(2009) They say that you never forget your first visit to Venice and that is very true. Venice is a city of visual delights with the omnipresence of water, the color, the domes and mosaics, and the rich history in the streets and squares.
Founded more than 1,500 years ago on 117 different islands, Venice is linked by a series of over 150 canals, 400 bridges andmany ancient pavements. The historic city center of Venice is divided into six quarters: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Marco, San Polo and Santa Croce. All buildings in Venice are supported on slender oak and pine posts which are driven deep into the ground to create a solid foundation. Because the soil is waterlogged, there is no free oxygen so the posts remain strong and do not decay.
The main Venice destination and attraction is at Piazza San Marco. As you step out of the Venice's Marco Polo Airport, there are a couple of options to getting there. The less expensive way is to use the ATV airport shuttle that connects with Piazzale Roma where you will have to catch a vaporetto (water bus) to get to Piazza San Marco. The more direct and easiest is to take the motoscafo (shuttle boat) service for about 1 hour that Alilaguna operates from the airport to Piazza San Marco with only 2 stops at Murano and Lido. The private water taxi is fairly expensive. If you are staying in San Marco, it should be a fairly close walk from the deportation of the airport shuttle boat to the hotel. Otherwise, you can take the vaporetto to get closer to the hotel.
The main attraction and heart of the city is Piazza San Marco. This square is the only one known as a piazza versus a campo combines the very old (11th century) multidomed basilica with the relatively new (16th and 17th century) Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove on the north and south side of the square. Venice for centuries was Europe's principal gateway to the East. The Basilica di San Marco is an arched, domed and mosaic-paved Byzantine tour de force borrowed from Constantinople. Legend has it that the remains of St. Mark's body from Alexandria was stolen in 828 by four Venetians - a monk, a priest, and two merchants - wrapped in remains in pork and smuggled as the saint's resting place and a symbol of the city's power. In subsequent centuries, Venetians vied for one another in donating gifts to this church such that the interior of San Marco came to be so exquisitely gilded, every inch covered in colorful mosaics added over some 7 centuries. The church's greatest treasure is the magnificent jewel-encrusted golden altarpiece known as the Pal d'Oro. Be prepared when visiting the church since there is a usually a long wait time and queue to enter the church.
Between the water and the basilica is Palazzo Ducale which was the home and of the doges (dukes) that ruled Venice for years and the venue for its law courts, its civil administration and bureaucracy and the city jail until relocated across the the Bridge of Sighs. It's a testament to the stability of the state that the palace was not a castle or fortess but an elegant assemblage of pink and white marble with a facade punctuated with sculpted figures, carved columns, famed 15th century Porta della Carta, and inner courtyard. For an entrance fee, you can visit the enormous and impressive rooms including Sala del Maggior Consiglio, the most magnificent room in the palace and then out over the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs, 1602) to the city's "new" prison. Prior to it being built, prisoners were kept in the eaves of the doge's palace or in the cellars.
Across the walkway from the basilica and Palazzo Ducale is the Campanile di San Marco (bell tower). Located right in the middle of Piazza San Marco, the bell tower was originally built as a lighthouse to assist navigation in the lagoon. It is less elegant than others in Italy, and has been restored with a new tower in 1912 when the original collapsed without warning in 1902. The expansive outlook over the city, the sea, and the countryside all the way north to the Alps is captivating from the top of the tower. There is is a long line for the elevator to the top of the bell tower which can be over an hour wait.
The Grand Canal in Venice is a long stretch of water that runs right through the city. The first bridge ever built over the canal was the Rialto Bridge. The Rialto has been a commercial center since the early 9th century when the first city's market was established. The Ponte dei Rialto is still the most used and appealing bridge across the canal. Travelling along this canal and the many others is a great way to see the city. The much-loved gondolas under the moonlight are the more romantic and well-known way to travel along the Venice canal.
You can also explore the Dorsoduro quarter across the Grand Canal from San Marco where you will find Santa Maria della Salute church. This massive white-marble church seen across the canal is awe-inspiring with a huge central space surrounded by archways that lead to side chapels. During the plague in 1630 when nearly 150,000 citizens were killed, the Venetian Senate made an offer to God to "Stop the plague and we'll build a church to honor the Virgin Mary". Cooler weather prevailed which reduced the population of plague-ridden fleas to stop the plague. The tip of Dorosduro where the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Basin merged was used to honor the Venetian Senate's promise when the church was completed in 1682. The Virgin is honored on the high altar with a Byzantine icon and a set of dramatic marble sculptures by Giusto LeCorte. When visiting the church, there is also an impressive collection of paintings in the round marble interior including Titian's St. Mark Enthroned with Saints.
