Only one aspect of Venice's
nightlife attracts the kids from
the mainland, and that's the Casino, one of only half a dozen in
the entire country. The Saturday
night migration is a strange
sight - the vaporetto pulls in
at the dismal Tronchetto stop,
and on board step the
well-groomed young gamblers,
having parked their Alfa Romeos
in the Tronchetto's multistorey.
Minimum age is 18, and the dress
code is not as strict as you'd
think - even jeans are
acceptable in the rooms given
over to slot machines
(L5000/?2.58 admission), though
jacket and tie are obligatory
for the "French" games
(L10,000/?5.16), such as
roulette and chemin de fer. From
mid-September to mid-June the Casino
occupies the magnificent
Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi (Cannaregio)
on the Canal Grande; in high
summer it migrates to the Lido's
Palazzo del Casino on Lungomare
Marconi. At both sites it
operates from 4pm until 2.30am
(3.30am on Saturday).