Had three things going for it: the beauty of Venice set off by the beauty of both Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. Key scenes of the film were set in one my favorite Venetian palace hotels—the Danieli. Although the Danieli looked marvelous, it seemed an oversight that Depp and Jolie didn’t have a scene on the veranda of the legendary Hotel Cipriani – the stunning grand hotel on the island of Giudecca that’s often mistaken for its unrelated namesake Harry’s Cipriani Bar across the lagoon in Venice, proper.

Although it is on its own little island just across the lagoon from Venice, the Cipriani is inextricably woven into the magic of Venice. George Clooney—a famous part-time resident of Italy himself, is a denizen of the Cipriani’s Gabbiano Bar and the Hotel’s connection with the Orient Express (the hotel is an Orient Express property) makes it a perfect jumping off place for the legendary luxury train’s Venice to Istanbul route.

________________________________________________________________________

Stepping into this Italian restaurant was quite a surreal experience. Though my mind was telling me that I was in the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, my eyes saw a restaurant tucked in a Tuscan village. All that was missing (in my mind) was a large, red-faced and bemustachioed Italian chef in a white apron to greet us and recite the day’s special in a loud, booming voice. This was followed by a portion of eggplant and mozzarella roll baked with parmesan cheese on stewed tomato (RM38). It was a tad too salty for me, but the stewed tomato countered the saltiness very well.

...

Read more...