The area around the church of Santa Maria Elisabetta on the Lido is one of my favorite places. Well, I could do without the cars and their noise and dirt. But there is something very special about watching the hustle and bustle of commuters and tourists in a relaxed way. We were just there yesterday, the weather was still quite passable. Fresh, but dry.
I’m talking about the area around the vaporetto pier of the same name, from which you can see the silhouette of the old town of Venice. In good weather, anyway. The Gran Viale of the same name, which leads from the pier dead straight to the beach on the other side of the Lido (and to the old Hotel des Bains, but I’ll tell you about that another time), this street is also quite pretty, but I mean the campo at the very front. The older ones among us will remember the Campari neon sign on one of the houses, visible for miles from the lagoon.
There, on the side facing the alley on the first floor of the Hotel Belvedere, there is a wonderfully old-fashioned café, we say“bar“, where time seems to have stood still: in the morning there is caffè and deliciously sandwiched tramezzini, our little sandwiches, between which you can and do put almost anything. At lunch there is usually a small menu
But what I really want to point out is that in front of the bar there are a few tables where you can sit outside in good weather. From there you have an excellent view of the vaporetto pier and the bus stops in front of it. And Venice behind it, of course.
Whenever a vaporetto arrives from Venice, the crowds hurry across the pier and scatter onto the already waiting buses. Then it is always funny to see how the individual buses start up sharply, but the drivers brake again sharply a few meters later, cursing loudly in front of the crosswalk. Always hold on tight, if you should ever ride there!
Despite the hustle and bustle, it is somehow peaceful and there is always something to see. This may also be due to the fact that cars and buses drive on the Lido, but there is no road connection to the mainland. There is only the car ferry! This somehow keeps it more tranquil. I sometimes go with my girls – scusatemi! – with Alma and Lucia just to have a cappuccino.
Bar of the Hotel Belvedere dal 1857, Piazzale Santa Maria Elisabetta, 6, 30126 Lido di Venezia
