Entertainment in The Veneto
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Caffè dei Frari
Take your espresso with a heaping of history at this century-old carved wooden bar, or recover from the sensory overload of I Frari with a sandwich, glass of wine and easy conversation at the dinky indoor cafe tables downstairs or on the Liberty-style wrought-iron balcony upstairs.
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Osteria del Bugiardo
On busy Corso Portoni Borsari, traffic converges at Bugiardo for glasses of upstanding Valpolicella bottled specifically for the osteria. Polenta and sopressa make worthy bar snacks for the powerhouse Amarone.
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Al Timon
Pull up your director’s chair along the canal and watch the motley parade of drinkers and dreamers arrive for crostini (open-face sandwiches) and quality organic and DOC wines by the ombra or carafe. Folk singers sometimes play sets, which turn to singalongs as the evening unfolds.
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Casinò Di Venezia
No opera can match the dramas that have occurred at Venice’s palatial gambling house since the 16th century: Richard Wagner survived the 20-year effort of composing his stormy Ring cycle only to expire here in 1883. Wagner’s suite has been turned into a museum, with Wagner memorabilia that includes a request from Wagner’s wife to deliver champagne to their favourite gondolier and, in a rather macabre touch, a copy of the sofa on which he had his fatal heart attack.
But the real draws here are on the casino floor, especially roulette wheels and marathon blackjack sessions. Hotel guests can usually get a coupon for free casino entry from their concierge. Slots open at…
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Tarnowska's
Watch your step as you pop down a couple of steps into this elegant hotel bar (locals know it as La Contessa, the Countess), ideal for a cocktail or postprandial brandy. With its polished tile floors, it spreads into several separate spaces. Alongside those having an animated chat over lovingly prepared tall drinks are other folks beavering away at computers, for this is one of those rare things in Venice, a wi-fi spot. The Russian Countess Maria Tarnowska, it is said, had one of her lovers assassinated in this very place.
The Russian Countess Maria Tarnowska, it is said, had one of her lovers assassinated in this very place.
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Bar Terazza Danieli
Gondolas glide in to dock along the quay, while across the lagoon, the white marble edifice of Palladio’s San Giorgio Maggiore turns from gold to pink in the waters of the canal: the late afternoon scene from the Hotel Danieli’s top-floor balcony bar definitely calls for a toast. Arrive after lunch and linger the afternoon away over a spritz (€10) or cocktail (€18 to €22) – preferably the sunset-tinted signature Danieli cocktail of gin, apricot and orange juices, and a splash of grenadine.
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Teatro Junghans
Cutting-edge theatre takes on a literal meaning at this three-sided stage, nicknamed Teatro Formaggino (Little Cheese Theatre) because it looks like a wedge of cheese. The experimental theatre seats 150, but you’re not expected to just sit there: Teatro Junghans offers workshops on costume design, mask-acting, and commedia dell’arte (archetypal improvisational comedy). If you’d rather leave that sort of thing to professionals, check the online calendar for performances when the company is in residence.
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Caffè Florian
Florian adheres to rituals established c 1720: uniformed waiters serve hot chocolate on silver trays, lovers canoodle in plush banquettes indoors and the orchestra strikes up a tango as fading sunlight illuminates San Marco’s portal mosaics. Ever forward-thinking, this cafe was among the first to admit women, served as a clubhouse for Italy’s independence movement and still hosts contemporary art and design events.
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Caffè Quadri
Powdered wigs seem appropriate attire in this bodaciously baroque salon, a cafe since 1683 and Hapsburg hot spot during the 19th-century Austrian occupation. Venetians still veer instinctively towards Lavena or Florian, missing out on decadent desserts such as baked ice cream and the €16 hot chocolate service with panna (whipped cream) and Venetian cookies. Reserve ahead during Carnevale, when the Quadri is packed with costumed revellers partying like it’s 1699.
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Qcoffee Bar
One drink grants you access to the works of two modernist master architects through the Querini Stampalia bookshop. Rainy days are right for hot chocolate in Mario Botta’s neoclassical cafe, with white walls framed with black polished-concrete floors and a harmonious repeating-rectangle theme. Outside, Carlo Scarpa’s clever, Levant- inspired concrete irrigation channels bring Venice’s canals indoors, adding industrial cool to your spritz in the sunny garden. The cicheti are especially scrumptious.
reviewed
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Musica a Palazzo
Hang on to your wineglass and brace for impact: in palace salons, the soprano’s high notes might make you fear for your glassware, and thundering baritones reverberate in the base of the spine. The drama unfolds during 1½ hours of selected arias from Verdi to Rossini, progressing from receiving-room overtures to a parlour overlooking the Grand Canal, a Tiepolo-ceilinged dining room and heartbreaking finales in the bedroom.
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Al Mercà
Discerning drinkers throng this cupboard-sized bar crammed with cicheti and 60 different wines, including top-notch prosecco and DOC wines by the glass (€2 to €3.50). Arrive by 6.30pm for meatballs and mini-panini (€1 to €2) and easy bar access, or mingle with crowds stretching to Grand Canal docks – there’s no seating, and it’s elbow-room-only at this little gem of a bar.
