1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  Carnevale’s “Best Mask” contest is judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers.

  WHERE TO STAY

  HISTORIC PALAZZO HOTELS—The legendary Hotel Danieli occupies the 14th-century canal-front home of a former doge and surrounds a courtyard now enclosed as the spectacular lobby. Take a seat at the Bar Dandolo, a retreat favored by hotel guests and curious drop-ins alike. Many rooms look out onto the Grand Canal. Similar theater prevails at the dignified Gritti Palace, former home of Doge Andrea Gritti built on the Grand Canal in 1525; a candlelit dinner or sunset aperitivo on the open-air terrace comes with views of the magnificent Baroque Chiesa della Salute (Church of Good Health), directly across the Grand Canal. Set on the tip of the peaceful island of Giudecca, a ten-minute ride by private launch from Piazza San Marco, the Cipriani is like a private estate in the middle of Venice. Guests revel in acres of flowering gardens, an Olympic-size saltwater pool, the swank Fortuny restaurant, and silk drapes and wall coverings in the discreetly gorgeous guest rooms. Exquisite apartments are tucked away in adjacent palazzos. HOTEL DANIELI: Tel 39/041-522-6480; in the U.S., 800-325-3589; www.danielihotelvenice.com. Cost: from $425 (off-peak), from $725 (peak). GRITTI PALACE: Tel 39/041-794611; in the U.S., 800-325-3589; www.hotelgrittipalacevenice.com. Note: Closed for renovation till early 2013. HOTEL CIPRIANI: Tel 39/041-520-7744; in the U.S., 800-237-1236; www.hotelcipriani.it. Cost: from $1,200; dinner $110. When: closed mid-Nov–Mar.

  SMALL HOTELS WITH GARDENS—The atmospheric Hotel Flora, not far from Piazza San Marco, surrounds a flowering courtyard, an oasis of thick climbing vines and flowering plants where breakfast, tea, or an aperitivo can be enjoyed in warmer months. Katharine Hepburn’s character in the film Summertime stayed at the charming Pensione Accademia/Villa Maravege, and the antiques-filled lounges and guest rooms facing two gardens continue to provide a magical retreat not far from the Accademia. The delightful canalside Oltre Il Giardino is like a bucolic country retreat, with stylish rooms overlooking a verdant garden with olive and magnolia trees where breakfast is served in the summer. HOTEL FLORA: Tel 39/041-520-5844; www.hotelflora.it. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $415 (peak). PENSIONE ACCADEMIA/VILLA MARAVEGE: Tel 39/041-521-0188; www.pensioneaccademia.it. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $340 (peak). OLTRE IL GIARDINO: Tel 39/041-275-0015; www.oltreilgiardino-venezia.com. Cost: from $215 (off-peak), from $360 (peak).

  HIGH CHARACTER WITHOUT HIGH PRICES—The friendly Hotel Ai Do Mori enjoys a five-star address, with modest, upper-story rooms within poking distance of the onion-shaped Byzantine cupolas of St. Mark’s Basilica and the bronze Moors of the Piazza San Marco’s clock tower. (Be prepared for early-morning bells and make sure your knees are up to the climb: The hotel has no elevator.) Practically in the shadow of the Doge’s Palace, the Ca’ dei Dogi is a small, stylish oasis of calm. HOTEL AI DO MORI: Tel 39/041-520-4817; www.hotelaidomori.com. Cost: from $75 (off-peak), from $185 (peak). CA’ DEI DOGI: Tel 39/041-241-3759; www.cadeidogi.it. Cost: from $180.

  EATING & DRINKING

  AL COVO—Summertime meals are served at a few outdoor tables and year-round in a small brick-walled, art-filled dining room that exudes a special warmth. Sharing the helm is the talented and amiable Italo-American duo: Charming Cesare meets and greets while overseeing the kitchen’s simple but deft preparations of just-caught seafood while simpatica Diane shares the floor (she’s also responsible for the scrumptious desserts). INFO: Tel 39/041-522-3812; www.ristorantealcovo.com. Cost: dinner $75.

  DA FIORE—In a city where fine dining is associated with seafood, Da Fiore is generally regarded as the best. The formal but welcoming dining room is renowned for the all-around excellence of the refined Adriatic delicacies, prepared to perfection. INFO: Tel 39/041-721308; www.dafiore.net. Cost: set dinner menu $125.

