Ooh! I might be able to make late May - the first half of the month is taken up by our annual Commonwealth course. The only question is whether I'd be able to afford it. *sigh*

Italian food doesn't have to be heavy, digestively speaking - surely you're allowed pasta and tomato sauce and vegetables and fish? Well, I hope you are! Anyway, Venice isn't renowned for its gastronomy - and surely the architecture and atmosphere would more than make up for having to abstain from culinary delights!

an Italian speaker (or rather a speaker of Italian)

I think you mean a speaker of Italian who also speaks English. Because the majority of speakers of Italian don't. ;)