2nd largest in the world!

Inaugurated in 1792, almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1836, and again recently in 1996, the Teatro La Fenice was the most important theatre in Venice and one of the most elegant ones. Visiting La Fenice Theatre is a unique experience to discover it outside the normal institutional activities. The visit among the plasters and the golds of the prestigious halls allow you to discover the unknown secrets of the Theatre and its protagonists, living the history from its origins to the present days all over again.

1Inaugurated in 1792, almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1836, and again recently in 1996, the Teatro La Fenice was the most important theatre in Venice and one of the most elegant ones. Visiting La Fenice Theatre is a unique experience to discover it outside the normal institutional activities. The visit among the plasters and the golds of the prestigious halls allow you to discover the unknown secrets of the Theatre and its protagonists, living the history from its origins to the present days all over again.

Très apprécié des sculpteurs français dès le XVIe siècle, le bronze illustre les thématiques principales de l’histoire de la sculpture française : portrait, décor de tombeau, statuette pour amateur, monument royal et public, statuaire de jardin, réductions

Throughout his career, Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853–1890) attempted the paradoxical task of representing night by light. His procedure followed the trend set by the Impressionists of "translating" visual light effects with various color combinations. At the same time, this concern was grafted onto Van Gogh's desire to interweave the visual and the metaphorical in order to produce fresh and deeply original works of art.

Per la prima volta in Italia l’occasione irripetibile di vedere indagata l’opera disegnata di Van Gogh nella più stretta relazione con le sue opere pittoriche. Al Museo di Santa Giulia, dal 18 ottobre 2008 e fino al 25gennaio 2009, sarà possibile ammirare 100 opere di Van Gogh, 85 disegni e 15 quadri.

Uno degli edifici che abbelliscono quella che un tempo era la Ruga inferiore o Saran (ora Via GB. Cima) è la casa natale del pittore. Identificata da due studiosi del pittore, Botteon e Aliprandi, attraverso il rinvenimento di documenti del 1516 e 1578, fu per anni lasciata in abbandono.

Conegliano Castle

La chiesa di San Moisè è un edificio religioso della città di Venezia, situato nel sestiere di San Marco. La chiesa venne fondata nell'VIII secolo ed originariamente era dedicata a San Vittore. La sua massiccia facciata in stile barocco, ultimata nel 1668, domina il campo omonimo. La facciata è opera di Alessandro Tremignon e venne finanziata da un lascito del patrizio Vincenzo Fini, il cui busto compare sopra uno degli ingressi laterali. All'interno sono presenti dipinti e sculture del XVII e XVIII secolo. Tra i dipinti è possibile ammirare la Lavanda dei piedi del Tintoretto e una Ultima cena, attribuita a Palma il Giovane. La navata centrale ospita la lapide del finanziere scozzese John Law che fondò la Compagnia d'Occidente finalizzata allo sviluppo della valle del Mississippi e che si ritirò a vivere a Venezia negli ultimi anni della sua vita, dopo aver subito una serie di rovesci finanziari.

Inaugurated in 1792, almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1836, and again recently in 1996, the Teatro La Fenice was the most important theatre in Venice and one of the most elegant ones. Visiting La Fenice Theatre is a unique experience to discover it outside the normal institutional activities. The visit among the plasters and the golds of the prestigious halls allow you to discover the unknown secrets of the Theatre and its protagonists, living the history from its origins to the present days all over again.

In 2001, after being completely restored, Teatro Malibran has been re-opened to the public. The theatre is placed in the heart of the city's historical centre, not far from the Rialto Bridge, Teatro Malibran is one of the most beloved theatrical halls in Venice, rich in history and tradition, and it represents a clear sign of the long-awaited rebirth of this city. The Theatre’s interior decor and architectural features have been returned to how they were in the early 20th century when designed by the engineer Mario Felice Donghi.

Placed right at the end of Fondamenta Nuove, faced on the north lagoon, Teatro Fondamenta Nuove is characterized by a charming building, where bricks and wood live side by side, and can seat up to 200 viewers. It houses the main activities of Associazione Vortice, that since 1998 has been organizing musical and cultural events, as well as conferences and workshops, with the theatre as the centre of its work and the goal of representing a cultural model for Venice and its creative potentialities.

Teatro Goldoni is one of the most well known theatres in Venice, and it has been the main theatre while La Fenice was being restored. Born under the name of Teatro Vendramin di S. Salvador, it took the name of Teatro Apollo after being restored for the first time in 1833, and went to its present name in 1875, as an homage to the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni. Nowadays it is the seat of the Stabile Theatre of Veneto, and has a varied and rich theatrical season.

