Carol Jose , January 05, 2000; 05:27 P.M.
I was just back in Venice in 1999. The Hotel Amadeus, Lista di Spagna 227, fax 011-39-41-524-0841, not overlooking the Grand Canal, but clean and convenient, walking distance from the train station, and reasonably priced we thought, for Venice (About $150 a night) is a good prospect. It's run by Best Western, so you can get ice and have bathrooms and it's CLEAN! Breakfast included. Turn right leaving the train station, facing the canal. Across the street and down a little from the Hotel Principe, which does overlook the Grand Canal, and has nice rooms, but is expensive and usually booked with large tours. I recommend that any tourist to Italy get a copy of Fred Plotkin's book, "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler." I'm a food and dining writer, have traveled in Italy with Fred for the Italian Trade Commission, and I can tell you that what he says about places to eat in Italy is the gospel...he is discriminating, takes meticulous notes, and writes for Gourmet Magazine and other food-oriented publications. His recommendations for Venice and Florence restaurants are right on the mark, and I imagine that holds true for the rest of Italy, since he lives there most of the year. (BTW: He has an article in this month's Gourmet Magazine, January 2000 on winter in Venice) In Venice, we had a nice, inexpensive lunch of "cichetti" or little tastes of things, at Le Do Spade, a tiny cantina near the Ponte della do spade, not far from the Rialto fish market. Three of us ate our fill of small portions of risotto with squid ink, little pizzas, open faced sandwiches of various kinds, plus a beer, for 38,500 lire, about $24 total ($8 apiece), Don't expect much in the way of ambience, it's got little wooden tables and a small food display counter where you point to what you want, or order from the day's list. Left there, and stopped at a canalside cafe near the Rialto Bridge and paid $10 each for an ice cream soda! But that's Venice for you. The view that went with the ice cream soda was worth the outrageous price. Unfortunately, too few visitors to Venice, or Italy, hop a train or rent a car and drive up to the Friuli area of Italy, due north of Venice (Udine is its main city) but it's worth the side trip, believe me. A different perspective, as much Austrian and Yugoslavian influence as Italian: great food,different from the rest of Italy. Also mountain views, reasonable prices, not yet overrun with tourists, except Austrians. Go to San Daniele del Friuli for the most exquisite prosciutto you'll ever eat,for which they are justly famed, as much or more so than Parma. Stay in the Hotel Alla Torre (3 stars, clean, nice, breakfast included). Dine at Antico Caffe Toran next door, or the Al Portonat Osteria, Piazza Dante 8 in San Daniele, and learn what prosciutto REALLY tastes like! Follow Fred Plotkin's advice for other restaurants in this charming northeastern corner of Italy. Good wines are made here too, which you can taste if you drive to the area of Cormons. Dine at Trattoria al Giardinetto in Cormons. Ristorante Al Tac is another charming restaurant set in picturesque countryside not far from San Daniele del Friuli. Carol Jose