Venice - cool places to go

This is not really a place to go to, but more of a traditional Venetian activity that can be performed anywhere in Venice. Taking its name from the word in Venetian dialect for "glass of wine" ("ombra"), it is a nice way of spending an evening in Venice with a few friends. The ideal time for an Ombra longa is around six in the evening, because normal bars in Venice tend to close around eight. Start from a bar, possibly in Cannaregio, Castello or Dorsoduro,where the real Venetian bars (known as "bàcari", pron. bah-kah-ree) are, and have a round of ’bianco’ or ’rosso’ (white and red wine, respectively), or maybe a "spritz", which is an appetizer drink consisting of a mixture of wine, water and seltz (sometimes with the addition of heavier alcohol). Then get out, walk to the next bar and have another round. Repeat as long as you wish. With time, you will know which routes are best and which bars have the best wine, since some may serve low quality wine, which tends to have an aftertaste just like that of vinegar.

The most positive thing about a bar crawl in Venice is that bars are far apart, allowing you to walk a bit and regain your senses after each round. Advice: a lot of bars has some pickles you can eat to fill your stomach a bit. They are called "cicheti" (pron. chee-kay-tee) and can be anything from sardee in saòr (sardines which are first fried then marinated with vinegar, onions, raisins and pine nuts)and folpeti (boiled polyp) to meatballs or mozzarella in carrozza (which is mozzarella cheese with ham, crumbed and deep-fried). You can also have a drink of water after each round of wine, but that could be considered a bit cowardly.

One of the few areas of Venice which has some night life is Cannaregio, particularly in the area of Fondamenta della Misericordia and Fondamenta degli Ormesini. Here you can find several bars and restaurants where you can eat and drink outside on tables facing the canal.

Beside traditional Venetian specialities or pizza, you can eat ethnic food, such as Arabic food (recommended) and Mexican food.

One place which is highly recommended is "Paradiso Perduto", a legendary alternative club, where you can also hear live music, usually jazz.

Not far away, in Rio Terrà della Maddalena (which is part of Strada Nuova), you can find "La Vecia Carbonera", another venue where you can drink wine and eat Venetian specialities, and sometimes listen to jazz concerts.

In Corte dei Pali, near Campo Santi Apostoli, you find the Irish Pub "The Fiddler’s Elbow", which has tables outside, indie music in the background, Guinness beer, and sometimes rock concerts.

Another area of Venice which has a nice night life is that of Campo Santa Margherita: there are several small bars, restaurants and pizzerie. The beautiful "Caffè Rosso" is particularly noteworthy. Sometimes, during summer, it organizes open-air concerts (again, mostly jazz). Not all of the bars are in Campo Santa Margherita, you will find many nice ones if you walk in the nearby streets: this is one of the liveliest areas of Venice, thanks to the fact that it’s near the University, and students obviously like to have some fun.

In the same area, in Fondamenta San Sebastiano, there’s "Osteria Da Codroma", one of the most famous alternative places in Venice: you might drop in and find that there’s a poetry evening going on.

Getting closer to Piazza San Marco, in Campo S. Luca, you can find "Bar Torino", a very basic bar which organizes jazz jam sessions with local young musicians, every Wednesday night.