Venice, Italy

Venice was founded in 421 AD by a group of Celtic people called the Veneti, and was the historical capital of the Republic of Venice for from 697 to 1797. After the Napoleonic wars, the city was annexed by the Austrian empire, until it became a part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

One of the most romantic and unique cities in the world, Venice was built entirely on a group of 118 islands, that are separated by canals and connected by over 400 bridges. The key sights in the city include the Grand Canal, the largest canal in Venice which snakes through the entire city in a S shaped curve, St. Mark’s Square (San Marco), with its iconic Campanile (tower) and St. Mark’s Basilica, the Ponte Rialto, one of the most famous bridges across the Grand Canal, the Palazzo Ducale and the Bridge of Sighs, the impressive white marble architecture of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, and the spectacular glass-blowing workshops on the island of Murano, where on can find exquisitely crafted, colorful glass works.

Venice is also an important artistic and cultural center. The Galleria dell’Accademia houses a treasure trove of 15th-18th century Venetian art by famous artists like Tiepolo, Titian, Tintoretto, Canaletto, Giorgione, Carpaccio, and Leonardo da Vinci. The city has also played an important role in western classical music and opera, and is the birthplace of the Baroque composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi.

Destinations

Key sights to see

The Grand Canal

Flowing through the city in a 3 km long reverse S-curve, the Grand Canal is the primary waterway in Venice. Both sides of the canal are lined with Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance style hotels, churches and palaces. There are several water buses, called Vaporettos, which cruise down the Grand Canal, stopping at various points on both sides of the canal. There are also several traditional gondolas that offer tourists a romantic, private tour of the Grand Canal.

Ponte di Rialto

Built in 1588, some 150 years after the collapse of a previous wooden bridge, the Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges crossing the Grand Canal. Located midway along the Grand Canal, the bridge connects the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo. On one end of the bridge is the Church of San Bartolomeo, and on the other side is the Rialto Market, a with delicious looking fruit, vegetables and seafood. Tourists visit the Bridge at different times of day, to see the Grand Canal in its full splendor.

Piazza San Marco

Established during the 9th century, but adopted to its current size in 1177, Piazza San Marco, or St. Mark's Square is the principal public square and one of the most famous sights in Venice. The square is home to four of the most important buildings in Venice: St. Mark's Basilica, The Palazzo Ducale, the historical palace of the Doge of Venice, the Campanile, the bell tower that offers spectacular views of Venice from the top, and the Torre dell'Oroglio clock tower.

Palazzo Ducale and the Bridge of Sighs

A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Palazzo Ducale was the Doge of Venice’s palace since the old castle was built in 810. Over nearly a 1,000 years, 120 doges ruled over Venice from this palace. Inside the palace, visitors can see the impressive golden staircase called the Scala d’Oro, and the Doge’s apartments. Visitors can also cross the Bridge of Sighs that spans the canal between the Palazzo on one side and the prisons on the other.

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Built between 1515 and 1560, this impressive white marble building was built to house a charitable society dedicated to San Rocco, a Catholic saint who is popularly regarded as a protector against the Plague. The painting on the central panel for the ceiling of the Sala dell'Albergo, along with several paintings on various other walls and ceilings, are considered to be among the finest works of the great 16th-century Venetian artist Tintoretto.

Murano

Murano is a series of islands connected by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon that is famous for spectacular glass works ranging from contemporary glass art and jewellery, to glass chandeliers and sculptures. Visitors can see artisans craft exquisite glass artifacts in real time after pulling red-hot molten glass right out of the furnace at any of the islands' glass factories. The Murano Glass Museum also showcases the fascinating history of Murano and its glass-blowing techniques.

Lido

Lido is a 12 km strip of sand that separates the Venetian lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. One of Europe's first real beach resorts, it was a favorite destination of several celebrities at the turn of the 20th century. Today, visitors can tour Lido on foot or on rented bicycles and see its many Art Nouveau villas and hotels. In August and September each year, Lido is the venue for the Venice International Film Festival, which is held in the Palazzo del Cinema.

Venice, Italy

Destinations

The Grand Canal

Ponte di Rialto

Piazza San Marco

Palazzo Ducale and the Bridge of Sighs

Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Murano

Lido

Map

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