This palace, located near Campo Manin, near the Rialto, owes its name to the spiral staircase (shape of a snail shell) in its courtyard, a late 15th centure construction. The staircase leads to an arcade which purveys a breathtaking panoramic vista over some of the roof-tops of the city. In the interior of the palace are important paintings, among them two works by S. Ricci.

This magnificent palace was erected in the second half of the XVth Century at one of the most attractive points of this city, along the Canal Grande, between the Bridge of Rialto and the Ca' Foscari's vault. Built in the Gothic floral style, it underwent several expansions and restorations began in the early XVIth Century. The wonderfully elaborate Baroque decoration inside, is the work of some of the most excellent Venetian artists of the XVIIIth Century such as Giambattista Tiepolo, Gaspare Diziani and Giuseppe Angeli.

Once the home of the Patriarch of Castello, the Blessed Lorenzo Giustiniani, Palazzo Ca’ Giustinian is one of Venice's most important examples from the last transition period of the Gothic era (c.1474). In the 16th Century additions and restorations to the façade were made. The interior still conserves some of the 17th century decorations. It is now the property of the Municipality and the premises of the Municipal Offices and "La Biennale" of Venice.

For more than a thousand years, the Doge’s Palace has been the heart and symbol of the political life and public administration within the Venetian Republic. Therefore, when that Republic fell in 1797, its role inevitably changed. Though it is not certain what the old palace looked like, it is probable that it was an aggregation of different buildings destined to serve various purposes, protected by a canal, solid walls and massive corner towers. The buildings within these walls have housed public offices, courtrooms, prisons, the Doge’s apartments, stables, armouries and other necessary facilities. Over this period the Palace was occupied by various administrative offices as well as housing the Biblioteca Marciana and other important cultural institutions within the city. In 1923 the Italian State, the owner of the building, appointed the Venice City Council to manage it as a museum open to the public. Since 1996 the Doge’s Palace has been part of the network of museums that comes under the management of the Venice Museum Authority.

This palazzo is a demonstration of the early works of Baldassare Longhena, especially its entrance and the balcony with rolled consoles. It is quite a large edifice, which incorporates a courtyard and a spectacular terrace on the right wing of the building. The Widmann family resided here, originating from Paternion in Austria. Among the 18th century decoration of the palace, stucco works by Giuseppe Maria Mazza and frescoes by Gaspare Diziani still can be found in the piano nobile halls. Together with Clemente Molli, Longhena also created the altar of the Widmann chapel in the church of San Canciano (1639).

Palazzo Grimani di San Luca, located on the Rio di San Luca, is a Renaissance building in Venice. Originally the residence of the Venetian Doge Antonio Grimani, it was rebuilt in 1532-1569 by his heirs. The palace is composed of three parts with a small backyard. The façade, with its distinguishing massive window arches, is decorated with polychrome marble. The most striking feature of the interior is the Sala di Psiche, with frescoes by Francesco Menzocchi, Camillo Mantovano and Francesco Salviati. Palazzo Grimani is currently the seat of the Venice Appeal Court.

This palazzo was the residence-museum of Vittorio Cini, where some of the greatest collections of 15th and 16th century Tuscan and Ferrarese paintings, furniture, silver, ivory and ceramic objects, are displayed. This 16th century palazzo, formerly owned by the Caldagno and Valmarana families, is located halfway between the Accademia and the Guggenheim. On his death, in 1977, Vittorio Cini left his marvellous art collections in this palazzo, currently used as a gallery. The antique furnishings and art valuables, on the first piano nobile, recreate the building’s original character and the personal taste of this great collector. The second piano nobile is reserved for temporary exhibitions.

Formerly the property of the Duke della Grazia, it is one of the most important palaces on the Grand Canal and is known also by the name “Non nobis Domine”, due to the inscription of the first line of a Psalm carved under the windows of the ground floor. This palazzo combines harmony and grace in its form, making it a superb building of the Venetian Renaissance architecture of the beginning of the 16th century. Today it houses the Venice Casino.

This majestic building, once home of the Foscari family, is one of the most important examples of Venetian Gothic architecture of the middle of the 15th century. After holding the government of the Republic for more than thirty years, in a period of great splendour and wealth, Doge Francesco Foscari passed away. This palace, in the 18th century, was then enlarged and the outside staircase was destroyed. In the 19th century it was acquired by the City and restored, becoming the Scuola Superiore di Commercio, and now the Istituto Universitario di Economia e Commercio. King Henry III of France stayed here in 1572 while on his way through Venice.

