KOREAGONSTUDIO

You don't have to go abroad to find beautiful art and architecture. Much of what you see in Italy and France is mirrored right here in Britain

The ideology of art today, according to most artists, curators and critics, is one that values the familiar. Ordinary objects, everyday pictures, and accessible artists who seem not that different from ourselves are praised, endlessly. The artist next door whose work portrays the average life in the average town is what we are told to admire.

This is why I never can content myself with the modern British art scene. I want art to be elsewhere, I want to travel in search of it. I need it to be exotic, and to show me other worlds, other lives, other times and places. The first exhibitions I saw were in France and Italy, on childhood holidays. Maybe that's why I associate the best art experiences with travel. But what happens in times like these, when many people can't afford to travel abroad? Can there be an art staycation?

I recently heard a talk about John Piper by art historian Frances Spalding . This British painter started as a fully paid up international modernist before turning inward, to the English landscape. In the 1940s he portrayed, eloquently, the ruins of Coventry Cathedral and other bombed churches . Spalding illuminated the reasons – at a time of national crisis, with war blazing overhead – for Piper's choice of a consciously parochial art.

As a journalist I can see Piper's point. Britain is full of hidden beauties. The talk I heard about Piper was at Dartington Hall in Devon, an amazingly well-preserved medieval hall. It would also be possible to argue that much of what you see in Venice can be mirrored in Britain. The glories of Venetian Gothic are much-praised – but what about the English perpendicular? I mean, you can go to Canterbury, visit the cathedral, see all the gothic and Romanesque you like, and then go to the beach in Broadstairs – what more could anyone want?

Palladio's church in Venice glistens like a pearl set in an exquisite shell – but the real star is the architect and his vision

I saw a lot of great art on a recent trip to Venice. But the masterpiece I can't get out of my mind is not a painting, a mosaic, or a sculpture. It is a church. Palladio's Redentore glistens on the horizon when you look across to the long strip of land called the Giudecca. Take the boat there and you discover a pearl set in an exquisite shell. As clean as the sky, the facade of Palladio's 16th-century temple (architects then thought of their churches as "temples") seems not so much to have been built as sculpted: as if it were a model of a building, exquisitely carved from a single piece of marble. Niches for statues, and the statues themselves, are as perfectly calibrated to the overall design as are the rusticated stones around the base of the building.

Inside, the beauty accelerates to Stendhal syndrome extremes. Every detail is a part of the whole, and the whole has a perfection that seems absurdly elegant: the rim of the central dome is not just a circle. It is an absolutely precise geometrical circle – it does not appear to wobble at any point. How can a line cut by masons and suspended in the sky be so exact?

Renaissance architecture is astonishingly modern. In the works of Palladio and Michelangelo, the architect becomes a self-conscious creative star. The Redentore exhibits not just fine craft but, unmistakably, a tightly organised, intense and supremely confident artistic vision. This "auteur" quality (to borrow a term from film critics) is what makes the Redentore so gripping and dramatic.

Palladio and Michelangelo both in their different ways anticipate the architecture of today. Should architects be able to define the ways museums present art? The question often asked of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim and its offspring was first raised by Michelangelo's master plan for the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Should an architect's personal dream be imposed on the skyline? Can that be good for a city? The Redentore says yes. Modern architecture starts here.

Scientists are to monitor the vital signs of tourists in Florence after they see works of art – to test if Stendhal syndrome exists

There's only one problem with an attempt by Italian scientists to test the reality of Stendhal syndrome, the condition of being so overcome by beautiful works of art that you actually swoon, or at least go weak at the knees.

It was first recorded by the 19th-century novelist and art critic Stendhal in Florence, and so scientists are to monitor the vital signs of tourists in Florence after they see works of art. Their mistake, I fear, lies in their choice of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi as the test site. In the 15th century, when it was built as the town house of the Medici family, this was truly a place to make you pass out. It held an overwhelming ensemble of great works, now scattered around the world, with notable treasures in London.

