Caffe Florian, Venice

me with (unseeable) bell town in background

While in Venice, we partook in the Venetian cafe culture at the Caffe Florian on Piazza San Marco. Although a bit more than what we should have paid for a glass of wine (8 euro) and sandwich (12 euro), the cafe is one of the oldest coffee houses in the city (serving overpriced sandwiches since 1720) and was a great cultural experience, albeit one I only need to do once in a lifetime. We chose Caffe Florain for 1) name recognition (thanks, Rick Steves) and 2) for its live music. All of the cafes on St. Mark's Square have live bands in the evening, but Caffe Florian's band had a little something special. Perhaps it was the woman violinist? The accordion player?

Callie enjoying the music

Knowing that Venice caters to tourists almost as a natural process of the city's functions (it's hard to imagine Venice without tourists, actually), makes me rethink, in a way, my overall enjoyment of the city. It definitely felt too-good-to-be-true at times: like Disney World. Like there was no real life in the city, and no real inhabitants. Just pretty buildings and canals. Like we were visiting a museum for an extended weekend. And like we really mattered to the wait staff, hotel staff, etc., etc. as long as we could pay up in the end.

Venice, I have decided, beautiful though it is, is not for the faint of pocketbook. Three days was perfect. Anymore time spent there (and not in the company of some rich billionaire) would be too much for the average young traveler/twenty-something/recent college graduate/me.

Here is a video clip of the musicians at the Caffe Florian (a rendition of Oh, Susanna! for your listening pleasure):

They later played an extensive musical theater repertoire - after some drunk Russians left, who were celebrating a birthday and requesting Russian songs for over an hour. Fiddler on the Roof, CATS and Hello Dolly were discernible. I now wish I had saved my memory card space and camera battery for the rendition of "Memories" (where Miss Grizabella dies - yes, I have CATS memorized)...but this, for what it'w worth, is good enough. The cafe staff did not get upset, unlike the staff at La Scala, who abhor even the sight of a digital camera. That, however, is another story.