The palazzo was the residence, from the 17th century, of the San Stae branch of the Mocenigo family, one of the most important families of Venice, seven members of which became doges. It was bestowed to the city by Alvise Nicolò, the last descendant of the family, to be used “as a Gallery of Art, to complement Museo Correr”. This museum contains the rich collections of ancient textiles and costumes mostly from the Correr, Guggenheim and Cini collections and the hidden Centre of Palazzo Grassi. Palazzo Mocenigo also contains a well-stocked library, specialising in the history of fabrics, costumes and fashion. The library is situated in the rooms on the first-floor piano nobile, that have not conserved their original furnishings; the stocks of fabrics and costumes are situated on the first mezzanine and on the top floor.

This large Gothic palazzo in Campo San Beneto, once owned by the Pesaro family, was transformed by Mariano Fortuny into his own atelier of photography, stage-design, textile-design and painting. The building preserves the rooms and structures created by Fortuny, together with tapestries and collections. The environment is represented through precious wall-hangings, paintings, and the famous lamps – all objects that bear witness to the artist’s eclectic work. The Fortuny Museum was donated to the city in 1956 by Henriette, Mariano's widow. The collections within the museum comprise a wide-range of pieces and materials which reflect the various fields investigated in the artist’s work.

The grand palazzo, which now houses the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, was built in the second half of the seventeenth century for the noble and wealthy Pesaro family. The palazzo hosts the municipal collection of modern art, which had been started in 1897, the year of the second Venice Biennale. It consisted mainly of works bought by the Town Council at the Venice Biennale: up to the 1950s, European art was favoured, in agreement with the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna of Rome, which acquired Italian works at the Biennale. From the 1960s onwards a new policy was adopted, privileging Italian art. As a result, there was a visible increase in the number of works by artists such as Boccioni, Casorati, Gino Rossi and Arturo Martini, who, thanks to the “Bevilacqua La Masa Exhibitions”, had made Ca’ Pesaro famous as an inspiration for innovation in Italian art. In 1914 a number of remarkable works in wax, by Medardo Rosso, were acquired, and in the 60s, the De Lisi’s donation enriched the gallery with works of various famous artists, thus filling certain gaps left by the municipal policy of acquisition.

Part of the Basilica San Marco complex, the Marciano Museum contains the original copy of the large bronze horses that used to be displayed outside on the façade of the Basilica. There is a gallery that provides a spectacular view into the basilica, and also a balcony that overlooks the square, where many important public figures have watched ceremonies over the years. Also on show are manuscripts, fragments of very ancient mosaics and also some antique tapestries. The four famous horses of S. Marco, in gilded bronze are from Constantinople

The museum includes the historic section documenting, with a rich collection of relics, the events of the Serenissima Republic, the section on arts and crafts. The art gallery is set up upstairs, which houses works of Venetian painting of the '400 and '200, canvases from the beginning of '500. The same building hosts the Museo del Risorgimento (currently closed for redevelopment), which preserves paintings, documents and relics related to the city's history since the end of the '700 - the annexation period of Venice to the Kingdom of Italy.

The museum collects sacred ritual objects used in religious ceremonies held in synagogues dating from the '600 to the '800, and also marital contracts on ancient parchments, jewellery and miniatures. The second room has an infant’s dress made of lace for the Brith Milah (circumcision), and some examples of Ketubboth (marital contracts) of '700. Finally, a collection of textiles since the mid '600 to the '800, door curtains and splendid Embroidered drapes for the pulpit.

The museum, which opened in 1981, is situated in the old Lace-School of Burano, founded in 1871 by Countess Andriana Marcello, with the aim of reviving a centuries-old tradition. When the school closed, the archives of the old School, full of important documents and drawings, were re-ordered and catalogued; the building was restructured and transformed into an exhibition site. This was the beginning of the Lace Museum. It contains many valuable pieces of the School's rich collection, together with important examples of Venetian products from the 16th to the 20th century. This building today offers not only items of great value, but also the chance to observe lace-makers at work, keeping up the traditions of the island. It is also possible to consult the archives, an important source of historical and artistic documentation, with drawings, photographs and other iconographic testimony.

After some restoration work, this magnificent palace, was adapted to serve as the Museum of Eighteenth-Century Venice and was opened to the public on the 25th of April 1936. The designers of the museum lay-out, Nino Barbantini and Giulio Lorenzetti, aimed to exploit the character of Ca' Rezzonico, arranging the works as if they were the palace's original furnishings. To achieve this result, numerous eighteenth-century works, that belonged to the other civic museums of Venice, were concentrated in Ca' Rezzonico, together with paintings, furniture and frescoes from other civic-owned buildings. The numerous works exhibited, together with the unique quality of the architecture and the setting, made Ca' Rezzonico an authentic temple of the Venetian Settecento.

The museum consists mainly of works collected by famous Venetian families from the sixteenth century. It safeguards a rich collection of ancient sculptures and among these some original Greek ones of considerable interest, a collection of coins from III to I century. BC and a collection of gems and ivories, bronzes, jewellery, marble and ceramics.

