Hotel Ala, Venice ***
Venice, Veneto  Hotel Ala lies in the heart of Venice, nestled in a quiet square close to the Grand Canal - a perfect base from which to explore the city's main attractions. Hotel Ala has been painstakingly decorated and designed to offer a unique Venetian experience. View hotel Double rooms from €80
Hotel A La Commedia, Venice ****
Venice, Veneto  Set within the lively Rialto area of Venice, just minutes away from the Rialto Bridge and St Mark's Square, this four-star hotel is brilliantly located as a base from which to explore all the many fascinating and beautiful areas of the city. View hotel Double rooms from €123
Hotel Abbazia, Venice ***
Venice, Veneto  A stunning historic hotel in Venice. Just 100 metres from Santa Lucia railway station, the Hotel Abbazia in Venice has been created in an old abbey in the heart of the city's historical centre. The hotel is built around a lovely inner garden. View hotel Double rooms from €70
|
There are a number of things the first-time visitor to Venice 'knows' about this quite unique city. There are canals instead of roads, the city is gradually sinking into them, and Venice gets quite unbearably crowded with tourists. All of which are partly true, but there is a lot more to this remarkable city. Dig a little deeper, go off the beaten track and, dare we say it, avoid the tourist traps and the high season and you'll get a lot more from your visit. The riches of empire built a city of marvellous buildings: the Doge's Palace, Basilica di San Marco, countless sumptuous churches, and a collection of museums and galleries (the Accademia, the Ca'Rezzonico and the Museo Correr to name but three) housing the very best of the Renaissance and beyond. Venice became an ever richer prize for the invader then, and Napoleon's scourging progress across Europe was never going to miss such a gem. Following his sacking of the city in the nineteenth century, La Serenissima entered a long period of sad decline. But Venice was rediscovered in the late 1800s, first by the artists and painters, who were enchanted by the mixture of romance and decay (think Thomas Mann's Death in Venice) and then by mass tourism. Who can blame us? It's a beautiful city, but at the dawn of the 21st century, with visitors vastly outnumbering a steadily declining population, it can be overwhelmed by tourists. But head off the beaten track in Venice and there are delights to be discovered. To the left you'll find a selection of Venice hotels, just to whet your appetite. See also Venice hotels (full listings) and our Venice hotel map. |
| Italian cities: | Bologna Hotels :: Como Hotels :: Florence Hotels :: Genoa Hotels :: Lucca Hotels :: Milan Hotels :: Naples Hotels :: Palermo Hotels :: Pisa Hotels :: Rome Hotels :: Siena Hotels :: Turin Hotels :: Venice Hotels :: Bergamo Hotels |
© copyright ahotelinitaly.com 2010