History Tour of the Museum City and other Venice, Italy Things to Do Tips

Venicescapes, the brainchild of an ex-pat American, is a look into the history of this once great and powerful city. Tours are private, just you and a very informative guide who will take you to various parts of the city and explain their significance depending on the topic of the tour you choose. We chose "The Story of A Mercantile Empire" which went into the history of how Venice became an economic powerhouse in the 13th-18th centuries. The highlight of our 5-hour tour was a visit to the beautiful Ca' Pisani-Moretta, which is normally closed to the public. Our guide had an agreement with the owners to bring his tours through there. It was a great insight on the workings of the affluent good importer families and their splendid housings.

Not cheap but a great insight and introduction to the city. I highly recommend it!

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Website: http://www.venicescapes.org/

We really enjoy the beauty of mosaics. It really is incredible the images an artist can conjure up from little bits of colored glass. There are many places to view such mosaics in Venice. The biggest collection is at the Basilica di San Marco. San Giorgio dei Greci is the Greek Orthodox Church and also has great mosaics. Opening times can be sporadic here. There is also a small mosaic over a doorway to the small Chiesa di San Vio. And don't miss the magnificent Last Judgement and Madonna mosaics in the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (9th c) on Torcello. FABULOUS!

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Directions: Basilica di San Marco, San Marco
San Giorgio dei Greci, Castello
Chiesa di San Vio, Campo San Vio, Dorsoduro
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello (take the No. 12 vaporetto from Fondamente Nuove

Katherine Hepburn fans will surely remember her role as Jane Hudson in "Summertime" with co-star Rossano Brazzi. Campo San Barnaba (correctly referred to by Jane's sidekick, Mauro) is the spot where Jane trips and falls into a small canal. Renato's (Brazzi's character) antique shop is also in this campo next to the Chiesa di San Barnaba.

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Address: Sestriere di Dorsoduro
Directions: Down Calle Traghetto from the Ca' Rezzonico vaporetto stop.

...when you arrive at the Piazzale Roma is to get a ticket for the No. 1 or 82 vaporetto. It will take you straight down the Canale Grande past all of the grand palazzi. For the first-time visitor it is a great introduction to this fascinating city. When we did this it was like being in a dream to float down the canal and see these magnificent homes up close and in person! My mouth was wide open the entire time! Simply magical!

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Directions: When you get off the bus, with the large garage on your left, head north toward the Canale Grande and the ACTV ticket office.
Website: http://www.actv.it/

Entrance to the Basilica di San Marco is free. You can walk in and gawk at the wall-to-wall frescoes and the amazing tile work in the floor. You can go in and walk around and back out before you realize that you missed a bunch of stuff mentioned in the guide book. Some of these sites, such as the Pala d'Oro (amazing gold/jewel-encrusted altarpiece), Tesoro (Treasury), and the Loggia dei Cavalli, require an admission fee and their entrances are somewhat tucked away. The latter is up a set of stairs and will gain you access to an exterior balcony view of the Piazza to the west and Piazzetta to the south. You can also see the original bronze horses and great interior views of the Basilica.

Definitely seek these sites out...they're all worth the extra admission fees.

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Address: Piazza San Marco

The Campanile was constructed sometime in the 10th century with alterations made in the 12th and 16th centuries. Check out the weather vane on the top which features a statuette of the Archangel Gabriel. Interestingly the entire tower collapsed without warning in 1902. What you see today is an exact replica of the original which took 10 years to build.

Fact: The Campanile on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley is modeled after the one in the Piazza San Marco.

Related Tip: In order to miss having to stand in a long queue for the elevator and having to jockey for position once you are up at the observation level, go to the Campanile either first thing in the morning or shortly before it closes.

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Address: Piazza San Marco