A Month In Venice

The region of Trentino is part of the western Dolomites and is very well organized from an Italian standpoint. Certainly this place is beautiful with a hefty and deep tradition of deep studies and containing some of the best academic institutions in northern Italy.

One of the better places to see in this region is the town of Rovereto which is a fantastic place if you are wine lover. The number of vineyards here rivals some parts of Tuscany. Obviously the types of wine grown here are different then in Tuscany but that certainly adds to its charm. I am always drawn to places with vineyards for some reason. This city is also noteworthy in that this was the first city in which Mozart played in Italy. Of course to honor that event each year the city puts on a Mozart festival which many musicians and fans come to visit and soak up the atmosphere.

Since this is a border town from Austria and Italy this place has seen its fair share of war. Having a famous Castello or Castle which is now a war museum. The church bells ring 100 times at night in order to remember all the dead in all the wars that have taken place since the city was founded. At the foot of the castle lies Piazza del Podesta where there is a memorial to all of the fascists that died during the second world war.

Rovereto had many famous residents including the futurist Fortunato Depero who died in 1960 and left the town the Museo Depero. This small museum was designed by the artist himself as was supposed to be dedicated to the futurist movement. Another famous resident is the great archeologist Paolo Orsi who donated many of his findings to the cities Museo Civico . This museum boasts having one of the greatest collection of archeological films in existence. This is also the third oldest museum in the country and contains many of the archeological findings of this man.

The western Dolomites are sure a sight to see on your travels through the Veneto region of italy. Containing many small towns with great historical significance you can see many sites that are just dripping in history. The wealth of this region is not only a natural one but also a historical one as well.

The city of Mestre is on the mainland that connects to the Venetian lagoon. For many travelers to Venice you will not stay in this part of Italy. This is not really such a bad thing as there really is not too much to do and see in this city. Rather Mestre is more of a jumping off point to get to Venice.

So then why devote an entire blog post to this non descript city? Well for many that want a
cheap romantic vacation in Venice but do not want to spend loads of money you have the option of staying in Mestre. Mestre caters to the budget Venice traveler as many of the hotels are a fraction of the cost then what you will stay in Venice. So you see a romantic stay in Venice is possible if you are willing to venture out a bit and stay in the less glamorous sections of this lagoon.

Here are just some of the places you can stay in Mestre that is sure to be kind ot your wallet.

Bw Hotel Bologna
Via Fiave 214, Mestre, VE 30175
One of the better rated hotels this is a sure bet to have your cake and eat it as well while you enjoy your stay.

Ambasciatori Hotel
Corso Del Popolo, Mestre, VE 30172
Another fine establishment that is sure to please many if not most. Certainly worth a visit if you are in the area.

Hotel Paris
Via Venezia, 11, , Mestre, Veneto 30171
I have not heard any negative reviews of this hotel yet so I am very confident that you should enjoy your stay here.

Kappa Hotel
Via Trezzo 8, Mestre, VE 30174
A quaint place that is sometimes well received by some. Since the reviews are hit and miss I might venture someplace else but it is worth mentioning.

There are many other places to stay because as I said that Mestre caters to the budget traveler and there seems to be an endless supply of those in the world. Besides who wants to spend an enormous amount of money when your eyes are closed anyways? I am sure you understand what I mean. If you are planning on going to Venice at some point make sure you check out Mestre as it will sure save your wallet some bucks.

If you have ever visited Venice then you are surely aware that the area around the Rialto Bridge is the shopping hub for tourists. However have you ever wondered about where the locals go to shop? I know I have and fortunately I have discovered a few places where you can pick up the necessities of life while you are staying in this city.

For instance if you want to get robbed by buying your bags from the various street vendors feel free. However most Venetians buy their clothes from the COIN department store where the prices are three times cheaper. If you do not know how to find this store simply ask one of the hotel workers or a local where to find it I am sure they are willing to help you out.

