand old dames, Florian and Quadri, on St Mark’s Square, with a 4.50 per person cover charge, may seem exorbitant for a coffee but a bottle of wine with nibbles and a carafe of water comes in at around 40-45, which is not bad value for two when you add in the live classical music and the stunning panorama of one of the world’s most famous squares.

Campo Santa Margherita has, in recent years, become the haunt of Venice’s young and beautiful, with its smattering of trendy cafs and bars and slightly grungy ambience. Margaret Duchamp is one of the liveliest options on the Campo, with outside tables, a trendy interior and a decent pint of Guinness. The recently refurbished Taverna Da Baffo, Campo San Agostin, has once again become one of Venice’s most popular haunts. An added bonus is that, as it is not yet featured in the printed guidebooks, the venue is relatively tourist free, leaving Venetian hipsters an unmolested location for their nocturnal revels. The tables outside close at midnight but punters should beware at all times, the crotchety old woman upstairs has been known to shower rowdy revellers with buckets of ice cold water. Osteria alla Postali, Fondamenta Rio Marin 821, run by a Venetian ex-pilot, is a great place to lounge next to a cosy canal, sipping a campari bitter and watching the gondolas drift by. Vitae, Calle Sant’Antonio, is a real local secret, tucked away near the Rialto, that few tourists ever find. Intimate and stylish, this bar attracts the Venetian yuppie crowd. Over on the mainland in Mestre, a new favourite of the smart set is Zen Caf, Via Torre Belfredo 110/112, a lounge bar/restaurant. There are echoes of the Buddha Bar in Paris (an ultra chic but also very tastefully decorated with mellow and relaxing music, serving a cool clientele) with smart modern art and mellow background sounds. Unusually for Italy, Zen Caf is non-smoking.

Casinos: Venice has one casino but two locations. In summer, the Casino Municipale di Venezia (Tel: (041) 529 7111) welcomes beach bums and film stars to its home in the Palazzo del Casino, on the Lido. In winter, it closes its doors and retreats to the more refined surroundings of Palazzo Vendramin Calergi, on the Grand Canal – the last resting place of Richard Wagner, who died here in 1883. Games at both include roulette, blackjack, as well as video poker. Gamblers should be willing to dress up and put up. They also have to be over 21 years and a passport is required.

Clubs: Since these are few and far between in Venice, most young people head for Mestre, where there is more space and less noise restriction, or further afield to the student town of Padua. But if you are stuck in Venice and you want to dance the night away, the best option is Disco Club Piccolo Mondo, Calle Contarini-Corfu, Dorsoduro, where house music is enjoyed by a mixed clientele and entrance is around 7.50. Or try the Casanova Disco Club, Lista di Spagna, Cannaregio, a popular Venetian hotspot for rubbing groins with Latin smoothies, very near Venice’s railway station. Expect to pay 10.50, which includes a free drink. Internet facilities are also available at Casanova.

Live Music: Venues for live music in the city are scarce. Two of the best known are the late opening (until 0200) Bacaro Jazz, Salizada del Fontego dei Tedeschi, San Marco, for hot jazz and a cool clientele, and Paradiso Perduto, Fondamenta Misericordia, Cannaregio, a late-night joint that’s popular with students. The wonderfully named Pizzeria 900 Jazz Club, Campiello del Sansoni, San Polo, is a nightmare to find but well worth the effort for the quality Italian and international live jazz.