The fee – charged per person, per night and applied to all tourists staying in hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&Bs in Venice and the mainland – is expected to bring almost 8 million Euros into the city’s coffers. This money is considered essential to fund maintenance and restoration of the city’s precious architectural heritage, as well as improving tourist services. According to the description in the city’s brochures, tourists are essentially asked to become SPONSORS of the city.

The tourist tax cannot be more than five Euros and cannot be applied for more than five consecutive nights.

The rules include REDUCTIONS (which can be combined), such as

- 20% reduction for tourist facilities (hotels etc, with the exception of 4- and 5-star hotels) on the islands of the Venice Lagoon (with the exception of the Giudecca Island and the islands in the historic centre).

- 20% reduction for tourist facilities (with the exception of 4- and 5-star hotels) on the mainland.

- 50% reduction for overnight stays in January, November and December.

Reductions are applied to children between 10 and 16 (half price). Children under 10 go free.

Drivers of tourist buses and the leaders of groups with at least 25 participants will be exempt, as will sick people, the carers of people in hospitals or health facilities in the municipality (one carer per person) and parents accompanying a sick minor.

We are curious to hear your opinion. Are you prepared to become one of the city’s sponsors? What do you think of it all?

Tania Danieli

For several years Venezia.net has been offering a useful and satisfying service to all its users: a multilingual Guide of the city which can be easily downloaded in pdf format. The approval of the Guide is supported by nearly one million users that are registered to three-month updating all over the world. It is not necessary to go the bookshop before leaving, you have just to switch on your PC and download it free and print it.

Now the Venice Guide will change its look. More room will be given to information than to advertisements. The new graphic restyling has made this Guide much handier and more practical. It contains anything the people who come and visit Venice need: starting from the places for parking cars to how to go around the city, the Feasts you cannot miss (such as Carnival, the Historical boat race, the Feast of Redentore), the monuments you can visit in each sestiere. Those who want to know which the typical dishes and the boats used by the Venetians are, or to learn the history of Murano glass, can free download the Venice Guide in a minute in order to satisfy their thirst for knowledge.

In a thousand pages you can learn: how to arrive in Venice, choosing quickly among car, train or bus; how to around the city, which means of transport you can use and the tickets price; when the most important local Feasts take place, such as Carnival, the Historical boat race, the Feast of Sensa, etc….; the history of Venice from its origins to contemporary times; the Schools, the buildings which still nowadays can be visited and which in the past were the main sites of Venetian manufacturing; the monuments you must visit and you can find in each sestiere, the Venetians districts; the history of the Gondola and the historical boats; the history of Murano glass, that is a craftsmanship which is known all over the world; the curiosities and the legends which flutter among the Venetian calli, campi and campielli; the events which are subdivided according to their category such as exhibitions, dancing, concerts, sport and folkloristic events.

Every three months the Guide is updated and a newsletter is sent to those who are registered, informing them that the content has been modified. People can get to know if the ticket price of the means of transport or the opening time of museums are changed, or if there are some not-to-be-missed events which will take place in Venice in the subsequent months the users will be informed about and will have the opportunity to download the updated version. The updated information is supplied by an editorial staff that is always keeping up with the big variety of events, exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, dances, sport events which in a city such as Venice can never be missing. It is the same editorial staff of the well-known and appreciated Blog of www.venezia.net website which offers some prompt information to those who want to have a holiday on the Lagoon, to those who already live in the city and the neighbouring towns and to anyone who wants to know what happens in the most famous water city in the world, being also concerned with the updating of the Venice Guide which can be downloaded on line: quality and accuracy are guaranteed. TD

Download the New Guide here

This event takes place from the magical courtyard to the famous Aula Baratto, enhanced by the interventions of the architectural genius of Carlo Scarpa. Wrapped in a timeless atmosphere, overlooking the broadest bend of the Grand Canal, where the floating stage is placed too, the famous Machina, during the Historical Regatta, visitors can contemplate the beautiful landscape which, for centuries, has been enchanting important artists and famous visitors from all over the world.