Later the palace belonged to another family as the Medici made themselves Grand Dukes of Tuscany and inhabited more grandiose Florentine buildings. Today, much of it is occupied by government offices and only vestiges of its beauty endure – admittedly including Gozzoli's fresco of the journey of the Magi. This is a delightful work but not, I think, in the Stendhal syndrome category.

It would be much more effective to put the heart monitors at nearby San Lorenzo, where anyone with a soul emerges stupefied from the sublimely dark and disorientating architecture of Michelangelo's Laurentian library. That really can discombobulate you.

But seriously – can great art have a physical effect? My recent holiday was in Venice, rather than Florence. It has its own, different beauty – more colouristic, molten, and dreamy. I think the answer is yes. The beauty of Italian art has a concentrated perfection and transcendent sensuality that is incredibly addictive. I still feel a bit strange almost a week after coming back from Venice – like a stranger on the traffic-perfumed streets of central London, pining for the Bellinis (meaning the paintings of Giovanni Bellini – we didn't get to Harry's Bar).

Even though I suspect the scientists may have set up their gear in the wrong place, they are surely on to something. There is something dangerous about great art. That is what makes it great.

This week, Lonely Planet's Tom Hall offers advice on spending Christmas in Hong Kong, trekking in Ethiopia, cutting costs in Venice, and how to get the best exchange rate on holiday

My girlfriend and I are going to spend New Year in Sydney with friends who moved over there last year. En route, we've decided to stop in Hong Kong for three nights as it's a place we have both longed to visit.

We fly on Christmas Eve and have three nights in which to explore the city. Of course we want to take in the famous Peak, but we would also like to know if there are any festivals, parades or events we absolutely should not miss at this time of year?
Adam Leonard, Surbiton, Surrey

There's plenty going on in Hong Kong to keep you entertained for three days. The Hong Kong Food Festival takes place at this time at the Exhibition and Convention Centre, with over 1,000 booths showcasing both local and international food. Last year, nearly 870,000 people attended over three days, so you may wish to pop in for an hour or two to avoid crowd fatigue. After Christmas, the focus of the city shifts towards New Year celebrations (February 3 in 2011), but you'll find winter sales and ongoing festive attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park theme park and at the Ngong Ping Village on Lantau island, which is an excellent half-day trip by ferry. One good way to see some of the island is to take the Peak Tram and then walk down, making use of the Central-Mid-levels escalator, the longest escalator in the world, to cut out some of the knee-numbing downhill hiking.  An evening ferry to Lamma island to dine at one of the waterfront restaurants is another must-do when in Hong Kong, both for the no-nonsense Cantonese cuisine and superb light show of Hong Kong island viewed from the water at night.

Last year, while on holiday in Sharm el-Sheikh, I discovered that the banks were giving a much better rate when changing sterling to Egyptian pounds than that available in UK. Is it likely to be the same this year and could you please explain why this is?
Ian Smith

It doesn't necessarily follow that you always get a better rate if you wait until you arrive to change money. Many exchange desks at airports and in heavily-touristed areas offer poor exchange rates. However, in Egypt it's not unusual to get a rate that's better than at home. The key thing to look for is the Interbank rate, which is quoted on sites like oanda.com. The closer you can get to this - once you've factored in commision charges - the better. But it is likely to be the same case this year and there are a couple of reasons. First, when you buy a currency in the UK the bank has to first acquire it on your behalf, incurring costs which are passed on to you. If you buy Egyptian pounds in Egypt this is not the case. Second, once in a country there is more competition for your business which keeps rates keen. At present, Travelex are offering 7.83 Egyptian pounds to the British pound, while the Interbank rate quoted by Oanda is 8.42 to £1. You'll usually get the Interbank rate when accessing your money via ATM, but also pay loading and exchange fees which will vary according to who you bank with. These can wipe out any savings. Plenty of travellers like to have the peace of mind of having arranged their currency in advance and are prepared to buy at a lower rate. You might also do the sums and conclude that saving a few pounds is worth less than being able to hit the ground running once your holiday starts.

