# Other Places Around The World > Italy Travel Forum >  >  Venice/Florence Vacation Recommendations

## abc

Will be vacationing in Venice and Florence this spring.  Would like to hear your favorite restaurants and what makes each special.  Thank you.

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## lmj

Al Covo in Venice is great, owned by a lovely couple (one American, the other Italian)... seafood, romantic, great food.  Try to eat in the garden.  Also Corte Sconta is very good, hidden and a bit rustic but excellent food.  There are lots of bars that serve wine and apps, like Al Marca, Al Prosecco, and Do Mori.  We like to alternate; we do a fancy lunch one day and wine bar in the evening, then we'll do a picnic lunch the next day and a dinner at a nicer restaurant that night.  For your picnics, I highly recommend saving a couple of 1-1.5 liter water bottles and hitting one of the wine stores that sell wine out of the cask.  Great and very cheap, it's what the locals drink.  

As for Florence, there's a place which you CANNOT miss:  Teatro del Sale.  It's a private club which you join for a few euros, then it's a big buffet with fantastic food and also different types of performances are offered.  You sit with others, usually locals, which is nice especially if you speak a little Italian and/or they speak a little English.

Florence has changed a lot over the years, it's not what it was... lots of high end chain stores and unfortunately most of the small artisans have left town.  I definitely suggest renting a car or taking some kind of tour down to Chianti.  It's hard to find a bad meal there.

Buon viaggio!
Lynn

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