ITALY is one of my favourite countries to visit. So much so, I got married there 17 years ago.
I love the people, the food, the wine – and the scenery is pretty awesome, too.
But it can be pricey, especially when you have two teenagers to factor in, who are also often hard to entertain.
Thankfully, we found everything we were after – beautiful beaches, affordable restaurants, activities, water slides and the option to self-cater – at five-star Union Lido Eurocamp.
Getting there is also super-easy: a flight into the bustling Venice Marco Polo airport and a handy bus from outside the terminal that stops right in front of the sprawling campsite and costs £36 for the four of us.
Setting up camp
On arrival, our 13-year-old twins Riley and Harris, husband Alistair and I are quickly checked in and transported by golf buggy to our three-bed comfort XL holiday home on a tree-lined row.
It’s blisteringly hot, so before we unpack, we pop around the corner to the water park with its array of multicoloured slides to suit everyone, from fast and furious to a lazy river.
It also has a gorgeous poolside snack bar, Barena, where we dig into pepperoni pizzas, £9, washed down with pints of Moretti, £5, and Coke, £3.
Spaghetti junction
Union Lido is one of Eurocamp’s largest sites, with 2,930 pitches and 15 restaurants, snack bars and takeaways, so it takes a while to get our bearings.
That evening, we wander to the main square, where there is a huge supermarket and a fairground.
We opt for Cantinetta Lispida, a traditional Italian eatery, and I choose the carbonara, £13, while Alistair tries the spaghetti and meatballs, £19.35. Riley and Harris both settle on the four-cheese gnocchi, £14.90, and we also order a carafe of house red, £11, which is one of the best I’ve ever had.
All in all, a great start to a holiday and a taste of things to come, as this place is full of gorgeous restaurants – from the Al Mare on the beach to one of our favourites, Il Borgo, or The Dog Restaurant, as it is nicknamed.
The campsite welcomes dogs with open arms. They have their own campsite area (with their owners, of course), their own swimming pool, and yes, their own restaurant.
Il Borgo is recommended to us by an Irish family we bump into, who have been coming to Union Lido for years. We take their advice and are not disappointed.
The mussels in tomato sauce, £15, are mouth-watering and the spaghetti vongole, £15, is so delicious that I could eat another bowlful. Alistair and Harris wolf down the house burger, £17, and Riley is delighted with her chilli-cheese nuggets, £6.
Meanwhile, I’m thrilled that my refreshing Aperol spritz costs a bargain £4.
Pedalo a-go-go
The blue-flag beach is our favourite place to spend our days.
Seaside bar Lido ‘55 serves ice-cold beers, Coke floats and snacks that can be devoured on your sunbed – and the people-watching never fails to disappoint.
I take a break from the fam one day and pop to the wellbeing spa, treating myself to a dead-sea scrub, £41.
Later, we all hire a pedalo with a slide and spend a joyful hour whizzing down it into the sparkling blue sea. Taking out paddle boards also proves a fun way to while away the hours.
Riley and Harris are complete naturals and end up so far out to sea, we worry they could be swept away, but it’s not long before they head back to shore again.
Exploring the local area is as simple as jumping on a bus outside the campsite, so we head 9km to the port of Punta Sabbioni, where ferries depart regularly to Venice.
But instead of going to the City of Canals, we decide to visit the islands of Murano and Burano, from £6. It’s 30 minutes on the ferry to our first stop, Murano.
Known as Glass Island, it’s the second largest in the Venetian lagoon after Venice, and is renowned for its glassware.
We take a tour of the Murano Glass Factory to watch the age-old practice of glass blowing in action. Tours cost £4.20 per adult, under-14s are free (Visitmuranoglassfactory.com).
Afterwards, I am tempted by a beautiful vase, but worry I won’t get it home without breaking it.
The colourful chandeliers are also works of art, and I vow one day to return and find a way to transport one home with me.
Talking of chandeliers, we also pop into the Glass Museum where, along with Phoenician flasks and goblets, there is a chandelier weighing 330kg! Entry costs £8.50 for adults, under-14s cost £6.25 (Museovetro.visitmuve.it).
Dopamine days
From Murano, it’s 24 minutes on the No12 ferry to Burano, known for its colourful buildings and intricate lace.
It only takes 10 minutes to stroll from one end of this island to the other, admiring the dopamine houses along the Tre Ponti wooden bridge, painted by fishermen so they could see them in the fog.
The Lace Museum at the historic palace of Podestà of Torcello is also worth a visit. It has regular art exhibitions and showcases the history of lace making on the island.
Entry costs £4 for adults, £2.90 for kids (Museomerletto.visitmuve.it).
Another day, we catch a bus outside the campsite in the opposite direction, to the bustling historic Cavallino Treporti Market, which has everything from food to clothes, and we pick up some olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a souvenir.
All too soon, it’s time to journey home.
But with an air-conditioned bus that picks us up at the campsite and drops us at the airport, getting to this part of Italy has never been easier. And we will be back!
BTW
A week’s stay for four at Union Lido Eurocamp costs from £441
(Eurocamp.co.uk).
UK return flights to Venice cost from £68.
