Venice, Italy.

Having grown up near Venice, I’ve mastered the art of sidestepping tourist traps and wandering into the city’s most hidden and enchanting corners.

48h itinerary

Day One: Art, Wine, and a Boat to Somewhere Even Better

Check-in: Aman Venice

A 16th-century palazzo tucked along the Grand Canal. Amazing views and frescoed ceilings to immerse ourselves in the city’s decadent and noble atmosphere.

Morning: Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
A short walk through Dorsoduro’s backstreets brings us to Peggy’s place. Yes, the art is exceptional—but the real moment is on her terrace. Grand Canal below, Calder above, and that rare sense of total stillness in the middle of everything.

Midday/Afternoon: Cicchetti in Cannaregio
We take our appetite north to Fondamenta dei Ormesini. A stretch of canalside bàcari where the wine is poured without fuss and the cicchetti come fast: baccalà mantecato, sarde in saor, polpette di pesce. One glass becomes three. We’ll forget what time it is, in a good way.

Evening: Dinner at Venissa
A boat across the lagoon to Mazzorbo. Venissa is part restaurant, part vineyard, part island dream. The tasting menu leans hyper-local—vegetables from their walled garden, lagoon fish, native grapes turned into mineral, golden wine. It’s not just dinner. It’s a full reset.

Day Two: Monks, Marble, and a Bellini Before Midnight

Morning escape: Isola di San Francesco del Deserto
We plan ahead. The island is still home to Franciscan monks, and it feels like no one else knows it’s there. Cypress trees, salt air, perfect silence.

Midday: Scala dei Turchi Veneziana
Back in the city: Palazzo Contarini Polignac (by appointment only). Its hidden staircase—Venice’s lesser-known spiral gem—is elegant, strange, and deeply satisfying to climb. We probably won’t see another soul.

Lunch: Harry’s Bar
Yes, it’s legendary. And no, it doesn’t matter what anyone says—it still delivers. We sit at the bar. Order the tagliolini gratinati. Drink a Bellini. The staff has seen everything. We’re in good hands.

Evening: Gondola ride
By night, when the canals quiet down. A gondola ride—because in Venice, everything makes perfect sense.

Dinner: Al Covo
A quiet classic in Castello. Family-run, ingredient-driven, deeply rooted in Venetian tradition.