With the issue of the patriarchal degree in 1976, the Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art began its activity, putting on exhibition pieces of artwork that had either been removed from the numerous Venetian churches, which by that time were no longer open for worship or undergoing restoration, and were therefore closed to visitors. Now, thirty years later, the Diocesan Museum has become a cultural institution for the Diocese, as a home for both permanent and temporary exhibits and other cultural events.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the most important museum in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th century. It is located in Peggy Guggenheim's former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, on the Grand Canal in Venice. The museum was inaugurated in 1980 and it presents Peggy Guggenheim's personal collection of 20th century art, masterpieces from the Gianni Mattioli Collection, the Nasher Sculpture Garden, as well as temporary exhibitions. One of the most interesting and unique aspects to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection is the fascinating history of its founder, and the significance of its location. Palazzo Venier dei Leoni is an unfinished architectural masterpiece. The collection includes masterpieces of Cubism, Futurism, Metaphysical painting, European abstraction, Surrealism, and American Abstract Expressionism.

The museum of Ca’ Goldoni is a exquisite, theatrical place, in which all the possessions of modern museum design have been exploited to protect the fabric of this unique Gothic palace and also to provide visitors, especially young ones, with an interactive design that is both educational and enjoyable. Particular attention has been focused on the performance of theatrical works, with each room having large television screens showing various productions of Goldoni. The arrangement combines the most recent technology with traditional exhibitions of the works of art that formed the core of the original collection. The exhibition spaces on the first floor have been designed so that they can accommodate all the various types of visitors: scholars, families, tourists, school groups. There are also all the necessary facilities which might be required by disabled visitors.

The Murano Glass Museum was founded in 1861, when the most difficult period in the history of Murano glassmaking had been overcome, following the fall of the Republic of San Marco (1797) and the subsequent years of foreign rule. The museum started to expand faster than the archives due to the fact that a large number of glass pieces made on the island over the centuries, as well as contemporary objects, were donated by the owners of the glass factories. Following the fusion of Murano with the Venice Municipality in 1923, the Glass Museum became part of the Venetian Civic Museums. Today additions are made to the museum’s collection thanks to donations made by the island’s glassworks which enrich, above all, the contemporary collection.

Founded in 1919 after the 1st World War, located in Campo S. Biagio, in the vicinity of the Venice Arsenale, this is one of the most historical buildings from the XV century in Venice. It was utilized for centuries as a granary, to preserve the grain used to provide a particular type of long bread called “biscuit”. It was the Arsenal, “the most distinguished naval historical monument that exists in Italy” to give life, at the end of the seventeenth century, to what can be considered the ancestor of this museum: “The House of Models “.

The spiral staircase 'Scala Contarini del Bovolo' is an extraordinary example of Venetian architecture in transition: leaving the realms of the gothic to embrace renaissance style. Hidden inside a small courtyard, at the end of a narrow calle, next to Campo Manin, appears, unique in all its extraordinary elegance La Scala of the Bovolo. It is one of the most striking examples of transition from the Venetian Gothic style, well-rooted in local culture, to that of the renaissance. A series of overlapping arches link the different levels as the staircase winds upwards to form a cylindrical tower. Its Venetian name of “Bovolo” refers to the spiral shell of a small local edible snail. The structure adopted is inspired by the Renaissance, but it fits into a structure which recalls the shape of the Byzantine scalar towers. The ascent of 'La Scala' concludes with a lookout dome from which one can admire a splendid and unusual landscape: the roofs, towers, domes of St. Mark, with a view over the city.

One of the most famous and beautiful squares in the world, Piazza San Marco is at the heart of the historic city of Venice, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. St Mark's Square is called a piazza and not a campo to distinguish it from the other city's squares and to emphasis its singular beauty. The square was paved in herringbone-pattern bricks: this was in fact the original paving style that used to line the streets and squares of Venice. The present-day paving stones date from 1723. Enclosed on three sides by the arcaded buildings of the Procurators, it was once a remarkable showcase for feasts, ceremonies, tournaments and fairs.

Completed in 1499, the Clock Tower, overlooking St Mark's Square, is of the Renaissance period and is considered to be one of the most incredible accomplishments of mechanical precision. It indicates time, moon phases and the reigning Zodiac sign. The tower was commissioned by the Doge Agostino Barbarigo in 1493 and constructed by Giampaolo Rainieri and his son. Upon its completion, on 1 February 1499, the two master mechanics became its custodians, beginning a tradition, whereby the custodians lived with their families inside the tower itself. It is considered to be the official timekeeper of Venice. It stands over one of the main entrances to Piazza San Marco. The facade contains the three symbols of powers that govern Venice, namely the civic authority, symbolised by the Lion of San Marco, the Christian faith, symbolised by the Three Wise Men paying homage to Jesus and the knowledge of science and mechanics, symbolised by the complex machinery of the clock itself.