There two treasure-filled museums worth visiting also on Dorosduro. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni that contains the personal contemporary art collection in the palace home of the American heiress. The collection includes those works of Giorgio De Chirico, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst (whom she married) and Jackson Pollock. The other museum in walking distance is Gallerie dell'Accademia. The collection exhibited chronologically from the 13th through the 18th centuries is a comprehensive showcase of the works of all the great master painters of Venice including Paolo and Lorenzo Veneziano; Gentile and Giovanni Bellini; Giorgione's Tempest; and Veronese Fest in the House of Levi.
If you want to get away from the crowds and the tourists of San Marco and to a lesser degree Dorosduro, take a vaporetto from the San Zaccario station near San Marco or a a short gondola ride across the Giudecca Canal and on the other side of Dorosduro to another Venice island, Giudecca. Once the home to a Jewish community, Giudecca became the home of Villas built by rich Venetians and boasts some of the most beautiful Venetian gardens still left intact. One of the main attractions is Andrea Palladio's Il Redentore, built in 1577, to celebrate the end of the plague. Il Rendentore is also the center of the annual Redentore Feast Day in July. Benedictine monks have also inhabited this island for more than 1000 years. San Giorgio Maggiore that can be seen from San Marco is a stunning complex that includes another Palladio church, two cloisters, and a bell tower that provides an excellent view over the city and its surroundings. The Fondazione Cini that supports cultural causes today shares the premises with a small community of monks. A former nearby convent after a century of neglect has been converted into a tranquil retreat, Bauer Palladio Hotel and Spa, rich of history and religion and full of silence, light, and peace.
If you are in Venice for only 1-2 days, it may be beneficial as a first time visitor to take a walking tour to get your bearings of this magical city. Viator Tours http://www.viator.com/ provides an excellent 2 hour walking tour of Venice. Enter the labyrinth of streets and passageways, for this city of canals is its own most extraordinary attraction. Visit the neighborhoods off the beaten tourist track to learn Venice's history. The comprehensive tour highlights all the important monuments from Piazza San Marco, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge where the tour ends. The tour will also include a visit inside the Basilica di St. Marco so you can save time and skip the long entrance queues into the church.
Founded more than 1,500 years ago on 117 different islands, Venice is linked by a series of over 150 canals, 400 bridges andmany ancient pavements. The historic city center of Venice is divided into six quarters: Cannaregio, Castello, Dorsoduro, San Marco, San Polo and Santa Croce. All buildings in Venice are supported on slender oak and pine posts which are driven deep into the ground to create a solid foundation. Because the soil is waterlogged, there is no free oxygen so the posts remain strong and do not decay.
The main Venice destination and attraction is at Piazza San Marco. As you step out of the Venice's Marco Polo Airport, there are a couple of options to getting there. The less expensive way is to use the ATV airport shuttle that connects with Piazzale Roma where you will have to catch a vaporetto (water bus) to get to Piazza San Marco. The more direct and easiest is to take the motoscafo (shuttle boat) service for about 1 hour that Alilaguna operates from the airport to Piazza San Marco with only 2 stops at Murano and Lido. The private water taxi is fairly expensive. If you are staying in San Marco, it should be a fairly close walk from the deportation of the airport shuttle boat to the hotel. Otherwise, you can take the vaporetto to get closer to the hotel.
The main attraction and heart of the city is Piazza San Marco. This square is the only one known as a piazza versus a campo combines the very old (11th century) multidomed basilica with the relatively new (16th and 17th century) Procuratie Vecchie and Procuratie Nuove on the north and south side of the square. Venice for centuries was Europe's principal gateway to the East. The Basilica di San Marco is an arched, domed and mosaic-paved Byzantine tour de force borrowed from Constantinople. Legend has it that the remains of St. Mark's body from Alexandria was stolen in 828 by four Venetians - a monk, a priest, and two merchants - wrapped in remains in pork and smuggled as the saint's resting place and a symbol of the city's power. In subsequent centuries, Venetians vied for one another in donating gifts to this church such that the interior of San Marco came to be so exquisitely gilded, every inch covered in colorful mosaics added over some 7 centuries. The church's greatest treasure is the magnificent jewel-encrusted golden altarpiece known as the Pal d'Oro. Be prepared when visiting the church since there is a usually a long wait time and queue to enter the church. 
