The Lido is no longer the glamorous bolthole of Hollywood starlets and European aristocracy that it once was, but its groomed beaches, scattering of art nouveau buildings and summering Venetians sipping prosecco beneath candy-striped awnings make it an interesting diversion on a hot day. However, the presence of cars and suburban sprawl can be jarring after the lost-in-time nature of central Venice, and in winter even fading glamour is in short supply.
The Lido became a fashionable seaside resort around the late 19th century, and its more glorious days are depicted (in admittedly melancholy fashion) in Thomas Mann's novel Death in Venice.
