She still remembers the fog. It hung over the Venetian Lagoon like something out of an old film, “thick as pea soup,” Susan recalls, as her water taxi carried her from the airport toward her hotel. Little by little, the city emerged from the haze, and for Susan, it was love at first sight.”I know this is laying it on a bit thick,” she admits, “but in my memory the whole thing plays out a bit like Casablanca, albeit with a happy ending.”That first encounter would prove to be only the beginning of a long relationship with the city.
The idea for her new book, Susan explains, grew out of that bond and her career as a drinks journalist—though the spark that set it in motion was a more personal one. It was ignited after the death of her father, one of Venice’s biggest fans. He was the one who introduced her to the Bellini at Harry’s Bar. Their days were filled with spritzes, and their evenings always ended with a final cocktail on the terrace of the Gritti Palace Hotel, overlooking his favorite church, Santa Maria della Salute. In many ways, the book became a tribute to him—and to those much-missed digestivi. Yet Susan is quick to explain what it is not.”My goal was never to write a guidebook with its ranking of the top ten bars and cafés,” she says, “but an invitation to look at the city through a different lens—more literature, less listicle.”
What does Venice mean to you?
Venice is where I can immerse myself in a cocktail of romance, relaxation, ritual and revelation. I always say if you don’t like Venice, then you have no heart. How can you look at this city filled with the most beautiful architecture in the world (yes, I know I am biased) and remain unmoved? Thus, romance begins the list. I also describe Venice as a luxury resort – the whole fabulous thing from Dorsoduro to Cannaregio. Simply walking its calli and wandering its campi, you are in the museum that is Venice. There is no need to rush – you literally cannot. You are meant to take it slowly and surrender.
There is no “jumping into a cab”, no shortcuts. Water taxis can shave off a few minutes here and there, but there is no guarantee that in inclement weather or during a tech entrepreneur’s wedding you might even find one. So relax! Like I state in my book “A Guide to Drinking in Venice“, the more time you spend in Venice, the more you fall into a certain ritual throughout the day: a coffee in the morning, a walk in search of cicchetti, a museum visit, a long lunch, you get the drift. Return visits have you seeking out those spots you know and love.
How can one avoid the dreaded feeling that they ended up with a Disney land-like experience of Venice?
I think the biggest mistake visitors make is trying to “do” Venice in a single day. It needs to be reveled in. Venice is full of contrasts. You can be frustrated by the crowds in St. Mark’s Square, but then turn a corner and you are totally alone. Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque may surround you, but the city is anything but stuck in the past. Venice is home to the most contemporary of art events: for example the Biennale d’Arte, which takes over the city each year with either art or architecture, and the Venice Film Festival, drawing in the glitterati every September.
New hotels and stores are popping up all over and almost every season there is something innovative and exciting happening. My advice is always to build your days around the aforementioned rituals, instead of trying to run around seeing every museum. Take walks without maps. You can always find your way back easily with signs directing you Per San Marco and Per Rialto. Wander through Santa Croce or Cannaregio, the lesser traversed areas. There is a lifetime full of things to discover.
Which locations offer the most discreet and opulent entry into the Venetian “high life”?
Venice’s cocktail culture was born in the bars of its many grand hotels and that tradition continues today. It is difficult to rival the warmth of the Longhi Bar at The Gritti Palace – beautiful in every way from its green velvet chairs and etched glass walls to its stunning marble bar. Many a rendez-vous has transpired in its corners. The Bar at the Aman Venice offers one of the most extraordinary settings in Venice. Sitting in the Palazzo Papadopoli,decorated by the 18th century master Tiepolo, you cannot help feel you’ve been accepted into the Nobili Veneziani! Don’t miss the ladies on the staircase beckoning you to join the fun. At the Metropole Hotel, the Orientalbar & Bistrot seduces with its dreamy mix of Venetian splendor and contemporary art. As the last privately owned hotel, you truly feel welcomed into someo
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Which of Venice’s “secret” gardens offers the most prestigious and peaceful sanctuary for an afternoon espresso or cocktail?