We're planning to leave London by Eurostar on Monday August 30, staying for two nights in Zurich (also booked) and then training it on to Venice, where we hope to spend seven days, from September 1 to September 8, which is not booked.  Any ideas please?  We're thinking of an apartment, but don't want to spend more than €1,000 for the week and would appreciate any suggestions.
Joan Coxsedge, by email

 Given that Venice's hotels are not known for their excellent value, especially in August, you'll find that a self-catering apartment is very cost-effective, especially if you use it for some meals. There's plenty of choice at Venetian Apartments, with a studio in San Marco starting at £741 for a seven-night stay. Try also Dimora Veneziana for a wide choice across Venice and on the fast-emerging neighbouring island of Giudecca. If you really want to splash out – and this advice may be more relevant for casual readers rather than Joan herself – then have a look at Bellini Travel. This top-end firm deal in dreams and can arrange a stay in a genuine Venetian palazzo as well as other exclusive treats like access to private gardens and after-hours viewings of St Mark's Basilica – all at a price of course.

How can I best organise a trek in Ethiopia's Simien mountains? I'm at a loss to decide whether to book it from here or arrange things when I arrive. What would you suggest?
Alex Chikara, by email

The Simien mountains are where most of the spectacular landscape photographs of Ethiopia are taken, and a trek is a highlight of many visits to this most rewarding and challenging of destinations. The simplest way to organise a trek is to go with a UK-based company who can make arrangements for you as well as providing guides and equipment. Exodus Travel offers 15 days in Ethiopia, including internal flights to and from the fascinating city of Gondar, 10 days' hiking and an ascent of Ras Dashen, at 4,353m the highest mountain in the country, for £1,999 or £2,379 including flights. You'll be hiking with a small group and this is an ideal option if it's your first visit to Ethiopia or you'll a slightly nervous traveller.

A DIY trip is an option that suits more experienced and adventurous travellers better, and making your own arrangements can also be a lot of fun. You can make arrangements yourself for less than the tour quoted above with Ethiopian travel agencies in Addis Ababa or Gondar, but if you're thinking of going it alone you're best off making your own way to the park headquarters where you can arrange a guide, cook and mules as well as the compulsory armed ranger. Don't worry too much if this sounds like a lot of arrangements to make. En route to Debark, or in Gondar you'll probably meet up with other travellers headed for the Simiens. Teaming up will help cut down on costs. Supplies for a DIY trip are best bought in Gondar, though anything that looks like a specialist camping item should be bought in Addis Ababa or even from home.  This option also gives you flexibility over how long you trek for should you prefer a shorter visit.

This year's Venice contemporary dance festival saw choreographers Gideon Obarzanek and Lemi Ponifasio reveal the tricks of their trade. Up to a point

The Venice dance festival isn't all about the big-name performances. Ismael Ivo, its director since 2005 , is a visionary of the old school, and likes to think of his festival as a place of action and education. He talks crusadingly about Venice as a laboratory of ideas: a place where choreographers, dancers and writers can meet and argue about the future of the art form.

And when Ivo sends out the invitations – everyone comes. Last year there was a three-day colloquium that showcased the likes of Michael Clark, Robin Orlyn and Rafael Bonachela talking about what dance means to them. This year Ivo has been focusing on two world regions, Canada and the Pacific Rim, giving context to performances via discussions of the ideas and the environments that link them.

Gideon Obarzanek and Lemi Ponifasio are two of the choreographers who represent the Pacific, although beyond the fact that they both come from the same bit of the southern hemisphere it's hard to spot anything that links them. Melbourne-based Obarzanek talked with a zingy, didactic eloquence about his work, and particularly about his use of technology in Glow, a work which is basically a duet for a dancer and a hugely complicated bit of video kit.

In the theatre, Glow is magic: the dancer performs flat on the floor, on a special screen, and with every move she makes she appears to paint the space around her in neon lights and streaks of shadow. Mostly she seems to be controlling the light, but sometimes it appears to take on a life of its own – convulsing her body in an electric storm, imprisoning her or (most unsettlingly) turning into a darkness that stalks and envelops her.

