Category: Things to do

Venice is a city of great beauty and historical significance and unlike any other in Italy. The main city of Northern Italy’s Veneto Region, is actually made up of 117 small islands connected by a number of bridges and separated by a system of canals. With a population of roughly 250,000 people, is not one of Veneto’s largest cities, but it is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.

The city was an extraordinarily powerful bastion during the Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance. During both periods it served as a significant financial and military center. Furthermore, it was a site of significant cultural and artistic development.
Today, Venice is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world attracting millions of people each year.

A Vaporetto through the Grand Canal

The Vaporetto is the principal mode of transportation in Venice. Sure, you may take a train into the main station and walk through the streets, but to properly experience Venice, you must do it by water! The Vaporetto system is one of the quickest methods to travel to the various islands.

You can buy passes that allow for numerous usag. This eliminates the need to purchase a ticket each time you use one. Try to use the Vaporetto whenever possible to best experience the magic of the city.

Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute

The Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute is on the opposite side of the Grand Canal from St. Marks and is very different to the surrounding architecture. This church, designed in the Baroque style, was finished in 1687 and is classified as a lesser basilica of the Roman Catholic Church.

The outside is adorned with four statues of the apostles, and the main dome rises over the skyline, taking center stage on the Grand Canal. The interior offers the sense of a lot of space, and the hexagonal design lets in a lot of light. Although not as ornately ornamented as other cathedrals in Italy, this basilica has a lot of symmetry and beauty.

Bridge of Sighs

Although it is a modest bridge in the grand scheme of Venice, the Bridge of Sighs is one of the city’s most visited monuments and an important historic landmark. The bridge joins the Prigioni Nuove to the Doge’s Palace by crossing the Rio di Palazzo.

According to legend, as prisoners were led from the Palace across the bridge, they would take one last look at Venice and sigh, contemplating their impending punishment and imprisonment. It is an absolute must to see this magnificent bridge while visiting St. Mark’s Square.

Canale Grande

Venice has many canals that connect the city’s different islands, the biggest being the Canale Grande. This massive canal runs from one side of Venice to the other and snakes through the centre. It has served as an essential waterway in the city for centuries.

Only four bridges cross the Grand Canal since most citizens and tourists travel along it rather than over it. Consider walking along sections of the canal, observing the architecture that line it, and watching the busy Venice boat traffic.

Doges Palace

Doges Palace is another of the most famous buildings in Venice. It is located on St. Mark’s Square but overlooks the Grand Canal.
This magnificent mansion is stunning. It features a beautiful arched design constructed of white stone on the front facade and diamond patterns on the walls.
Inside, the palace is just as spectacular, with a number of lavishly designed chambers filled with original decorations, furniture, and artwork.
Tours of the palace are available, and it is recommended that you spend some time examining both the exterior and inside in detail in order to properly catch a piece of Venice’s history.

Gallerie dell’Accademia

This museum houses a wonderful collection of pre-19th century art. The gallery is set in a former convent that was turned to a museum in the mid to late 1700s. This exhibition is essential for anyone who enjoys Renaissance art.

The Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci, which depicts the perfect proportions of a man, is possibly its most well-known work. Other significant works include Titian’s Virgin, Tintoretto’s Resurrection, and Child, and Veronese’s Battle of Lepanto.

Ponte di Rialto

The Ponte di Rialto is probably the most famous of the bridges that span the Grand Canal.
The bridge connects Venice’s San Marco and San Polo neighborhoods, is an busy pedestrian thoroughfare. It was once a wooden bridge, that stood for hundreds of years until it disintegrated in 1524. Following this tragedy, an elaborate stone bridge was built, which is what you see today.

The bridge’s detail and design are just stunning, and its symmetry wonderfully frames the great canal. There are also a number of stores on the bridge that sell everything from souvenirs to jewelry.

St. Mark’s Basilica

St. Mark’s Basilica is undeniably the most recognizable and famous landmark in Venice and a majestic piece of architecture. It has endured the test of time since its construction in 1092 and remains one of the most prominent religious monuments in Northern Italy.

From the elaborate detail, sculptures, and art on the front exterior to the brilliantly painted frescos and Byzantine artworks on the inside of the domed ceiling, this cathedral has it all.
This basilica, located in Piazza San Marco and easy to access from the Grand Canal, is one of the most famous surviving specimens of Italian Byzantine architecture.

St. Mark’s Square

Although St. Mark’s Basilica is the most well-known landmark in Venice, St. Mark’s Square is the most well-known piazza. This piazza is extremely important in Venice and a truly lovely spot to visit.

The square is home to several landmarks including St. Mark’s Campanile, the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica and the Torre dell’Orologio. This piazza is the ideal place to begin your tour of Venice and see some of its most magnificent sights.

Venice Lido

The Lido is the place to go if you want to relax and get away from the crowds.
This isolated island boasts a long stretch of gorgeous beach.

