Piccolo Mondo Club

Dorsoduro, Venice –

One of the few late-night discos in Venice, Piccolo Mondo is a semi-exclusive club that attracts a wild crowd of night owls with no consistent demographic save for their common desire to dance until the wee hours.

Getting through the studded iron door, however, is at the sole discretion of the eccentric owner, but once granted access, patrons enter into the bizarre retro world of this (in)famous venue with a style all its own.

In operation since the early 60s, the club’s dusty décor hasn’t changed much since the heady days of disco when pink and salmon walls accented by red leather and brass rails constituted sex appeal.

Around midnight, the diverse clientele of surprisingly clean-cut club-goers, some dressed in full club gear, begins to trickle in, and by 1am the expert DJ has elevated everyone’s disco fever to dangerous levels.

Patrons who need to cool down can head to the front bar or squeeze onto one of the overstuffed sofas on the perimeter.

Overall, though, there’s really only one thing for guests to do at Piccolo Mondo, and that’s to test out their wildest moves amid the strobe lights and swirling fog on the small dance floor – and that’s just what they do, making sure to catch fleeting reflections of themselves in the mirrored walls and shiny mini-stripper poles.