Obarzanek was lucid in his explanations of how the video equipment tracks the dancer's position in space and converts it back into light. He is also more than happy to explain what the work means to him in more metaphysical, emotional terms.

By contrast, Ponifasio – a Samoan-born, New Zealand-based choreographer – refused, albeit gracefully, to admit any extraneous interpretation. His Tempest: Without a Body is an intensely crafted piece of stage ritual that feels as though it's about a lot of things – the destruction of the natural world, the clash of old and new civilisations. Although it was originally choreographed in 2007, some of its images carry uncomfortable echoes of the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico: among the dancers on stage, one wears a bedraggled pair of wings, moving brokenly like an injured sea bird, while another is naked apart from a thin slick of oil coating his skin. Yet when Ponifasio is asked about the environmental stance of his work, he refuses to engage. "Whose planet is it to save?" he smiles in enigmatic response.

In a festival that's been as passionately concerned with ideas as with dance, Ponifasio remains determined to let the work speak for him.

The I Canonici tented lodge offers unspoilt countryside close to Venice but away from the tourist chaos

Camping in Venice does not sound the most glamorous way to stay in one of the world's most romantic cities, and, indeed, there are no camping sites in the Serenissima itself. There are plenty in the surrounding countryside and beaches but a newcomer offers a unique experience. Federico and Emanuela Padoan describe I Canonici di San Marco, about 30 minutes west of Venice, as a "luxurious tented lodge", and as we walk down a pretty meadow that is actually their back garden I feel as if I'm arriving in some luxury safari lodge. Instead of zebras and lions, I can see a partridge preening itself outside the entrance, and I'm told to expect to see hares hopping across the field as the sun begins to set. Deepest Africa this may not be, but the canals and the Doge's palace could be a million miles away.

Pulling back the tent flap and walking into the lodge, I'm at first surprised at just how large and comfortable it is. Resembling a spacious studio apartment, it has every luxurious mod con you could imagine, a colonial-style ceiling fan for the hot months and, crucially, mosquito screens everywhere. Federica is a keen interior designer and has decorated the lodge, which can sleep up to four, with tasteful antiques. The wardrobe is 1920s art nouveau, a decorative cast iron grill under the sink comes from a bordello in Sicily, and the rather small Victorian tin bathtub (of which she is very proud) was found in an English flea market. Fortunately there is also a modern shower. There is a complimentary bottle of Prosecco by the bedside, while breakfast is very Italian – cakes and pastries baked by Federica, strong coffee, fresh fruit and yogurt – discreetly left outside the lodge in the morning.

What is so attractive about I Canonici is that staying here gives me the chance to enjoy the best of two worlds – easy, cheap access into Venice, and the opportunity to explore the unspoilt countryside of the Veneto. Rather than drive into Venice, which entails interminable traffic jams and prohibitively expensive car parks, I take a short pleasant walk along a picturesque canal to Mira Mirano station, and 20 minutes later I'm getting out in Santa Lucia right on the Grand Canal – a return ticket costs €3.60. And after a long day sightseeing, rather than get ripped off in the city, I hop back on the train, enjoy an aperitivo with Federico and Emanuela, and then eat at nearby Da Conte, a wonderful gourmet restaurant with a stellar wine list of vintages from the surrounding vineyards. While it is tempting each day to head back to Venice, there is a lot to see nearby. The lodge is halfway between Mira – right on the Brenta Canal which is lined by fabulous Palladian villas used as summer homes by Venetian nobility – and surprisingly hip Mirano, with its chic boutiques and bars, plus traditional osterie serving home cooking.

I Canonici has been taking bookings since the end of last year and is the first luxury tent lodge of its kind in Italy. Emanuela and Federico have grand plans to pitch half a dozen more in their extensive grounds, this time with private plunge pools. They will also pick you up from the airport and lend you their bikes. The price of €65 a night for two, including breakfast, could not be more reasonable. For the moment, all that is lacking is a detailed website, but that should be online in the next couple of weeks.
• +39 348 722 5577, viacanonici.com