Il Santo Bevitore

Il Santo Bevitore is a student-oriented bar on Campo Santa Margherita, the large open square that anchors the university quarter of western Venice, Italy, in the Veneto region. The listing places it in Santa Croce, although the campo sits on the border with Dorsoduro, where the Ca' Foscari and IUAV university buildings are close by. The square is the centre of Venice's student nightlife, and the crowd at the bar reflects that: undergraduates and postgraduates, young Venetians, exchange students and backpackers, with a lower average age than most of the city's venues. Dress is casual, there is no door policy, and the atmosphere is loud, sociable and informal, with drinkers gathering at outdoor tables and standing on the campo itself. Music is played as background rather than as a programmed event. The drinks programme concentrates on inexpensive beer, spritz, wine by the glass and a range of cocktails, with prices at the budget end and happy-hour style offers common in the area. Opening hours are daily from about 9AM to 2AM, one of the longest spans in the city, so the bar serves coffee and breakfast in the morning and turns into a late-evening drinking spot after dark. Term-time weeknights are busy thanks to the student population, and Thursday to Saturday nights are the peak, with the campo full of people until closing. There is no cover charge and no bottle service, and reservations are not normally taken for drinks. Visitors simply order at the bar and find a spot in the square. The location makes it a convenient starting point for a night out that can continue into other bars around the campo and along the nearby canals, and it is one of the few places in Venice where late-night crowds gather in the open air.