My day job is as a medical publisher and one day, I was speaking with an author about a forthcoming trip to Venezia and she said “you have to go to Torcello! The island is beautiful and the Locanda Cipriani is amazing!” I laughed and assured her that I was, indeed, going to Torcello and actually staying at the Locanda AND hosting a party there to which she replied “of course you are! I think you know Italy better than I do and I’m Italian!”
Nites
The Locanda Cipriani is a charm like no other. https://www.locandacipriani.com/en/ The inn only has 5 rooms and each are on the first floor. And I honestly wouldn’t call them luxurious, but they are charming in a familial sort of way. And although you can hear the other guests coming and going, it’s only because of the old floor boards and closing doors: each room has a double door in order to help with a bit of privacy.
Bites
I am not one for eating at hotel restaurants but the restaurant at the Locanda is absolutely divine. I’m pretty sure there’s a menu but when I went there – twice – both times I said that I was vegetarian and the waiter kindly offered suggestions based on local produce that was purchased that day. And I will tell you, I often get nervous in the north of Italy as the food can be heavy – gnocchi with cream sauce and veg for instance – but the food here was not heavy. It was heavenly.
If you want to venture away from the Locanda, you really should go to Venissa (http://www.venissa.it/) on Burano. Be sure to check the vaporetto times, unless you have your own boat, because this is well away from Venezia and the frequency of boats aren’t that frequent.
And although I didn’t eat here – I tried but they were closed on the day I had free – the Osteria al Ponte del Diavolo was consistently packed and the menu looked truly inviting.
Sites
The site is the island. It is not a large island, and not a lot of people live here, but during the day it is a day-tripper’s dream and a night it is calm oasis of nature sounds and the occasional lapping water along the canal sides.