Some help needed about Venice, Italy. It is uncharted territory for us, so any help is welcome.

We're planning to fly into Venice airport arriving about 9:30 p.m. May20, and staying in Venice until May 23, when we plan to drive to a farm house in the Chianti region of Tuscany.

We're looking for a hotel for three persons, two adults and a 4-year-old boy, for that weekend (three nights). Should we plan on one in Venice itself, or should we stay on the mainland and take a bus or boat into the city each day. Can you recommend a nice hotel, moderate price? A friend tells me Lido would be a good area to stay in. Can anyone confirm that?

We'll be renting a car in Venice. I'm told one can pick up a car at the city's main parking garage, where all the major rental agencies have offices. However, I'm told it's more expensive to pick up a car there than at the airport. Can anyone advise us?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Meanwhile, for those of you planning a trip to Paris, and looking for off beat sights, I can recommend the Paris sewer museum. Don't laugh. It's a fascinating place; very educational (and if you've read Les Miserables, it will help bring part of that book to life). It's a working part of the sewer system so you see the gray-green sewage flowing below you. The smell is, surprisingly, not as bad as you might think.

Bons voyages! Evan in Paris