Venice

A city known worldwide for its great charm, Venice conserves the classic fascination of the quintessential maritime republic.

This is a different world, a reality that seems to be floating softly in a lagoon that fashions each of its parts. Venice is divided into districts, or sestieri (sixths), places of untouched fascination that conceal bridges, streets, alleys, and squares which can only be reached by foot, in a tour where it is not difficult to find basilicas, museums, ancient palaces and historical villas of extraordinary beauty.

At the centre of the Lagoon and the heart of Venice, Piazza San Marco is constantly crowded with numerous visitors, who admire the square and also the Basilica of San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale, ancient residency of the Doge; prominent churches and museums by the square add further to the allure.

Of the bridges connecting different parts of Venice, there are three principal ones: the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal with a pretty local street market at its feet, the Ponte delle Guglie in the Cannareggio district decorated with pinnacles that give it its name, the Bridge of Sighs, ancient connection between the Doge’s Palace and the Prisons where suspected offenders stayed until they were tried.

The ancient Arsenal, built in 1100, was for centuries the biggest in the world.

Among the most prominent palaces in Venice is the Ca´ D’Oro, a gothic style palace whose facade, in ancient times, was entirely made of gold, and Camerlenghi Palace, with a structure typical of the Renaissance.

The Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frariand, the Church of the Redeemer (Chiesa del Redentore) are the main churches in Venice: the first is a Franciscan church built in gothic style, the second one was built to commemorate the end of the plague that struck the city in the sixteenth century.

The enchanting Naval History Museum maintains astonishing watercrafts and fittings of the Venetian history, from where it stands out the official watercraft of the Doge.

Venice offers numerous itineraries for those tourists who want to discover the history and the culture of the city; just think of La Fenice Theatre or the Biennial art exhibition, and cinema, with the annual Venice (Lido di Venezia) film festival, its tradition, Murano and its glass art and Burano with its lace, entertainment, the fun and risk of the Casino, one of the most beautiful in the world.