Venice has the capacity to impress not only goggle-eyed first timers, but also the most jaded of travellers. Quite simply, La Serenissima is unlike anywhere else on the planet, with a collage of 116 islands connected by 409 bridges, where cars are banned and everyone, including postmen and the police, goes by boat.

History is writ large in this northeastern Italian city and when visitors ease through the morning mists on empty canals with grandious buildings rising up on all sides, it is easy to slip back through the centuries, to the time of the Doges - the omnipotent rulers, whose influence spread well beyond the Venetian Lagoon.

Venice then was an exotic melting pot of East and West, where travellers breezed in and out and traders peddled their silk and spices. Venice under the Doges was a land of unimaginable wealth and riches were spent wisely in crafting some of Europe’s most memorable buildings, from the imposing Dode’s Palace to the grand architecture of St. Marc’s Square famously described by Napoleon as the ‘drawing room of Europe’.

Away from the main tourist throng, another Venice appears, with narrow canals, women hanging out their washing and small osterias (bars) where locals, for once, outnumber tourists. The introduction of the smoking ban has done little to dampen La Dolce Vita.

In the intense heat of a mediterranean summer, the city can just get too much and the tourist congregations too large. Many visitors are now choosing to turn up out of season, when swirls of mist and frosty winds descend upon the canals.

Perhaps the last word on Venice should be left to one of her most illustrious patrons, Henry James: ‘Dear old Venice has lost her complexion, her figure, her reputation, her self-respect; and yet, with it all, has so puzzlingly not lost a shred of her distinction’.

I Tre Mercanti is the brainchild of Roberto Caruti, a longtime Gucci employee, and two friends - one an executive with an Italian company on the Venetian mainland, and the other a leading glassmaker on Murano. Signor Caruti explains how the store came about: “I was working for Gucci in England, and one day I was talking on the phone to Andrea della Valentina in Murano. We were discussing how hard it was for visitors to find really good Italian foods, and I suggested the idea of a beautiful shop with the best Italian wines and foods and the kind of service you’d find at a store like Gucci.”

It wasn’t long until Caruti and his two friends had formed a partnership and were visiting growers, culinary artisans, and trade fairs throughout Italy. Over the next two years, they tested thousands of foods and wines, eliminating about 90 percent of the candidates before negotiating supplier agreements with vendors who’d made the cut.

The partners also found a great store location on the border of San Marco and Castello, just a few blocks north of the Basilica and Piazza di San Marco. After a major (and expensive) renovation of its new quarters, I Tre Mercanti opened for business in 2007. It’s well worth a visit, whether you’re shopping for gifts or looking for mementos of Italy that you can enjoy after - and even before - you go home.

For the tourist, Ratti is a great place to buy hard-to-find Italian items such as replacement parts for Bialetti coffeepots. Ratti also has a large selection of rubber boots for the acqua alta or flood season: During our most recent visit, we found boots in European sizes 35 to 46, at prices that started at €12 for green PVC wellies. Ratti is at the corner of Salizzada San Lio, Calle al Ponte della Guerra, and Calle delle Bande.

Finding the shop is difficult, but an easy way is to open a map of Venice, find the Ponte d Scalzi (bridge by the train station), and draw a straight line down to Campo Santa Margherta (large oblong square), and look for a monument with a tall red flag pole. Just ask anyone after that.

Other things of interest are bar stools which have a seat carved out of wood to look like a fluffy pillow. Surprisingly comfortable. They are available in complete bar sets or intended to be used as focal points within a room. Each one is individually hand carved. Loris also makes glass topped coffee tables, with the platform flawlessly carved to resemble half opened books. Tremendous detail. He uses three such carvings for each piece. He even has carved a wooden strip resembling a leather shoe lace to hang the jacket from the ceiling. Every piece is hand carved, one of a kind.

Then there are the traditional masks: Commedia dell’Arte which have to do with theatre. They have fixed shapes and represent different characters such as Arlecchino, Capitano, Pulcinello or Diavolo. For a hand made mask made of papier mache with real gold leaf paper, which as a whole costs a month to make, one pays between 80 and 95 euro.

 The cuisine includes many creative fish and vegetable dishes, and excellent starters and desserts. Combining the winning service and menu with a superb wine list, with the possibility of spotting a celebrity or two, and you have the reason behind this restaurant being a top dining choice.