Venice 🚤

Five domes, oriental marbles, and gold-ground mosaics covering the entire vault. The Pala d'Oro and the horses' loggia are visited with a separate ticket.

The doge's residence and the seat of Venetian government: halls frescoed by Tintoretto and Veronese, the armory, and the passage to the prisons over the Bridge of Sighs.

Almost a hundred meters above the square, with an elevator to the top: the best view over the lagoon and the city's red roofs.

The sixteenth-century stone bridge and, on the bank, the fish and fruit market — active from early morning, closed Mondays for fish.

The opera house rebuilt twice after as many fires, faithful to the original — visitable by day with an audioguide.

The sestiere of museums and students: Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Punta della Dogana, and the sunny Zattere promenade.

The sestiere most lived in by Venetians, with the Jewish Ghetto — the first in the world, established in 1516 — and the fondamenta full of bacari in the evening.

The largest and least touristy sestiere, with the historic Arsenale shipyards and the gardens hosting the Biennale.

Gothic church housing Titian's Assumption on the high altar — one of the absolute masterpieces of Venetian painting, almost always without a crowd.

Over fifty Tintoretto canvases in two stacked halls: it's called the Sistine Chapel of Venice, and it's no exaggeration.

The island where glass has been blown since the thirteenth century, moved there to keep the furnaces away from Venice's wooden houses. Visitable furnaces and the Glass Museum.

Houses painted in bright colors along the canals, lace-making tradition, and a visibly leaning bell tower — the most photographed island in the lagoon.

The first inhabited island of the lagoon, now almost deserted, with a thousand-year-old basilica and Byzantine mosaics of enormous value.

The long beach island that closes the lagoon, home to the Film Festival — the only place in the area where cars circulate.

Bacari are taverns where you eat standing up: cicchetti — small bites on bread — paired with an ombra, that is, a glass of wine. You do three or four in a row, as dinner.

Sardines marinated with onion, raisins, and pine nuts: the oldest Venetian dish, born to preserve fish on board.

Cream of cod whipped with oil, served on crostini or polenta — the most widespread cicchetto in the city.

Risi e bisi, cuttlefish ink risotto, soft-shell crabs fried in spring: lagoon cuisine changes with the seasons much more than tourist menus suggest.

Places with menus photographed in multiple languages and a lineup of waiters at the entrance are the classic trap. Five minutes of walking is enough to find better at half the price.

The Scrovegni Chapel frescoed by Giotto, one of the world's oldest universities, and the arcaded center — half an hour by train.

The Roman Arena still used for opera, the medieval center, and Juliet's house — just over an hour on a direct train.

The city of Andrea Palladio, with the Teatro Olimpico and the villas that defined European classical architecture.

The UNESCO-listed mountains two hours by car: doable in a day, much better with a night at altitude.

On the busiest days, Venice applies an access fee to day visitors, with online booking. Those staying overnight in the city are exempt but must still register. Check the updated calendar before you leave.

A single ride is expensive; if you plan more than two or three trips a day, the 24, 48, or 72-hour passes are clearly worth it.

Between October and January, high tides can temporarily flood low-lying areas, St. Mark's first. Forecasts are public and reliable: check the day before and bring waterproof shoes.

There are no cars: from the station or the Piazzale Roma parking lot, you reach the hotel on foot, over bridges, suitcase in hand. Travel light, seriously.

The gondola fare is set per boat and for a defined duration, not per passenger, with an evening surcharge — splitting it in a group makes it much more reasonable. Always agree on duration and price before boarding.