Between the water and the basilica is Palazzo Ducale which was the home and of the doges (dukes) that ruled Venice for years and the venue for its law courts, its civil administration and bureaucracy and the city jail until relocated across the the Bridge of Sighs. It's a testament to the stability of the state that the palace was not a castle or fortess but an elegant assemblage of pink and white marble with a facade punctuated with sculpted figures, carved columns, famed 15th century Porta della Carta, and inner courtyard. For an entrance fee, you can visit the enormous and impressive rooms including Sala del Maggior Consiglio, the most magnificent room in the palace and then out over the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs, 1602) to the city's "new" prison. Prior to it being built, prisoners were kept in the eaves of the doge's palace or in the cellars.
Across the walkway from the basilica and Palazzo Ducale is the Campanile di San Marco (bell tower). Located right in the middle of Piazza San Marco, the bell tower was originally built as a lighthouse to assist navigation in the lagoon. It is less elegant than others in Italy, and has been restored with a new tower in 1912 when the original collapsed without warning in 1902. The expansive outlook over the city, the sea, and the countryside all the way north to the Alps is captivating from the top of the tower. There is is a long line for the elevator to the top of the bell tower which can be over an hour wait.
The Grand Canal in Venice is a long stretch of water that runs right through the city. The first bridge ever built over the canal was the Rialto Bridge. The Rialto has been a commercial center since the early 9th century when the first city's market was established. The Ponte dei Rialto is still the most used and appealing bridge across the canal. Travelling along this canal and the many others is a great way to see the city. The much-loved gondolas under the moonlight are the more romantic and well-known way to travel along the Venice canal.
You can also explore the Dorsoduro quarter across the Grand Canal from San Marco where you will find Santa Maria della Salute church. This massive white-marble church seen across the canal is awe-inspiring with a huge central space surrounded by archways that lead to side chapels. During the plague in 1630 when nearly 150,000 citizens were killed, the Venetian Senate made an offer to God to "Stop the plague and we'll build a church to honor the Virgin Mary". Cooler weather prevailed which reduced the population of plague-ridden fleas to stop the plague. The tip of Dorosduro where the Grand Canal and St. Mark's Basin merged was used to honor the Venetian Senate's promise when the church was completed in 1682. The Virgin is honored on the high altar with a Byzantine icon and a set of dramatic marble sculptures by Giusto LeCorte. When visiting the church, there is also an impressive collection of paintings in the round marble interior including Titian's St. Mark Enthroned with Saints.There two treasure-filled museums worth visiting also on Dorosduro. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection at Palazzo Venier dei Leoni that contains the personal contemporary art collection in the palace home of the American heiress. The collection includes those works of Giorgio De Chirico, Rene Magritte, Max Ernst (whom she married) and Jackson Pollock. The other museum in walking distance is Gallerie dell'Accademia. The collection exhibited chronologically from the 13th through the 18th centuries is a comprehensive showcase of the works of all the great master painters of Venice including Paolo and Lorenzo Veneziano; Gentile and Giovanni Bellini; Giorgione's Tempest; and Veronese Fest in the House of Levi.
If you want to get away from the crowds and the tourists of San Marco and to a lesser degree Dorosduro, take a vaporetto from the San Zaccario station near San Marco or a a short gondola ride across the Giudecca Canal and on the other side of Dorosduro to another Venice island, Giudecca. Once the home to a Jewish community, Giudecca became the home of Villas built by rich Venetians and boasts some of the most beautiful Venetian gardens still left intact. One of the main attractions is Andrea Palladio's Il Redentore, built in 1577, to celebrate the end of the plague. Il Rendentore is also the center of the annual Redentore Feast Day in July. Benedictine monks have also inhabited this island for more than 1000 years. San Giorgio Maggiore that can be seen from San Marco is a stunning complex that includes another Palladio church, two cloisters, and a bell tower that provides an excellent view over the city and its surroundings. The Fondazione Cini that supports cultural causes today shares the premises with a small community of monks. A former nearby convent after a century of neglect has been converted into a tranquil retreat, Bauer Palladio Hotel and Spa, rich of history and religion and full of silence, light, and peace.If you are in Venice for only 1-2 days, it may be beneficial as a first time visitor to take a walking tour to get your bearings of this magical city. Viator Tours http://www.viator.com/ provides an excellent 2 hour walking tour of Venice. Enter the labyrinth of streets and passageways, for this city of canals is its own most extraordinary attraction. Visit the neighborhoods off the beaten tourist track to learn Venice's history. The comprehensive tour highlights all the important monuments from Piazza San Marco, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Santa Maria Formosa, Marco Polo's House, and the Rialto Bridge where the tour ends. The tour will also include a visit inside the Basilica di St. Marco so you can save time and skip the long entrance queues into the church.
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