"Ponte dei Pugni is a bridge, located in the Dorsoduro district, near Campo San Barnaba. It takes its name from an ancient tradition of Venice abandoned for centuries: the War of fists. The inhabitants of two opposing factions, the Castellani San Pietro di Castello and Nicolotti of St. Nicholas of Mendicoli fought to “fists” at the top of the bridge. The purpose of the “game” was to throw the opponents in the river. The winner was the team that kept most of his men on deck. This tradition, over time, became too violent and dangerous and was suspended several times by the Republic, which lead, after several serious accidents including deaths, to its final deletion in the eighteenth century. The bridge has four foot imprints in Istria stone in memory of this “War”."

Visiting the Ghetto of Venice, one enters an extraordinary and unique quarter. Five synagogues are located in this small area, representing the different "nations" (Jewish ethnic groups) who settled down in the Lagoon along the centuries. There are also the “skyscrapers”, the old and crowded buildings were the Jews lived, the ancient pawn shops, the midrashim, where the sacred texts were studied and discussed. The ancient stones are still located there and the Jewish Community, culturally very active, still reside here. Nowadays there are about 600 Jews living in Venezia and Mestre, very few in the Ghetto. The Venetian Community is committed to several projects in order to maintain its traditions and artistic legacy, share its history and culture, and fight prejudice and anti-Semitism. An ever growing number of visitors come here from all over the world to admire the synagogues and the museum.

The Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge) is the true heart of Venice. The current structure was built in just three years, between 1588 and 1591, as a permanent replacement for the boat bridge and three wooden bridges that had spanned the Grand Canal at various times since the 12th Century. It remained the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot until the Accademia Bridge was built in 1854. The Rialto Bridge’s 7.5-meter arch was designed to allow passage of galleys, and the massive structure was built on some 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years later. The bridge has three walkways: two along the outer balustrades, and a wider central walkway between two rows of small shops that sell jewellery, linens, Murano glass, and other items for the tourist trade.

Torcello is a quiet and meagrely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It is considered the oldest populated island of Venice, and once held the largest population of the Republic of Venice. It holds only 100 inhabitants, but around the 5th century it had a great importance: it reached a population of 20,000 people. The island offers interesting visits such as the Church of Santa Maria Assunta and the Church of Santa Fosca. The former splendour of Torcello’s numerous palazzi, its twelve parishes and its sixteen cloisters have almost disappeared since the Venetians recycled the useful building material. The only remaining medieval buildings form an ensemble of four edifices. Torcello is also home to a Devil's Bridge, known as the “Ponte del Diavolo” or alternatively the “Pontecello del Diavolo” (devil's little bridge).

The Ponte degli Scalzi, which the Venetians also called the station or rail bridge due to its proximity to the railway station of Saint Lucia, was built in 1934. Inspired by the Rialto Bridge, the Ponte degli Scalzi consists of a single stone arch entirely of Istria. The current bridge has replaced an old iron bridge built by the Austrians in 1858. The Ponte degli Scalzi, along with the Rialto Bridge, the Ponte dell'Accademia and the new bridge Calatrava, is one of the four bridges that now cross the Grand Canal in Venice.

The Arsenale di Venezia is a shipyard and naval depot that played a leading role in the Venetian empire-building. It was one of the most important areas of Venice, lying in the Castello sestiere. It already existed in the early 13th century, as mentioned in Dante's Inferno. The name probably comes from the Arabic Dar al Sina’a ("Dockyard") and the concept was clearly Islamic as much as Byzantine. Initially the dockyard worked simply for the maintenance of naval ships, but in 1320 the Arsenal Nuovo was built much larger than the original. It enabled all the state's navy and the larger merchant ships to be both constructed and maintained in one place. Warships started to be mass-produced in the Arsenal and also new firearms at an early date, beginning with bombards in the 1370s. The Porta Magna, the Arsenal’s main gate, was built in about 1460 and was the first Classical revival structure to be built in Venice. Significant parts of the Arsenal were destroyed under Napoleonic rule, and later rebuilt to enable the Arsenal's present use as a naval base. It is also used as a research centre, an exhibition venue during the Venice Biennale and is home to a historic boat preservation centre.

Burano Island, also called the island of lace, acquired its name from Porta Boreana, the northern door of the city. Since the time of Venetian Republic, Burano had only 8000 inhabitants, predominantly fishermen and farmers. Thanks to the craft of the lace workers, the island grew economically, exporting its incredible laces all over the world. The visitors of Burano remain astonished at the amazing colourful houses, which reflect the liveliness of this small island.