Visiting hours:Monday, Thursday and Friday at 11.30 am
from Monday to Friday at 2.15 pm
One hour guided tour, available languages: Italian / English

Tania Danieli

Also this year on the occasion of Carnival Sensation 2009, in Campo St. Stefano there will be the ‘Market of masks and Venetian fancy dresses’ , which has now achieved its 25th edition. The masks on display will be all handmade without the aid of machines. Anybody will have the opportunity to buy a beautiful handmade mask, in order to wear it at once for Carnival or at some parties in some Palaces or to take it home and use it as ornaments to be admired by their own friends. The ancient craft of the Venetian mask makers was rediscovered at the end of the Seventies by some people fond of such form of art, who have resumed and proposed again the ancient techniques for producing papier-mâché masks.

As far the origin of masks is concerned you have to know that Venetian people used to put on fancy-dresses not only during the Carnival period but also on many different occasions in the course of the year. Of course, the reason which led them to dress up and hide their own identities during other periods of the year and in particular places was the most obvious one: they did not want to be recognized (for instance when they went and see their lovers)…

In order to spend an enchanting holiday in Venice you can also  decide to turn your attention to the ancient Venetian houses (house renters, residences and B&B) which have kept their charm intact, or the ones which have undergone a modern restoration nonetheless the traditional atmosphere has remained integral. In our section dedicated to B&B Locations you will have a wide range of them at your disposal. Many are the Venetians who have opened the doors of their houses to all those who love things with a story: to the lovers of walls which have seen and heard so much, and to people who love finding a mark of authenticity even in a modest room. You  can happen to have a stay in a house embellished with the traditional floors ‘alla veneziana’  and the typical sealed glass windows, created by the glass- blowers from Murano, and at the same time you can have all the most modern services at your disposal.

Ca’ San Giorgio, for instance, is a marvellous gothic residence of the past used as a convent, which has been restored taking care of details and the refinement of timeless residences. You will also have the opportunity to choose an exclusive room located on the highest floor with original visible beams. The peculiarity of the room is given by the typical wooden Venetian balcony from which you can enjoy a spectacular view over the roofs of Venice.

Charming and traditional is also Casa Martini Inn, which has belonged to the Martini family since 1700, thanks to Cipriano Moro Martini, namely a shrew spice trader between Venice and the East. The furnishings of the rooms reflect the historical distribution of the roles inside the Venetian palaces. The owners used to live on the noble floor (the most prestigious one, corresponding to the second floor): the rooms are richly furnished in the Venetian style. On the upper floor (the attic on the highest floor) there was the domestic service staff. The furnishings are more modest but the relevant restoration has displayed the beautiful roof structure with its tiles  again.

Not to talk about Casa Formosa Inn, located in an ancient aristocratic house of a lovely neo-gothic making, situated along the Canal beside the lively Campo of Santa Maria Formosa, that is a popular area which is extremely near St. Mark’s Square.        TD

Look at all Town House Suites

As far as the internal furniture is concerned, as we were saying previously, there will be both elements reminding us of the lagoon tradition – such as a red chandelier “Tiziano di Venini”, or the Venetian floor, and the unfailing aperitif spritz included in the menu – and  the classic relics of the history of music, from the drums with the Beatles’ autographs, to the original version of “Is that a fact?” pen written by  Noel Gallagher, beside the leather jacket of John Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Richie Sambora’s guitar, namely Bon Jovi’s soloist.

The restaurant behind St. Mark’s Square will have 122 places, obtained from the loft floor where there are also the hi-tech kitchens, with huge Lcd screens from which the cooks will get the orders which will be open from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. On the ground floor, a bar and shops will be open from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. Among the already hanging precious pieces, a black waistcoat worn by Alanis Morisette, one of Madonna’s stage dresses, Shakira’s dress, some tickets with the autograph of the king of punk Sid Vicious, John Entwistle of the Who’s bass and the eccentric clothing of Matt Sorum, namely the drummer of the Velvet Revolver and previously of the Guns n’ Roses. A treasure for those who have a keen interest in rock music, that can find even papers with the autographs of the Metallica and objects belonged to Jimi Hendrix. His is the most precious piece owned by the multinational company: the V-Flay guitar exhibited in London. Anyway, every five years all the objects on display in Venice will be changed with the 87 thousand ones owned by the Hard Rock’s.

Tania Danieli