The Lido also features a number of residential zones, restaurants, stores, and hotels.
With a much quieter, laid-back, and more relaxed vibe than central Venice, Lido offers a wonderful getaway from the crowded streets and waterways that surround the Grand Canal.

Venice’s historic cultural history and aquatic beauty have long drawn tourists from all over the world, yet the city can get congested during the summer months. But there are still some hidden gems and off-the-beaten-path routes in the city.

Ca’ Zappa

A beautiful Dutch house stands alone in this lagoon. It’s tough to get to, and you’d need to own or rent a boat to get there. The white façade was built in 1925 by a Dutch immigrant and has red dormer-style windows and gables that top a colonnaded portico. It lends a magical, even fairytale, feel to this section of the lagoon.

Chioggia

If you find yourself in Venice and in need of some relief, the adjacent village of Chioggia will give you a peaceful break. The fishing village considers itself to be a rougher, less touristic counterpart of its well-known neighbor. It does, in areas, resemble it, with arched bridges and tiny canals. It does, however, have considerably less art and may be an illustration of how Venice would have looked if it had not discovered the riches of trade. If you’re looking for local life and a slower pace, it may make a great day trip with some excellent seafood eateries.

Do Mori Cantina

The Grand Canal is bordered by a diverse mix of pricey, tourist-oriented restaurants. Catina Do Mori, on the other hand, is ideal for catching a peek of local life. This classic Venetian hangout is so small that there are no tables. The long wooden bar serves both food and refreshments. Locals believe that the flamboyant Lothario Casanova used to frequent the pub with his companions years ago. They provide light cuisine, or cicchetti, such as tramezzini, which are crustless sandwiches packed with cured meats and cheeses, and gently fried artichoke hearts. These should be washed down with the native sweet, effervescent red wine.

Libreria Acqua Alta

This bookshop is located on the waterfront and has experienced flooding during the wet seasons. This unusual Venetian business, run by eccentric Venetian Luigi Frizzo, houses hundreds of new and old books. If you’re lucky you may also spot his pet cat. The texts are piled haphazardly in ancient gondolas, bathtubs, boats, and barrels. You can spend many pleasant hours reading through the collection of Italian and foreign reads on sale. But you should also take some time to walk out into the garden and observe the plants. These are located next to a stunning stairway built from old, multicolored books.

Malefatte Boutique

Malefatte (or ‘Misdeeds’) Boutique is a non-profit project sponsored by Rio Tera dei Pensieri, a cooperative that sells items produced by male and female convicts from Venice’s prisons. T-shirts, stitched leather notebooks, and canvas purses are among the handcrafted items. The pricing is reasonable, especially when compared to other Venetian shops, and the website says that all things are fashioned from tortured pasts and optimistic futures.

Osteria Al Bacco

Bacco is a restaurant that is concealed so far down the peaceful Canal delle Capuzine that you are unlikely to come upon it by chance. There are a few tables outside in the vine-covered courtyard. Or you may find a cozy space in the wood-paneled dining room in the winter. It is one of the town’s oldest osterias and serves superb seafood. Choose from from pasta with black squid ink to mussels and grilled sea bass. If the proprietor is in good spirits, he may yank you out of your chair and spin you around the restaurant while playing lively tango music.

San Francesco del Deserto

San Francesco is another island usually overlooked by travelers. It is hidden away between Burano and Sant’Erasmo and is home to a peaceful monastery. The beautiful monastery grounds, with 4,000 cypress trees, are worth a long stroll, as are the ancient cloisters. The monk who guides tourists through the gardens recounts St Francis’ landing on the island in 1220. According to tradition, he placed his stick in the ground, which grew into a pine tree. The birds then came to sing to him

San Francesco della Vigna

Because of its setting at the eastern end of the city, beyond the ancient dockyards, this church is frequently deserted, even during peak season. The exterior was begun in 1534 by Italian artist and architect Sansovino at the request of Doge Andrea Gritti. It was finally completed in 1572 by Palladio. The Renaissance interior is spacious and light, with beautiful frescoes such as Antonio la Negroponte’s Madonna and Child Enthroned. A royal, delicate-faced Mary poses in a rose bower bordered by orange trees. Her gaze fixed on the infant Jesus, who she delicately supports on her knee.

Sant’Andrea Island

Tourists visit Murano to view the glass stores, Burano to see the colorful homes, and Torcello to visit the natural reserve. As a result, the lovely Sant’Andrea is frequently neglected. The rest of the island is overgrown and untidy. All except for a destroyed 17th-century fort built to defend the city from its attackers. The top of the Island’s ragged ruins is an ideal picnic location with unparalleled views of the lagoon and city.

The Venice Ghost Walking Tour

Come out at night to experience Venice’s historical ghosts. Arrive at the Rialto Bridge to be led into secret Venice, over silent canals, and through deserted piazzas. The guide will tell you six enthralling ghost stories as well as some interesting facts about the city. You’ll be led through a maze of quiet backstreet passages and to locations where horrific murders have occurred.