The Attombri brothers build on Venetian tradition using Murano glass and metal to make unique contemporary jewelry and decorative objects.

A charming Tuscan restaurant serving delicious seafood dishes, and in the fall, wonderful grilled porcini.

This intimate 44 room hotel, housed in 17-century palazzo, is situated behind St. Mark’s Square, on a quiet pathway off one of the elegant shopping streets.  The friendly staff, the cozy public spaces and the wonderful garden for enjoying a drink or eating breakfast add to the pleasure of a visit.  The rooms are decorated in late 18th and 19th century Venetian style and are quite charming but can be small.  The hotel welcomes families and offers cribs, highchairs, changing tables and strollers.

The beautiful hand-made paper in this shop combines traditional motifs with a modern sensibility to create a variety of personal items including notebooks, pencil-holders, and jewelry boxes.  There are leather and glass gift items as well.

Beautiful Italian leather gloves in a wide range of styles and colors

The Legatoria Piazzesi was first established in Venice in 1851, and they claim to be the first establishment to cover objects with hand painted paper.  This small shop is filled with a glorious array of  objects using their patterned, hand-printed papers including pencil holders, boxes, diaries, memo pads, and file folders.  They’ll also make custom items using papers which you select.

This former home of Mariano Fortuny now displays the vast range of his creative endeavors including glorious fabrics as well as examples of his paintings, sculpture, textiles and theatre design.  The fabrics are especially revered for his use of ancient Renaissance techniques and dyes as well as his method of weaving with gold and silver threads.

This beautiful 18th century Palazzo had been known for its changing art exhibitions.  In 2005,  Francois Pinault, French entrepreneur and passionate collector of contemporary art, took over the Palazzo which, along with his newly restored Punta Della Dogana, is currently presenting Mapping the Studio:  Artists from the Francois Pinault Collection. The exhibition, scheduled to be on view until late 2010, includes such well-known artists as Jeff Koons, Sigmar Polke, Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Cy Twombly, Takashi Murakami, and Jake & Dinos Chapman and emerging artists including Matthew Day Jackson, Rob Pruitt,  and Nate Lowman.

As you’re walking from St Marks to Campo S. Maurizio, this small pizza place is located on your left.  There’s lots of awful pizza in Venice, but this tiny little storefront offers the real thing – thin thin crusts and an array of enticing toppings.  There’s no table service, so you just grab a slice to eat on your way to your next adventure.

If you’re longing for Southern Italian food, this is your spot.  With indoor seating in an airy white space in the winter and outdoor seating in the square in the summer, Acqua Pazza offers seafood, buffalo milk mozzarella, pasta and a wide range of pizza.  The vegetables are quite special especially the grilled vegetables which are the lightest and tastiest we’ve ever eaten.   Our only quibble is that the sometimes the waiters have a bit of an attitude.  Favorites: Branzino Acqua Pazza (whole striped bass prepared in white wine, olive oil and tomatoes); grilled vegetables; mixed salad; spaghetti with clams.

Beautiful Italian leather gloves in a wide range of styles and colors

Beautiful silk and velvet scarves and purses that celebrate the artistry and design traditions of Venice distinguish this beautiful boutique.

This beautiful boutique sells exquisite homemade chocolates – individual pieces by weight, as well as prepackaged bark topped with a variety of nuts, espresso nibs, dried fruit, or herbs – perfect to bring home as gifts.

Warm, friendly service in an inviting, modern space. The food is quite tasty and most portions are generous enough for two to share. There is a large outdoor seating area on the campo. Favorites: pasta with swordfish and eggplant; pasta with mixed seafood; grilled vegetables.

This luxury 82 room boutique hotel boasts a wonderful location right on the Grand Canal, just steps from Piazza San Marco. Though very expensive during high season, there are wonderful bargains to be had during the winter months and other special promotions are offered during the year. Breakfast is typically served on a rooftop terrace with terrific views, though during a recent off-season stay, it was closed and the hotel shared its breakfast space with its sister hotel, The Bauer, in the first floor restaurant dining room. There is really no common space in the lobby area, but the 2 bedroom executive suites offer lovely space for a family with a comfortable living room, in addition to 3 bathrooms.

Right near the main Square is this tiny shop bursting with unique costume jewelry.

Renowned and very expensive, this Venetian luxury hotel has a wonderful location facing the Grand Canal and is a five minute walk from St. Mark’s Square.

A simple trattoria with a friendly staff serving good Venetian specialties.  The squid ink pasta and pasta with sardines are especially delicious.  They are also known for their cicchetti, little plates of appetizers to be enjoyed with a glass of wine.  The restaurant is happy to accommodate vegetarians offering a wide range of vegetable dishes and salads.  It’s also possible to have a quick meal at the bar.