We’ll be in Venice next Saturday, staying in an apartment in Castello, away in the eastern reaches of the city, on Via Garibaldi, close to the site of the Biennale. The pavilions and the park are going to be one of the locations in an upcoming book, so I’m looking forward to a little research in the area.

But mostly we’ll spend the week just living in Venice, dropping into churches and scuolas to see the amazing (and free) art, sitting in cafes and drinking an espresso or an ombra(small glass of wine), walking along the canals or eating ice cream on the Zattere.

The next week we’ll spend in the country. We’ve rented a small house, set in the walls of the Castello di Strassoldo di Sopra in village of the same name. It’s northeast of Venice, about 40km from Trieste. Roman ruins, mountains, beaches, nature resorts, a wine and ham route to follow, and the intriguing city of Trieste to visit: all less than a 2 hour drive from where we are staying, and most within 30 minutes.

Some of the best wine in Italy is produced in the region of the Colline Orientale, so I imagine we’ll drive to that area as well. 

5 Days. I can’t wait.