I just finished making the reservations for my trip to Venice at the beginning of September. It’s something I do every couple of years because of the Art Biennial, since I have customers who are part of the exhibition teams and it’s a great opportunity for me to stay in touch/ network/ etc.
Now, because I know Venice quite well, I do not stay at the island itself. Instead, I stay in Mestre, a small(ish) town outside of Venice with three different local bus lines that reach the island in ten minutes. A good quality hotel costs less than one third of what a similar one would cost in the canals. Usually I stay at the Holiday Inn (points system means I get free upgrades) but this time I am unsure why but most hotels I know are fully booked. So, for the first time, I am staying at the Michelangelo (warning: 70’s Muzak on autoplay at the link). And I am mesmerized by some of the photos of the decor. It seems all I am missing is a disco ball hanging from the roof. Just look at this lobby:
And in case I miss the ‘70’s theme while having dinner, I am going to share with you the food presentation of one of my usual spots in the area, Ristorante Nadain:
Would you like some plastic beads with your oysters and ice?
This place serves some of the best food you can have while staying in this region, so it’s not like the presentation says anything about the quality, but their aesthetics seem to be trapped in an era of gold plated excess and an abundance of dichroic lighting.
After Venice I am spending a few days in Milano, the only place on Earth where I feel fully inadequate, shabby and genuinely ugly, no matter what I am wearing or how well put together I am. Also, the only place I know of where the entire city center seems to be a set for a fashion spread. Alas, I love it in spite of my obvious lack of style so they’ll have to deal with my shortcomings.
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