Venice

Venice (Venezia) is a city built on more than a hundred small islands in a lagoon at the head of the Adriatic, crossed by canals instead of streets. For a thousand years it was the capital of a maritime republic, and the city and its lagoon are a UNESCO World Heritage Site unlike any other place in the world.

St. Mark's Square is framed by the golden Basilica of San Marco, the Doge's Palace, the Campanile and the arcades of the Procuratie. The Grand Canal winds past palaces to the Rialto Bridge and its market. The Gallerie dell'Accademia, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the Frari church with Titian's Assumption and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco with Tintoretto's paintings hold great art, and the Biennale makes the city a centre of contemporary art and architecture. Show more

The quiet sides of Venice lie in neighbourhoods such as Cannaregio, Castello and Dorsoduro, with small squares, wine bars serving cicchetti and residents going about daily life. Vaporetto boats lead to the islands of Murano for glass, Burano with its colourful houses and lace, and Torcello with its ancient cathedral. Gondolas, the Carnival in winter and the Redentore festival in summer are long traditions.

Venice is reached by train to Santa Lucia station and by air via Marco Polo airport, with boats into the city. Two to four days allow time for the city and the islands. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons, while winter is quiet and atmospheric.