Venice’s secrets

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]on’t listen to your uncle who went there on his silver wedding anniversary and still moans about his €12 cappuccino in St Mark’s square: Venice doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

He also moaned about the “bloody tourists everywhere” but the selfie-stick cruise ship brigade are surprisingly avoidable. I absolutely loved the obligatory 3 months in Venice that us History of Art students do. Despite the ‘touristy and expensive’ warnings, we discovered not only hidden gems but also vital insider knowledge.

1) Drink your coffee standing at the bar. Order a macchiato or espresso (cappuccinos are only acceptable before 11am); this is the Italian way and will cost you €1 rather than €3 or €4.

2) Don’t make the mistake of sitting down in St Mark’s Square and ordering ANYTHING! Huge ripoff. Try Piazza Giovanni e Paolo instead. Not only will you be able to view one of the finest Renaissance equestrian statues ever made (Verrocchio’s Colleoni monument) the drinks will also be cheaper.

3) Time your visit over the first Sunday of the month as many of the best galleries and museums are free for all then, including the Galleria Accademia and the Ca d’Oro.

4) Buy wine from the many Enotecas that full up 2L plastic bottles of actually pretty good wine – €2.80 a litre for prosecco.

The selfie-stick cruise ship brigade are surprisingly avoidable

5) Visit the self-proclaimed ‘Most Beautiful Bookshop in the World’. Acqua Alta Bookshop just off Campo Santa Maria Formosa has bathtubs and gondoliers stacked with books and is run by a few smoky old guys and their cats. Check out the staircase made of books in the back courtyard that you can climb, or sit in a red velvet chair by the canal and have a read.

6) Even though it’s not exactly hidden you have to see St Mark’s Church in Piazza San Marco. Don’t be put off by the queue, it moves pretty fast and it’s free.

Drink your coffee standing at the bar…this is the Italian way

7) Campo Santa Margherita is where all the students hang out. Venice isn’t exactly a late night party destination but around this big square you will find some of the busiest bars and a couple of late night pizza places – €2 for a huge slice of pizza for a cheap dinner is pretty good.

8) Ristorante Barbacani on Campo Santa Maria Formosa is my absolute favourite. Free prosecco on arrival, fresh warm bread, a saxophonist and it’s right on the water. It is one of only 3 places in Venice left that is allowed to still have an open fire. The Tagliolini con Salmone is amazing.

9) Fondamente de la Misericordia is a great lesser-known street next to the water. Go to Timon in the evening, buy a spritz and drink it sitting on a massive barge in the canal. Vino Vero has some of the best cichetti (basically tapas-style snacks) for €1-3.

10) Go up the alternative Campanile (bell tower) on San Giorgio Island. Although it’s not as high as the one in St Mark’s Square (Napoleon supposedly ride a horse up the latter) there is way less of a queue and you get a panorama of the whole of Venice.

11) Get lost. It’s hard not to wander down the tiny lanes of Venice, but if you do (and you probably will), it is the best way to discover it for yourself!