Some legends say that the Ponte dei Sospiri was called so because it was a rendezvous for lovers; however, the truth relates a much sadder tale. The bridge, in fact was built to convey magistrates to the courts and prisoners to their fates. However, the Baroque bridge, designed by Antonio Contino, still has a very romantic association, and remains an important historical landmark in Venice today. It is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars, and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. It was the last view of Venice the convicts saw before their imprisonment. The name was given by Lord Byron in the 19th century and comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of this beautiful city out the window before being taken down to their cells. A local legend says that lovers will be assured eternal love if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the bridge.

The Grand Canal is the main waterway that crosses Venice, dividing it in two. Some of the most beautiful palace, churches and most builiding in the city overlook the Grand Canal, called by the Venetians “Canalazzo”. This outstanding canal, almost 4 km long and 30 by 70 meters wide , forms a reversed S in the heart of the city. It was once the main communication stream between San Marco and the lagoon along with Rialto, and it became, in the XVI century, the place where the Venetian nobility built their lavish homes. The Grand Canal remains today the main artery waterway of Venice. A series of sumptuous Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque palaces, dating from the thirteenth and eighteenth century, overlook this Canal, making a typical gondola ride even more dazzling.

The bridge is one of the four bridges along the Rialto Bridge, the Ponte degli Scalzi and the new Calatrava bridge, connecting the two banks of the Grand Canal. Originally made of iron, it was opened on November 20, 1854. It was then rebuilt in wood, designed by the Ingegnere Eugenio Miozzi (1889-1979), which was initially intended to be temporary and was reopened on January 15, 1933.

The inhabitants of Altino, escaping from barbarian invasion, find refuge in the islands of the lagoon, giving them the names of the six doors of the city: Murano, Mazzorbo, Burano, Torcello, Ammiana e Costanziaco. Murano Island - A Glassmaker's Paradise. Since 1291, this tiny Venetian island has been the home of Venice's glassmaking industry. Glassmaking has quite an exalted tradition in Venice, and is considered to be one of the most important forms of art. Murano is usually described as an island in the Venetian Lagoon, although it is actually an archipelago of islands linked by bridges. It lies about a mile north of Venice and is famous for its glass making, particularly lampworking. It was once an independent comune, but is now a locality of the region of Venice. Today it is a significant tourist attraction, and it is easily accessible by vaporetto, the public water bus or by a private motor boat taxi. The glass museum is one of the main attractions of the island. There is also a Modern and Contemporary Museum, which features more current glass.

One of the main symbols of Venice, fulcrum of the religious and public life of the city, the Basilica di San Marco was founded in the IX century, to preserve the body of the Evangelist Mark, the patron of the city, stolen from Alexandria in 828. It is a superb example of Byzantine-Romanesque style and it reflects the various stages of construction, from the Roman-Byzantine elements of the sixteenth-century to the Gothic interventions. Restructured on several occasions, it took the typical profile of a Byzantine church, with a large central dome and other hemispherical domes. The facade, which opens on five portals, is decorated with precious marble and mosaics. The impressive interior is typically Byzantine: a Greek cross, three aisles, divided by colonnades and powerful arches which support the five domes covered with mosaics. The high altar, which contains the body of S. Marco, is supported by four columns made of alabaster from the XII century. The bell tower, next to the Basilica, was a time a beacon to mariners.

A visit to the church of Sant'Alvise, together with the nearby church of Madonna dell'Orto, proposes an authentic path among the secrets of Venice and offers an opportunity to visit the remotest areas of Cannaregio. It is characterized by a geometric distribution of reclaimed land, where one can enjoy the silence of the lagoon. Originally a convent church, Sant'Alvise was, according to tradition, built by Antonia Venier in 1388, dedicated to St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse, which had appeared to her in a dream. The temple is made up of a single nave structure, and the singularity of this church is that it still contains its 15th-century barco - the Nuns' Choir, which rests on columns and leads directly from the church to the nearby convent. The current form of this church is the result of changes in the 17th century, and what impresses most is the spectacular, entirely frescoed ceiling, painted by Pietro Antonio Towers and Peter Rich (XVII century).

Its contents make the Church of San Sebastiano one of the very centres of Venetian art, conserving as it does, an extraordinary body of works by Paolo Caliari, better known as Veronese. The confraternity of Gerolimine fathers founded the church in the 15th century, and then in 1506 a series of alterations gave the building its present appearance: a single-nave interior preceded by an atrium and raised choir and culminating in an apsidal presbytery under a cupola. But, as mentioned, what counts here is not so much the architecture, as the cycle of paintings by Paolo Veronese; undoubtedly the most important single complex of paintings that he completed in his entire life.