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Cantinone Già Schiavi
Good lungs and steady hands are instrumental to make your order heard and to transport cicheti (try creamy tuna with leeks), ombre and pallottoline (small bottles of beer) outside to the canal without spilling a drop on art historians and gondola builders. Chaos reigns until the neighbourhood nonna (grandmother) shows up and the crowd parts so that she can fetch her usual glass of Soave.
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Muro Vino e Cucina
No velvet rope here, though it’s the kind of snazzy urban place you’d expect to find one, given the aluminium bar, sexy backlighting and see-and-be-seen picture windows. Prices are friendly too, with wines by the glass starting at €2, respectable cocktails from €5, and €1.50 to €3.50 cicheti at the bar. The upstairs restaurant is swanky, but low tables out in the campo are more happening than any VIP lounge.
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Café Noir
Morning brings the crowd that was here late last night back for espresso, only a little worse for the wear after all those top-shelf €6 to €8 cocktails. Architecture students, musicians and travellers converge for spritz in the calle (street), where the quickest way to start a conversation is to state any of the following: Calatrava is overrated, Albinoni is underrated, and spritz with Aperol is better than with Campari.
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Collegium Ducale
Spend a perfectly enjoyable evening in prison with this six-member chamber orchestra, whose grace notes in Bach and Albinoni performances escape through the high, barred windows of the converted cell. Opera singers occasionally perform arias with the group, which can get loud in the reverberating stone chamber; ears not trained by blasting MP3 players might prefer concerts in nearby Chiesa diSanta MariaFormosa, where the acoustics are kinder.
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Harry’s Bar
Aspiring auteurs throng the bar frequented by Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote, Orson Welles and others, enjoying a signature €15 Bellini (fresh peach juice and prosecco) with a side of reflected glory. Despite the basic bistro decor and minuscule tables, this is one of Italy's most expensive restaurants – stick to top-shelf cocktails.
reviewed
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Marina Club
Breezy gazebos and candles set the scene for summertime patio parties at the Marina Club, which isn’t actually on the waterfront; it’s near a canal and just down the road from Il Muretto. This club is a sprawling estate with multiple lounges, gardens, restaurants, occasional live music acts and weekend DJ sets that coax sun-bronzed crowds off their lounges. Entry is free but dress stylishly to pass bouncer scrutiny around midnight.
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Moscacieka
Minds boggled by a surfeit of San Marco splendour deserve a rejuvenating drink in this upbeat, unpretentious pub, where the bar is pieced together from broken tiles, tables are tucked under exposed-brick Gothic arches and a giant cartoon fly toasts your health on the ceiling. House specials are scrawled on chalkboards, but the guys in black T-shirts working the bar can recommend something from the range of wines, beer, cocktails and sandwiches.
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Antica Osteria Ruga Rialto
Although seafood salads and the classic fritto misto e pattatine (lightly fried lagoon seafood and potatoes) – Venice’s answer to fish and chips – earn this osteria (pub-restaurant) a loyal following, drink is the common bond at this place by night’s end. The back room doubles as a gallery for local emerging artists, and the occasional live-music set fills the narrow alleyway with revellers all the way to the Grand Canal.
reviewed
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Caffè Blue
At this coolish student bar you may encounter live music, but it's more likely to be a DJ (Wednesday is a good night). If the DJ is good, the place packs to the rafters and punters spill out onto the street. It can be quiet on midweek evenings, which could be a good time to pop by with your laptop, as they have wi-fi for customers. On Thursday night there's a cocktail happy hour from 21:00 to 23:00. It has a good stock of whiskies, too.
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Ultima Spiaggia di Pachuka
Between planned development work and Mose barrier construction, summer beach party nights are becoming more sporadic at this legendary ‘Last Beach’ on the far side of the Lido, with word of free live music events and late-night DJ sets passing via flyer and word of mouth – but that only makes them worth finding. Keep an eye out for flyers around Campo Santa Margherita, and ask what’s happening at Pachuka.
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Piccolo Mondo
This teensy disco and bar is a bit of a throwback but perfectly all right in its own fashion. It pulls a strangely mixed crowd of foreigners and locals in search of that late night frisson. Many Venetians would deny ever setting foot in the place, but wander by late at night and you'll find a handful. Otherwise, it's anything from loud young North American students to late-night loungers on the pull. Drinks cost around €10.
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Interpreti Veneziani
Everything you knew of Vivaldi from elevators and mobile ring-tones is proved fantastically wrong by Interpreti Veneziani, which plays Vivaldi on 18th-century instruments as a soundtrack for living in this city of intrigue – you’ll never listen to The Four Seasons again without hearing summer storms erupting over the lagoon, or snow-muffled footsteps hurrying over footbridges in winter’s night intrigues.
reviewed
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Paradiso Perduto
Paradiso Perduto ‘Paradise Lost’ is a find for anyone craving a cold beer canalside on a hot summer’s night, with occasional live music acts. Over the past 25 years, Italian jazz great Massimo Urbani, troubadour Vinicio Capossela, and Keith Richards have played the small stage at the Paradiso. On Sundays, jam sessions hosted by two independent local labels alternate with local art openings.
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