Maybe you expect Venice to be one dazzling, romantic, fairytale-like labyrinth of canals, alleys, picturesque houses and impressive squares and buildings. Well, you are right then (although it is also dirty, run down and rather smelly in the summer heat). The best thing to do is wander around and get lost for at least a day. Roam the winding streets and the various piazzas and see the melting pot of architectural styles. When you are interested in Venetian painting, you can bathe in the collections of paintings from artists such as Titian and members of the school of Murano. The Galleria di Palazzo Cini, for instance, houses the private art collection of Vittorio Cini, the wealthiest Venetian art collector of this century. His collection includes paintings from the Tuscan Renaissance and the school of Ferrara. Find your own musical inspiration in this city, whether by seeing a Venetian Opera composed by Montiverdi (the Titian of Music), visiting Campo Bandiera e Moro (the birthplace of Vivaldi) or listen to baroque music played (on a 18th century organ) in the Santa Maria Della Favaon at the Sunday mass.

Be like Marco Polo, who was born here (or in Corcula), but instead of defying seas, defy the canals (177) and bridges (400) by gondola. This will introduce you to the dubious character of the water. On the one hand, it contributes to the charm of Venice. Houses had to be built on piles and had to be small and close to one another in order to use the ground as effectively as possible. On the other hand, it was and still is its worst enemy: the fundaments of a lot of buildings are slowly eaten away by the destructive impact of the lasting exposure to water. Motorboats and the disposal of chemical waste in the water increase the decline of this former metropolis which already went down several centimetres. Pessimists believe that, during the next 50 years, Venice will slowly turn into a new Atlantis when radical improvements are not forth-coming.

Central Venice, which consists in total of 118 islands, is divided into six districts or sestiere. This division might make it easier for you to get a grip on the city's structure. Best known to everyone is the sestiere of San Marco. This district is the busiest and the most expensive one. A lot of tourists do not even come outside the boundaries of this district, which houses the main sights. Piazza San Marco will exercise your imagination, the same way it made Napoleon sigh that it was the most beautiful salon of Europe, which deserves to have the sky as its ceiling. Most festivities and celebrations took place here. When entering the piazza from the western side, you will see on your right the Procuratie Nuove (the palace of Procurators) and the Campanile. It took 240 years to build this clock-tower, and former lighthouse, which received its spire not until the late Gothic from the state's architect, Bartomeo Bon. On your left, you will find the old palace of procurators, the Procuratie Vecchie, and the Torro dell'Orologio, also a clock-tower but not as high as the Campanile. Straight on, you will see the Basilica di San Marco. On the right side, you see the palace of the doges, Palazzo Ducale, which leads on to the Piazzetta, the square leading to the Piazza. Ponte dei Sospori, the Bridge of Sighs, links the religious and governmental face to the dark criminal one.

The northern part of Venice is called Cannaregio and is a mixture of hustle and bustle on the one hand and urban relaxation on the other hand. It is said that the world's first Ghetto came into being here. The Jewish population from the city was forced to move here, because it was easier for the Christians to seal off this area in order to prevent Jews from roaming the streets at night. You can find the museum of Jewish history in this district.

On the east, San Marco is bordered by the sestiere of Castello. If the Piazza San Marco would not exist, the Campo San Zanipolo would be the most impressive square in Venice. South of San Marco, across the question-mark formed Canal Grande, lies Dorsoduro. It is a shame that a lot of people do not cross the canal, or rather, do not get out of their gondola, because this area offers great sights of architecture and fine collections of both classical and modern art. The Galleria dell'Accademia is a must!

North of this area is the sestieri of San Polo, closing off the district in between Santa Croce. San Polo is the business and bank zone of Venice. Whenever you feel like shopping, go to the Rialto area which is situated in this district. It is packed with shops full off clothing, shoes, Venetian masks, and other gadgets.

Beyond the central grouping of islands you'll find Lido, Murano, Burano, Torcelli and San Michele. Lido is much more modern than the rest of Venice and is a stark contrast to Venice itself - Piazza San Marco is a 15min. boat shuttle trip. Lido is also and mostly a summer beach resort, separating the Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. Architecture is nineteenth century and later (mostly, much later) Automobiles are permitted as are bicycles both of which are banned in the rest of Venice.

Murano is where glass making was moved when it caused one too many fires. It has hundreds of shops and glass factories that sell a wide range of items from really bad "modern" glass clowns and sailboats to exquisite jewelry made from tiny glass beads. Avoid the "tours" to Murano which will lock you into the worst shops. Just take the regular Murano Vaporato from the stop just beyond St. Mark's Square. Don't miss the church with its blown glass chandeliers donated by the locals.