  ALLE TESTIERE—This tiny, informal trattoria near Campo Santa Maria Formosa is forever full with a convivial mix of Venetians and tourists. The young owners are serious about food as a sampling of their gnocchi stuffed with octopus and other sophisticated seafood preparations will prove (meat lovers should book elsewhere). INFO: Tel 39/041-522-7220; www.osterialletestiere.it. Cost: dinner $65.

  THE CAFÉS OF PIAZZA SAN MARCO—During the cold months, the elegant 18th-century interior makes the Caffè Florian the command post of choice in the magnificent Piazza San Marco. But in warm weather, when tables are moved outdoors and the orchestras are playing their timeless tunes into the moonlit hours, Caffè Quadri or any of the outdoor cafés will do just fine. You might even set up camp in the lesser-known Caffè Chioggia around the corner, which faces the lacy pink-and-white marble façade of the Doge’s Palace and a flotilla of gondolas bobbing in the fabled lagoon. CAFFÈ FLORIAN: Tel 39/041-520-5641; www.caffeflorian.com. CAFFÈ QUADRI: Tel 39/041-528-9299; www.caffequadri.it. CAFFÈ CHIOGGIA: Tel 39/041-528-5011.

  WINE BARS—The atmospheric Cantina do Mori is Venice’s most beloved bacaro, serving aristocrats and fishmongers alike regional wines and a variety of cichetti (finger foods in the style of Spanish tapas) in a high-spirited, timeless setting so authentic you expect Casanova to tap you on the shoulder. Just across from Dorsoduro’s San Trovaso gondola boatyard, the Cantinone Gia Schiavi has a huge selection of house wines to accompany a mouthwatering assortment of crostini—toasted bread topped with cheese, salamis, smoked fish, and other delectables. CANTINA DO MORI: Tel 39/041-522-5401. CANTINONE GIA SCHIAVI: Tel 39/041-523-0034.

  AND BEYOND

  ASOLO—Robert Browning pronounced this Renaissance town nestled in the gentle green hills of the Veneto “the most beautiful spot I ever was privileged to see.” This enchanting hilltop retreat still lures foreign writers, artists, and intellectuals with its lush countryside of fruit orchards, cypresses, and vineyards. Many lodge at Browning’s Palladian-style villa, now the perfectly faded Hotel Villa Cipriani. One of Europe’s most seductive country hotels, it is known for top-notch dining and a fragrant garden full of roses, pomegranates, and birdsong. A 4-mile drive takes you to Maser and to Andrea Palladio’s 16th-century masterpiece, the elegant Villa Barbaro, abounding with trompe l’oeil frescoes by Paolo Veronese. WHERE: 40 miles/64 km northwest of Venice. VISITOR INFO: www.asolo.it. HOTEL VILLA CIPRIANI: Tel 39/0423-523411; www.villaciprianiasolo.com. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), from $570 (peak).

  VICENZA—The great Andrea Palladio, who helped define Western architecture, bestowed his native city with what is possibly his greatest work, the Teatro Olimpico. Inspired by the theaters of antiquity, with a backdrop representing ancient Thebes, the theater uses cunningly designed trompe l’oeil to make the stage appear far deeper than its actual 14 feet—an effect enjoyed by audiences since 1585. Palladio also designed numerous villas along the Brenta Canal and elsewhere in the Veneto; his most famous country estate is Villa Capra, aka Villa la Rotonda, a substantial but enjoyable walk from Vicenza’s center. WHERE: 46 miles/74 km west of Venice. VISITOR INFO: www.vicenza.org. TEATRO OLIMPICO: www.teatroolimpico.org.

  PADUA—Lively market squares, a beautiful 13th-century basilica honoring St. Anthony, and the world’s second oldest university (founded in 1222) are among Padova’s many charms, but most remarkable is the 13th-century Scrovegni Chapel. Here Giotto and his students labored from 1303 to 1306 to create 38 biblical scenes that transform late-medieval and early Renaissance painting with their realism and emotion and the power of the colors—especially the famous cobalt blue. WHERE: 26 miles/42 km west of Venice. SCROVENGI CHAPEL: Tel 39/049-201-0020; www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it.

  VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESS—On the world’s most celebrated train ride—a 32-hour trek across the continent from Venice to London (or the reverse; a selection of other overnight routes within Europe, including Florence and Rome, are also available)—much of the 1920s glamour and mystique of Agatha Christie still lingers. The dining and white-glove service are faultless in this grand hotel on wheels—all that’s missing are the spies, silent-film stars, and royalty of yesteryear. INFO: In the U.S., 800-524-2420 or 843-
937-9068; www.orient-expresstrains.com. Cost: $3,200, inclusive (shorter segments can also be booked). When: mid-Mar–late Nov.