In the lesser visited Cannaregio sestiere of Venice is hidden the garden behind the Hotel Heureka. Not only is it a haven from the madness that the city can be, but the cocktails are fantastic! The Giardini della Biennale in Castello is a perfect spot to sit with your take-away espresso. Here you become transfixed all day by the No 1 vaporetto making its way to the Lido and back, if you are not careful! On the other side of the city, the Giardini Papadopoli offer a pocket of calm steps away from the busyness of the Piazzale Rome, the city’s main bus station, and the St. Lucia train station. Think of it as a Victorian decompression chamber between the chaos of outside world and the calm that awaits you inside.
To experience Venice in its purest form, where would you direct us?
One of the purest Venetian experiences is simply standing at a bàcaro with an ombra in hand accompanied by a few cicchetti. For the most authentic versions of this, I would direct readers to Bacaretto da Lele near the School of Architecture in Santa Croce. Also beloved by locals are Cantine del Vino già Schiavi and All’Arco! Do Mori may be the most atmospheric of all, with copper-pots hanging from the ceiling and vino sfuso (in baskets) to take away or drink there. It is said, Casanova brought his dates. I can neither confirm nor deny. Having a Bellini at Harry’s Bar also cannot be beaten. Yes, it is as touristy as it gets, but where else on earth can you drink a such a famous cocktail in the very room it was invented? If they didn’t do it well, then it wouldn’t have lasted so long!
Venice has spent 1,600 years “perfecting the art of living well.” In your opinion, which of the historic Grand Caffès currently offers the most sophisticated “theatre” for a patron who values 300 years of intellectual and social history?
How can I possibly choose? Each caffè in St Mark’s Square has its own individual history that distinguishes it from the other! If I am forced to pick only one, it would have to be Caffè Florian. The first to open of the three, it has been the host to writers, aristocrats, artists, political thinkers, and tourists since 1720. Not only can you get a great cup of coffee, but it is usually accompanied by an orchestra playing the greatest hits of the Italian songbook. Come during Carnival when figures dressed in 18th Century costume fill its mirrored rooms and you would swear you had been transported back in time.
Which bars are leading the way in using the Lagoon’s unique terroir?
Each of the cocktail bars in my book is helmed by the leading figures in the international cocktail scene. They are each acutely aware of the need to not only strive to be as sustainable as possible, but use the ingredients that are local to them. Most have Gin dei Sospiri and Amaro Nostrano on their back bar – both made from elements drawn directly from the Lagoon like saltwater and samphire. Experimental Cocktail Club Venice has fantastically inventive cocktails on their menu incorporating local botanicals and seasonal ingredients. Il Mercante and Time Social Bar are among the independent bars leading the charge as well.
Where can we find a “bird’s eye view” of the Lagoon or a sunset vantage point that captures the “gilded grandeur” of the palazzi away from the crowds?
The view from Skyline Bar at the Hotel Molino Stucky on Giudecca remains one of the most glorious in Venice. It is after all the highest point in town and from there you experience some of the best sunsets over the Lagoon. Valentina Mircea, who presides over the bar, has created a menu inspired by the colours of the Venetian sky. Want to know what dawn tastes like? You’ll have to head there and try it for yourself.
For a different perspective, the rooftop bar of the Danieli Hotel looks out over the Riva degli Schiavoni to the Palladian masterpiece of San Giorgio Maggiore. Not a surprise, this is one of the most requested dinner spots in Venice. For a front-row seat on the Grand Canal, grab one of the tables in the garden terrace of the St. Regis Hotel. In front of you the Punta della Dogana, Venice’s Customs House, stands as it has done for centuries guarding the gateway of Venice!
Which venue offers the most evocative atmosphere for a late-night digestivo?
I leave this one entirely up to you. Find your own way to say good night to Venice. As I stated before, my family always ended the day with that final cocktail on the terrace of the Gritti Palace Hotel. So leave the guidebook in your room and follow your instincts. Trust Venice – it has never led me astray.
Susan L. Schwartz is an award-winning drinks and travel journalist and writer, author of A Guide to Drinking in Venice, founder of drinks and travel blog A Lush Life Manual, and host of Lush Life Podcast
Credits: Photography by Hugh Johnson
