• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The cemetery at Isola di San Michele.   (Photo: Courtesy of Sarai Walker via Flickr)

It’s a touristic tradition to wake up early and witness dawn in St Mark’s Square, but there’s an even better view on the roof of the Hilton Molino Stucky, one of Venice’s highest points. Grab breakfast at the tiny Rialto Biocenter (San Polo, 366-041-523-9515), the city’s best organic market long overshadowed by the Rialto, which you’ll pass along the way. Stumble beyond the mask, glass, and lace shops toward the eastern flank of Castello, where quiet mom-and-pop bakeries, fish markets, and vegetable stands are still supported by locals. For lunch, ditch your guidebook and follow the vaporetto drivers on their breaks to modest Trattoria Cea, just off the Fondamente Nuove. And to really get away from the crowds, hop aboard the 41 or 42 vaporetto to the peaceful walled Isola di San Michele, an island cemetery that includes the final resting places of Igor Stravinsky, Joseph Brodsky, and Ezra Pound.

Published on November 21, 2007 as a web exclusive.