  Home of Romeo, Juliet, and Aïda

  VERONA

  Veneto, Italy

  Suspend all disbelief and immerse yourself in the romance of Verona. Millions of the curious and lovelorn come here to breathe the air that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet once inhaled, and local officials, determined to keep the allure of the star-crossed lovers alive (though there is no real proof they ever existed), have designated a 14th-century palazzo—complete with requisite balcony—as the residence of the Capulets. Love notes left behind, scribbled in every language, are innocent, humorous, and bittersweet. Few visit the courtyard without rubbing the right breast of a nubile bronze Juliet—said to ensure luck in affairs of the heart. Romantics will love the Sogno di Giulietta (Juliet’s Dream), the only hotel with rooms—in rich fabrics with ornate headboards and beamed ceil-ings—that overlook Juliet’s balcony. To savor local Veneto specialties in an inimitable ambience, dine at the 12 Apostoli, Verona’s oldest restaurant and one of its finest. Ask to see the wine cellar built around ancient Roman ruins.

  If it’s summertime, join your fellow romantics for a night of opera in the impeccably preserved Roman amphitheater whose perfect acoustics have survived 2,000 years. Aïda, first performed here in 1913 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Verdi’s birth, has been the constant in each year’s changing schedule, and even the opera-challenged will take home the memory of a lifetime when hundreds of cast members fill the stage during the Triumphal March. Performers may seem an inch tall from the highest and cheapest seats in the house (which you’ll be lucky to get, as all 20,000 regularly sell out), but their voices will be as crystal clear as the cool night air, and the view of the surrounding hills of the Veneto is thrown in at no extra cost.

  Postopera, head to the historic Caffè Dante to sit outdoors in Verona’s most beautiful square, the Piazza dei Signori, and enjoy a glass of Valpolicella wine from Veneto’s celebrated vineyards. In fact, a wine-tasting tour of the world-class vineyards of the Veneto makes a perfect day trip from Verona. The palace-flanked Piazza delle Erbe, site of the Roman forum and these days a weekday market, is reached from the Piazza dei Signori through the Arco della Costa—it is said that a whalebone hanging over the passageway will fall only when someone who has never told a lie walks beneath; the artifact has remained in place for centuries.

  The bronze statue’s right breast is shiny from good-luck rubs.

  WHERE: 71 miles/114 km west of Venice. ARENA DI VERONA: box office tel 39/045-800-5151; www.arena.it. When: late Jun–early Sep. SOGNO DI GIULIETTA: Tel 39/045-800-9932; www.sognodigiulietta.it. Cost: from $280 (off-peak), from $470 (peak). 12 APOSTOLI: Tel 39/045-596-999; www.12apostoli.it. Cost: dinner $60. CAFFÈ DANTE: Tel 39/045-800-0083; www.caffedante.it. Cost: dinner $40. BEST TIMES: summer months for opera; Jul for Shakespearean Festival, with plays (some in English) and music.

  A Hidden Fortress

  LUXEMBOURG CITY

  Luxembourg

  Upon a sandstone plateau bordered with ravines cut by the Alzette and Petrusse rivers sits the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. For a capital, it’s lilliputian—just 80,000 residents—but it’s the undisputed heart of the country. Strategically located at the crossroads of Belgium, France, and Germany, the city was built around a 10th-century castle. Each time invaders passed through, fortifications were added; by 1867, it was so daunting that the Treaty of London ordered it dismantled. Just 10 percent of the fortifications remain in the Old Town, but the medieval ambience is still palpable, albeit mixed with a contemporary vibe.

  Tour the city on foot, starting in the tree-lined Place d’Armes, home to trendy eateries and accommodations. The lauded gourmet patisserie Wenge has a très chic upstairs restaurant, and the Hotel Le Place d’Armes is handsomely ensconced in an ornate 18th-century building. A few blocks away, past the flagship store for the country’s ubiquitous Villeroy & Boch porcelain, is the Grand Ducal Palace, the official residence of the royal family and erstwhile town hall.

  Art lovers will want to stay at the charming Hotel Parc Beaux Arts, where the ten suites are decorated with contemporary paintings. The Chemin de la Corniche, “Europe’s most beautiful balcony,” offers the finest views of the Alzette River and the gentrified neighborhood of Grund, home to Mosconi, a restaurant loved by discerning Luxembourgers who come for some of the best Italian fare north of the Alps.

