A quick tour around the Campo reveals its riches. Two fragrant fruit stands brimming with the freshest produce of the region occupy the center of the action while the fishmongers set up further down the square with the impressive bounty of the surrounding sea. Next door to the bakery you will find the Nave D'Oro Vinaria, a wine shop where you can fill 1.5 liter plastic bottles from huge casks of Bardolino, Soave or Prosecco for two or three euros or sample the best of the Veneto by the glass a few doors down at the tiny Bistro do Draghi. The warm and inviting Caffe Rosso with its cozy interior and shaded outdoor tables beckons. Here a cappuccino will run 2.20 at a table, or a mere 1.20 if you stand at the bar.

There are several bars and restaurants dotting the perimeter. The Osteria alla Bifura lists their specials on a small typed sheet pinned to a board and delivers excellent local fare to accompany your favorite beverage, while Ai Sportivi offers a quite decent wood fired pizza starting at 5.50 euros for a simple Margherita. Or follow the college crowd onto the line stretching from Pizza al Volo ("pizza on the fly") for an oversized slice from a modern gas oven. Topped with mushrooms, ham, eggplant or olives they make an ample snack for an even two euros. If a picnic is on your agenda then the Supermercato Punto is your destination.

For dessert of course there is gelato. The Gelateria Artigianale Il Doge at the bottom of the square is superb. On a hot day go for the fruit flavors, tart and refreshing. The maxi cono with two scoops comes in at 2.20 euro. Try fragola and limone, or an ethereal frutti di bosco. Literally meaning "fruit of the woods" it is a rich concoction of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and currants that will take you to another place. They don't have a bad flavor.

At night Santa Margherita puts on her party clothes and hosts some of the hippest and brightest nightlife this city has to offer. The University crowd takes over and the cafes and bars carry on late into the night. Campari and soda is the drink of choice and someone always seems to bring an acoustic guitar.

This is a real place for real people. A functioning urban landscape that works. There is a toy store, a bookstore, two pharmacies, a hardware store, a store that sells light bulbs and almost no place to buy a mask.

The pace here is slow and measured and a few hours among the red benches and shady tables of the Campo Santa Margherita is a tonic for the soul. Outside, Venice may rush to the hectic beat of the day trippers. Here in this quiet haven of the Most Serene Republic you can breathe deeply the aromas of coffee and peaches and fresh bread and recapture the spirit of this marvelous city.