Burano is most known for it's lace making (but much of the lace sold is no longer handmade there) and its very colorful buildings. Torcello was the first of the Venitian islands to be inhabited. It's almost uninhabited now but it does have a 12th century church and a great restaurant.

Finally, but not to be missed, is San Michele, the cemetery island. Definately worth some time.

 

Abruzzo National Park
Agrigento
Alassio
Alassio
Albenga
Albenga
Alberobello
Albisola and Albissola
Alghero
Altare
Amalfi
Ancona
Andora
Aosta
Aquila
Arezzo
Arnasco
Asolo
Assisi
Bagno a Ripoli
Balestrino
Bardineto
Basilicata
Basso Veronese
Bellaria
Bergamo
Bergeggi
Bergeggi park
Boissano
Bologna
Bolzano
Borghetto Santo Spirito
Borgio Verezzi
Bormida
Brescia
Brindisi
Cagliari
Cairo Montenotte
Calenzano
Calice Ligure
Calizzano
Camogli
Campobasso
Capraia e Limite
Capri
Carcare
Carloforte
Casamicciola
Casanova Lerrone
Caserta
Castelbianco
Castelfiorentino
Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena
Castiglione della Pescaia
Catania
Cattolica
Celle Ligure
Cengio
Ceriale
Ceriale
Cerreto Guidi
Certaldo
Cerveteri
Cervinia
Chiavari
Cisano sul Neva
Civitavecchia
Como
Cortona
Cosenza
Cosseria
Courmayeur
Dego
Empoli
Erli
Ferrara
Fiesole
Figline
Finale Ligure
Finale valley
Fiorenzuola
Florence
Forio
Frascati
Fucecchio
Gallinara park
Gambassi Terme
Gardone
Garlenda
Genoa
Giustenice
Giusvalla
Grado
Greve in Chianti
Gubbio
Herculaneum
Impero valley
Impruneta
Impruneta
Incisa in val d'Arno
Ischia Porto & Ponte
Isernia
La Maddelena
La Spezia
La Spezia
Lago Maggiore
Laigueglia
Lake Bracciano
Lake Vico
Lampedusa
Lavagna
Lazise
Lecce
Lerici
Lessinia
Linosa
Lipari
Loano
Lucca
Magliolo
Mallare
Mantua
Marciana Marina
Marina di Campo
Massimino
Milan
Millesimo
Mioglia
Misano Adriatico
Monreale
Montecatini Terme
Montelupo Fiorentino
Monterosso
Mungivacca
Murialdo
Nasino
Noli
Noto
Nuoro
Olbia
Onzo
Orco Feglino
Oristano
Orta
Ortovero
Orvieto
Osiglia
Ostia Antica
Otranto
Padua
Paestum
Palermo
Pallare
Parco del Cilento
Pavia
Pegli
Perugia
Pesaro
Pescara
Pescasseroli
Peschiera
Piana Crixia
Pienza
Pietra Ligure
Pisa
Plodio
Pompeii
Pompeii
Pontassieve
Pontine islands
Pontinvrea
Porto Cervo
Porto Ferro
Porto Rotondo
Portoferraio
Portofino
Portovenere
Positano
Pratolino
Quiliano
Rapallo
Ravenna
Recco
Rialto
Riccione
Rimini
Riomaggiore
Roccavignale
Salo
San Casciano Val di Pesa
San Gimignano
San Piero a Sieve
SAN SEVERO (71016)
Sanremo
Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa Margherita Ligure
Sassari
Sassello
Saturnia
Scrivia valley
Siena
Siracusa
Sirmione
Sorrento
Stella
Stellanello
Stresa
Stromboli
Su Nuraxi
Subiaco
Sybari's Marine
Taormina
Tarquinia
Tellaro
Termoli
Testico
The Castle above Zuccarello
Tivoli
Toirano
Torsero park
Tovo San Giacomo
Trastevere
Trebbia valley
Tremiti islands
Trento
Trieste
Turin
Tusculum
Udine
Urbe
Vado Ligure
Valpolicella
Vara valley
Varatella valley
Varazze
Vendone
Venice
Ventimiglia
Verona
Vesima
Vezzi Portio
Viareggio
Vicenza
Villanova d'Albenga
Vinci
Viterbo
Vulcano