Founded in the ninth century, the church of San Polo endured, over the centuries, two major restructuring projects, which modified the original Byzantine appearance: the first, in the 15th century, with the transformation on the basis of the late Gothic style; the second modification occurred in 1804, by David Rossi, who transformed the church in neoclassical style. Extensive restoration has recently revealed the Gothic survivors within this neo-classical super-structure: these include the wooden ceiling, the presbytery and the single windows on the facade (part of the 9th-century church)

Built in 1492, the church of Santa Maria Formosa is an architectural masterpiece and marks the introduction of the full spatial vision embodied in the Tuscan Renaissance in Venice. The Latin cross plan, made up of three naves, respects the foundations of the 17th century church, built as a result of an appearance of the Virgin in the form of a magnificent matron. It also fits harmoniously with the previous Greek-cross plan, with a hemispherical dome, of the XI century. The result is an articulated space, strongly characterized by the striking centrality of the temple.

After the Frari and the Church of Saint Giovanni and Paolo, Santo Stefano is the third largest monastery church in Venice. Built by the Hermits of St. Augustine in the 13th century, it was rebuilt a century later, and subsequent embellishments made it one of the finest examples of Venetian Flamboyant Gothic architecture. The fourteenth century brick facade shows the superb marble portal, designed by Bartolomeo Bon. The interior has three aisles, divided by robust columns ending in elegant Gothic arches. The roof is particularly striking, whilst the Presbytery holds fine Choirstalls in inlaid wood dating from 1488. The Sacristy contains a museum of works of some of the great names in Venetian Renaissance art

The church of San Pietro di Castello is of great importance for the history of Venice: back in the years, it was a Diocesan Church under the lead of Patriarchate of Grado. San Pietro stands on the island of Olivolo, which was the first settlement in the lagoon and became the religious, political and commercial centre of the city. The first church, dedicated to the Byzantine Saints Sergio and Bacchus, dates from the 7th century, while the new church, dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle, is part of a group of churches that the Bishop had built in the 9th century. The mighty bell stone of Istria is an elegant Renaissance work designed by Mauro Codussi.

The Church of the Redentore is one of the most famous and venerated churches in Venice and the centrepiece of this city’s most popular feasts (celebrated on the third Sunday of July). It was set up on the initiative of the Senate in 1577 to honour a vow made during the terrible plague of 1575-77. The work, commissioned to Andrea Palladio, is one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance and was finished, after the death of the notorious architect, by his foreman Antonio da Ponte, who faithfully respected the Palladian project. The facade, which emanates charm, has the typical Palladian composition, with broken pediments and half columns united by a horizontal band. The interior, plastered in white, has the typical simplicity of the classical temples.

The church of St. Job, owes its charitable foundation to the will of the priest John Contarini, who in 1378, built a hospice for the poor with an oratory dedicated to St. Job Prophet. The present building was designed by the architect Peter Lombardo and represents one of the earliest examples of Renaissance architecture in Venice, with clear influences from Tuscany. These find their maximum expression in the Martini Chapel, whose domed vault with glazed terracotta decorations is attributed to Luca della Robbia. It is made up of vivacious chromatics of the Eternal Father surrounded by the Four Evangelists. The right side of the church opens to the Contarini Chapel.

Central to the understanding of Venetian painting of the eighteenth century is the church of San Stae (Sant'Eustachio), which expresses unity and harmony. It presents a magnificent facade, open on the main canal in Venice, the Grand Canal, and enriched by an ornately decorated plastic to which sculptors like Joseph Torretto, Antonio Tarsia, Peter Baratta and Antonio Corradini have greatly contributed. The interior, work of the late ‘700, reveals the clear reminiscences of the Palladian architect John Grassi. It is made up of a single aisle and three chapels open on each side; the church is in the centre of a grand tombstone, which marks the tomb of the family Mocenigo.

The church of Santa Maria del Giglio, of ancient foundation (IX century.), owes its current ‘forms’ to the reconstruction occurred in the second half of the 17th century. The facade is one of the most original and sumptuous Venetian baroque works. The interior is made up of a single aisle, and the ceiling is decorated with large paintings by Antonio Zanchi. Worth noting is the painting by Peter Paul Rubens representing the Madonna and Child and St. John, the splendid Four Evangelists by Jacopo Tintoretto, as well as works by Alessandro Vittoria, Sebastiano Ricci, Giambattista Piazzetta, Jacopo Palma and Gian Maria Morlaiter, which make this church an extraordinary ‘document’ of Venetian art.