If you are into looking for leather goods such as jackets, hand bags and the like the best place to go is called Kalimala which is in the Castello sesteri. And if you shoe should happen to break and want to have it repaired then the best place for that would be Risuola Tutto di Giovanni Dittura which is in the Dorsoduro district. Either store will be surely cheaper then if you bought near the Rialto or St. Mark’s Square.

If you are looking for a place to buy your coffee the most recommend store would be Caffee Costarica which is in the Cannaregio sesteri. For the wine lovers I would recommend the store Cantinone gia Schiavi which is one of the oldest wine shops in the Dorsoduro neighborhood.

Perhaps you are more in the mood for some kitchenware. For that particular need I would recommend L’Arca which is on the island of Santa Croce. Of course most of the other shops that offer glassware are on the island of Murano as that is to be expected. However if you do choose to go to the island I would recommend only shopping at CAM and Carlo Moretti because both have a great reputation for quality and service.

What if you are looking for the genuine Carnavale masks? There is really one or two places that make traditional Venetian masks. One store that still makes the masks the old way is Giorgio Clanetti which is in the Castello sesteri. Since these masks are so rare it is best if you call ahead at the following phone number 041-522-3110. For costumes during Carnvale the only place that I know of is Tragicomica which is in the San Polo neighborhood.

I hope that if you do go to Venice that you check these stores out. They are surely worth a visit as I am sure they will help your wallet out by not catering exclusively to tourists. Since the locals use these stores this is yet another way to soak up the culture of Venice and perhaps even get yourself a good deal as well.

As most of you are aware that the purpose of this blog is to pay for a trip for me to immerse myself into the Italian culture and language by spending a month in Venice Italy. While language immersion is by far the best way to learn a language there are many resources that are free and online to help you along the way.

The first great resource to check out is brought to us by the BBC. It is called BBC languages and I have really learned quite a bit of Italian by using this website. I can attest that the information is accurate and very helpful for those desperately trying to get their head around this language.

Secondly if you are planning on learning Italian be sure to check out the Internet polyglot which is a great resource for many languages and not just Italian. With the Internet polyglot you can learn French, Spanish, Greek and of course Italian just to name a few of the many languages that this website covers.

Lastly the next place I would recommend would be to check out would be Live Mocha. While this place does not offer Italian at the moment it is a growing community with some Italian speakers who I am sure would be willing to help out those in need. It is a cool resource since it is a social networking site that aims to help people learn another foreign language.

Learning Italian does not have to be an daunting task if you have the time and paitence for it. These resources however should help the cash strapped travelers out there pick up another language along the way.

Renting a car in Europe can be by far one of the most expensive parts of your entire trip. This is especially true if you want to have a convertible or a large van to carry all of your family members. So then what if I want to stay in Europe for longer than two weeks but still need a car? Well the best option that is still available is to lease your vehicle on a short term basis. This option is really only available to two car manufacturers Renault or a Peugeot.

The only reason that the short term lease program is available is that there is a loop hole in the French tax system that allows these auto companies to lease their cars for such a short period of time. This program came into place to encourage those that fled the war to come home to France and help rebuild the country.

One other advantage of using this program is that if you are under the age of 25 you can still have a car while in Europe. The minimum age to lease a car in France is 18 so this is really great for those young wanderlusters out there to really get out and explore the European Union.

One drawback however is that you must lease a car for at least 17 days. Anything less then this and you will not be approved. So if you are planning on spending any less time in Europe this is not the best option for you. Also I would like to point out that since this is a lease program and not a rental there are fewer places you can pick up and drop off your car. Even though you can purchase a car outside of France and still get this loophole I would like to point out that you will have to pay a small surcharge depending upon where you pick your car up. So ask around and see if you can plan accordingly to get the best value for  your money.

This should be a great option for those that are staying for a longer period of time and want to have a new car in Europe while exploring all of its culture and history.