Venice’s romantic labyrinth of shimmering canals, gliding gondolas and opulent palaces is a must on most people’s bucket lists. But this fragile floating city in Italy suffers today from a serious surplus of tourists, meaning long lines to visit museums, waterbuses packed to bursting, hotels and B&Bs overbooked and overpriced. Earlier this month, it only narrowly escaped being placed on Unesco's World Heritage in Danger list.
Creative travellers, though, can still discover alternative ways to visit that are both sustainable and responsible. The solution is simply not to stay in Venice itself.
I decided to check out three options, beginning with a fashionably renovated fisherman’s cottage on the colourful lagoon island of Burano. Then over on the coastline that separates Venice from the Adriatic, lies the perfect budget, eco-friendly camping site. While out in the countryside, across from the bridge linking Venice to the mainland, an ancient farmhouse has been transformed into a luxurious glamping hideaway.
Making this responsible choice brings the best of both worlds as these under-the-radar locations have a host of surprising, offbeat attractions to discover, while the magic of Venice is easily accessible using public boat or train transport for a low carbon-footprint journey.
After Venice, Burano is the most-visited island in the lagoon, a magnet for day-trippers seduced by its tiny waterways lined with multicoloured houses that are irresistibly Instagrammable. Female artisans practise the ancient tradition of lace-making and foodie trattorie specialise in freshly caught fish and seafood. Until recently, there was little overnight accommodation, but I checked into Casa Burano, one of several canalside fishermen’s homes that have been transformed into designer bed and breakfasts.
Staying overnight here is an unforgettable experience as the island magically empties of tourists by late afternoon, leaving me almost alone to watch the fishing boats chug off from the quayside, the sun brilliantly setting in myriad colours over the still lagoon waters. The bed and breakfasts are owned by the Bisol family, a renowned producer of Prosecco who also created Venissa, their own vineyard resort on the tiny adjoining island of Mazzorbo, linked to Burano by a wooden bridge.
The 15-minute walk there for dinner takes me through Venissa’s garden, which is filled with artichokes, peas and asparagus, with their gourmet Michelin-starred restaurant overlooking the neatly criss-crossed lines of vines. It also has a Michelin Green star, awarded for efforts in sustainability, as chefs Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto produce a nine-course tasting menu using almost exclusively locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.
In the mornings, Burano’s public ferry is always ready to take me over to Venice in just 40 minutes with the chance to stop off to visit glassblowing workshops on Murano, or Torcello island, where the original founders of La Serenissima, or the Republic of Venice, first settled more than 1,500 years ago.
Venice’s slim littoral separates its lagoon from the sea, stretching some 40 kilometres along the Lido, rural Cavallino, Treporti and Ca’Savio, up to the seaside resort of Jesolo. My destination is Ca’Savio, a contrasting mix of bucolic vegetable gardens, and one of Europe’s oldest and largest family camping locations.
While most of these 30 sites predominantly offer family-orientated tourism at its most nostalgic, I stay the night at the eponymous Camping Ca’Savio, which has been inventively reborn as an ecologically responsible resort. Founded by a local family back in 1960, this tranquil, back-to-nature spot under the guidance of visionary third-generation Nicoletta Vianello now attracts a new generation of clients who are looking for an alternative to spending their Venice holiday in the historical centre.
The camp practises a host of sustainable initiatives such as water and energy-saving, dune protection and flora restoration, with comfy new eco-lodge tents and cool, minimalist Scandinavian-style chalets nestled beneath shady pine trees. But I cannot resist the chance to stay in their hip Airstream Park, hidden away among the dunes and a two-minute walk from the beach and sea. These sleek silver metallic caravans are actually modern replicas of the vintage American version, and in Ca’Savio, the roomy, luxury interiors feature air-conditioning, fridge, freezer, cooker, oven, shower and toilet, plus a very comfortable bed.
From there, it's a 10-minute drive on the local bus to Punta Sabbioni ferry stop, which then takes just 35 minutes to drop sightseers off right outside St Mark's Square. I prefer to totally avoid the crowds by renting a bike for the day to explore the narrow paths traversing the lagoon’s barene, a fragile ecosystem of wetlands forever shifting with the tide, alive with swooping flocks of birds, colourful vegetation and fishermen digging in the mud for precious razor clams and vongole.
A very different experience awaits discerning travellers choosing to base themselves at the Canonici di San Marco, Italy’s first luxury glamping resort. Located in the Veneto countryside near the grandiose frescoed Palladian villas along the Brenta Canal, six sumptuous safari-style tents sit in the lush, secluded grounds of a 17th-century barchessa mansion.
Each one seems more lavishly decorated than the next: Glittering crystal chandeliers; wood-carved four-poster beds; plush velvet and silk throws; antique bathtubs; but also air-conditioning and heating that allows year-round stays. There is a regular artist-in-residence programme, yoga and shiatsu massage, cooking courses and a tempting lap pool.
It is all too easy to spend the whole day spoiling yourself here, though a taxi is always ready to whisk guests off to the Dolo train station, a 25-minute ride to Venice either for sightseeing, drinks at Harry’s Bar or dinner at the historic Quadri restaurant overlooking St Mark's Basilica.
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Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
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Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
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Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
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Martin Sabbagh profile
Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
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Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