The monumental church of the Madonna dell'Orto stands on the far northern edge of the Sestiere of Cannaregio, in a churchyard, which still preserves the ancient terra cotta flooring in a herring-bone pattern within Istrian stone division. Built in the XIV century and rebuilt, or strongly remodelled, in the fifteenth century, the church was dedicated to St. Christopher, but soon took its current popular name in honour of the miraculous image of the Virgin with Child found in a nearby garden (now preserved in the Chapel San Mauro).

The church of Gesuati, a unique convent of the eighteenth century, was built between 1726 and 1735 for the Dominicans, to replace the small church that still stands next to it, that had become too small for the faithful . The Dominicans took over the Gesuati (hence the name of the church) in 1668, when that order was suppressed. The interior of the building delivers great harmony: what strikes particularly the eye are the splendid ceiling frescoes painted by Giambattista Tiepolo, representing The apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. Dominic, The institution of the Rosary and the glory of St. Dominic and various monochromes

The church of San Giovanni Elemosinario is very old: it was in fact founded before 1071, but nothing remains of the original building because of the disastrous fire that struck the entire Rialto area in 1514. As a result of this terrible disaster, the rebuilding of the church was completed before 1531. The present building is completely inserted into its dense urban setting, enough to make them difficult to be recognised. The church, a beautiful example of Renaissance architecture, holds two marvellous paintings, testimony of two great artists of the sixteenth century - Titian and Pordenone.

The church of San Giacomo dall'Orio, founded in the ninth century, is one of the oldest churches in Venice. Its present form, a Latin cross with three nave and a transept, is the result of a reconstruction began in 1225 and subsequent changes in the XV and XVI century. The great charm of this church lies in a sombre and archaic exterior, enclosing an ingeniously articulated interior, which is dominated by the warm presence of wooden beams and wooden ceiling. In the reconstruction of 1225 Byzantine elements have been traced (taken from the back to the Fourth Crusade), such as the column of green marble with Ionic capitals, praised by John Ruskin and by Gabriele d'Annunzio. The church retains, also, some masterpieces of Venetian Renaissance painting.

The church of Miracles is a very unique church, from a historical-artistic point of view, aswell as, for the Venetians, from a “sentimental” point of view. Unlike all other churches in the city, the church of Miracles was founded recently, designed, built and decorated by a single artist, as shown by the several overlapping of styles. It is a masterpiece of Peter Lombardo and the architecture recalls to the first Venetian Renaissance, similar in unity to an extraordinary carved casket and covered with coloured marble. It was built between 1481 and 1489 to preserve an image of the Virgin and Child between two Saints which had been called miraculous. The facade leads to a Florentine Renaissance style, but the colour decoration responds well to the typical venetian taste. The interior, a single nave with a raised presbytery, is decorated even more sumptuously with sculpted marble.

The Basilica of Santa Maria dei Frari represents - after the Basilica of San Marco - the most remarkable religious complex in the city of Venice and one of the most significant Franciscan foundation in Italy. Built between 1250 and 1338, by the Franciscan Conventual Friars, it was rebuilt in the fourteenth century, perhaps on a draft of friar Scipione Bon, in a more grandious form and in Gothic-Cistercian style, with three naves and seven apsidal chapels. The Basilica, during the centuries, has turned into an incredible treasure chest of works of art of exceptional importance and value, expressing the devotion to Venice from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century.

The Ravagnan Art Gallery, one of the oldest and most prestigious contemporary art Galleries in Venice, was founded in 1967. The owner, Luciano Ravagnan, today managing the gallery with his daughther and son, was among the first gallery owners to be influenced by the new emerging currents and to support a number of gifted young artists who have later become famous in Italy as well as worldwide.

The Galleria l'Occhio is situated in the historical centre of Venice, 100 metres away from the Peggy Guggenheim collection and from the Basilica della Salute. It opened in the beginning of 1991 and works with young Italian and foreign artists. There are two gallery spaces, two doors away from one another.

San Gregorio Art Gallery is found in one of the most suggestive, exclusive and artistic areas of Venice, a few steps from the baroque church of Santa Maria della Salute and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The Gallery was created in 1996 and it immediately distinguished itself from other galleries thanks to its exceptional exhibitions. These present clearly the passion for the “abstract” expression in art, with artists such as Santomaso, Vedova, the Venetian Spacial Movement with Gaspari, Gasparini, Finzi, Bacci e Morandis

very popular, friendly and well-run local hangout at the heart of the local community. A good place for breakfast, a sandwich snack or lunch - if you can find a seat. Excellent pasta and daily specials. Wine by the glass. More accommodating to visitors when the outside tables appear in spring. No evening meals.

Situated in the heart of Venice, only steps away from the Rialto, is this renowned restaurant where distinguished Venician cuisine is served in a familial setting.