What to see in Venice?
- Piazza San Marco: originally, this territory was a large vegetable garden, next to the Batario River. To date, it’s considered the only area of the city large enough to be called a Square. At the time of the Serenissima Republic, it gave rise to tournaments, processions and fairs, while today enchants tourists from all over the world who remain incredulous in front of such beauty.
- Palazzo Ducale: considered a constant presence for the city of Venice, the style of the palace changed a lot due to numerous fires that have occurred over the years.
- Canal Grande: with its opposite S shape, divides the historic centre in two parts. Its size varies according to the areas of the city, there are points where it reaches 70 metres!
- Ponte dei Sospiri and Ponte di Rialto: there are 354 bridges in Venice, but these two are definitely the most famous: the first symbol of the romantic Venice, takes its name from the sighs of lovers who, by passing under it, swore eternal love to each other. The Ponte di Rialto represents instead one of the most famous photographic points in the world.
- Gallerie dell’Accademia: contains the richest and most representative collection of Venetian paintings from the Byzantine to the Renaissance era. This complex unites the Church of S. Maria della Carita`, the convent of the Lateran Canons and the School Grande di Santa Maria della Carita` with works made by the illustrious Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto and Tiepolo. Not to forget then the “Uomo Vitruviano” by Leonardo da Vinci, one of his most famous masterpieces.
- Religious architecture: countless are the churches worth of note in the Veneto landscape. Just think of the Basilica di Santa Maria alla Salute, the Basilica di San Marco, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the Church di Santa Maria dei Miracoli and the Basilica di Giovanni e Paolo.
Where to sleep in Venice?
Venice is notoriously a very expensive city and at times could be particularly difficult to find hostels with rooms available, taking to account the considerable influx of tourists that the city hosts, especially in some periods of the year as carnival and during Spring.
Venice is lucky to have accommodations managed by local religious orders, who offer a comfortable stay with property steeped in art and culture.
What to eat in Venice?
For a dream holiday art, culture, ancient monuments and breathtaking environments are fundamental, but so is good food!
In this regard, the best advice for anyone who wants to savour true Venetian cuisine is by going to the taverns (“osterie”): here the old traditions serve delicious dishes such as risotto, codfish,Venetian liver, mixed fried fish, and “fritole”. The last one mentioned, is the symbol of the carnival, prepared for the first time in the 18th century, and still considered today, the typical dessert of Venice.
How to get around Venice?
In Venice it’s not possible to travel by car, and there are two main ways of getting around: by walking or with water transports such as the characteristic and picturesque gondolas, water taxi and vaporetti.
Buses and taxis are available from Piazzale Roma to reach Mestre and the airport.
The best way to reach Venice is by train: from Santa Lucia station, there are vaporetti that connect to other areas of the city.
From Marco Polo airport there are two alternatives: Bus: Express 35 and Aerobus 5 connect the airport to Piazzale Roma (20 min). Vaporetto: the journey is a little slower (about 1 hour), but will allow you to enjoy a real boat ride in Venice.
Useful tips
It will be useful to keep in mind, in the search for indications in Venice, that there is a singular order in which the house numbers are assigned: they are not sorted by streets, but by city districts, therefore it’s important to understand in which neighbourhood your destination is.
If yours is a couple trip, enjoy the romance of a gondola ride: tourists off all over the world consider Venice, one of the most romantic cities to visit.
In planning your itinerary, if you want to visit the city in February, keep in mind that the Venice Carnival is definitely one of the most famous in the world and brings to the city approximately 3 million visitors per year. This makes it the largest event held in Venice.