  The city is more than just the Old Town. I. M. Pei designed the Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM), a striking glass structure that opened in 2006, and the city’s philharmonic orchestra performs at the brand-new Grand-Duchesse Josephine-Charlotte Concert Hall, a teardrop-shaped masterpiece from French architect Christian de Portzamparc. This flurry of construction speaks to the prosperity of Luxembourg’s citizens, a mixture of French, German, and Lëtzebuergesch (the native tongue) speakers, who have one of the world’s highest gross national incomes per capita.

  Attractions beyond the city can all be reached in an hour or less. Sample the crémants and rieslings of the Moselle Valley in the southeast, or travel to the Ardennes Mountains in the north to visit the brewery town of Diekirch, home to the National Museum of Military History, and the restored medieval castle of Vianden.

  I. M. Pei’s MUDAM stands just behind Fort Thüngen, which was once part of the ancient walls that protected the city.

  WHERE: 135 miles/218 km southeast of Brussels; 232 miles/373 km northeast of Paris. VISITOR INFO: www.lcto.lu. WENGE: Tel 352/26-20-10; www.wenge.lu. Cost: lunch $40. HOTEL LE PLACE D’ARMES: Tel 352/27-47-37; www.hotel-leplacedarmes.com. Cost: from $410. GRAND DUCAL PALACE: Tel 352/47-96-27-09. When: tours mid-Jul–early Sep, when royal family is vacationing. HOTEL PARC BEAUX ARTS: Tel 352/26-86-761; www.parcbeauxarts.lu. Cost: from $300. MOSCONI: Tel 352/54-69-94; www.mosconi.lu. Cost: dinner $160. MUDAM: Tel 352/45-37-85-1; www.mudam.lu. LUXEMBOURG PHILHARMONIC: Tel 352/26-02-271; www.philharmonie.lu. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY: Tel 352/80-89-08; www.mnhm.lu. BEST TIMES: Mar–Jun for pleasant weather; Jun 23 for Luxembourg National Day with parades, fireworks, and revelry.

  Historic Headquarters of the Knights of St. John

  VALLETTA

  Malta

  The tiny island of Malta, today a stop for cruise ships, yachts, beach lovers, and history buffs, long enjoyed a strategic importance out of all proportion to its size. Located at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, this speck of limestone south of Sicily was vital to the control of busy sea lanes from the 16th century until 1945. With four sister islands, it is now an independent nation, with its capital the lovely city of Valletta, its streets lined with Baroque palaces, gardens, and churches.

  Malta was presented as a gift to the Knights of St. John, or Hospitallers, by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1530, after they had been driven from Rhodes (see p. 166) by the Ottoman sultan. After repelling Ottoman invaders in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the knights fortified their island and built Valletta, overlooking the Grand Harbour. One of Europe’s first planned cities, Valletta was designed and constructed from scratch, hewn from the island’s honey-colored limestone, a city “built by gentlemen, for gentlemen” in the assessment of Benjamin Disraeli.

  The knights gave pride of place to St. John’s Co-Cathedral. Its plain exterior conceals a riot of Baroque extravagance inside, with polychrome marble floors and ornate side chapels, and its museum holds Caravaggio’s The Beheading of St. John the Baptist, considered by some to be the artist’s masterpiece. The elaborate decoration of the nearby Grand Masters’ Palace includes colorful frescoes depicting the Great Siege and priceless Gobelin tapestries. The Armory, despite having been looted by Napoleon, houses 5,000 suits of armor.

  But the knights’ most impressive legacy is the fortifications that surround the city. Take a walk around the massive walls, bastions, and batteries and pause at the Upper Barrakka Gardens for a superb view over the Grand Harbour and, if your timing is right, the f
iring of the noonday cannon. Just outside Valletta’s city gate stands the lovingly restored Hotel Phoenicia, an Art Deco grand hotel surrounded by shaded gardens and with views of Valletta’s second natural harbor, Marsamxett. In 1949, Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth) and Prince Philip, then a naval officer stationed in Malta, made several visits to the Phoenicia, dancing as newlyweds in its Grand Ballroom.

  The Grand Harbour separates Valletta from the town of Kalkara, across the water.

  VISITOR INFO: www.visitmalta.com. GRAND MASTERS’ PALACE: Tel 356/2124-9349; www.heritagemalta.com. HOTEL PHOENICIA: Tel 356/2122-5241; www.phoeniciamalta.com. Cost: from $180 (off-peak), from $250 (peak). BEST TIMES: Sep for perfect weather; Feb or Mar for Carnival; Dec for Christmas festivities.