Venice Italy

Venezia is utterly unlike any place else in the world and without it, as it has been said, everyone would be a little poorer. Indeed the treasuries of art and history and the emotion and beauty that this city holds are truly to be seen by everyone.

The best times to go:
There are two ways of visiting Venice:
-during the high season( from Easter to October) when most of the great events and social and cultural celebrations occur and, of course, when the city is full of crowds of tourists.
-in the fall when Venice is less spectacular and less glitzy but also less crowded!
Anyway, here are the dates of the most important events: on 25th April the Feast of San Marco; in late spring the day of the Sensa (or ascension) with the ceremony of the Marriage of Venice with the sea; in May the Vogalonga, a huge rowing regatta; on the third sunday in July the Festa del Redentore; on the first sunday in September the Regata Storica in the Grand Canal; during the summer season are held the Biennale d’Arte and the Venice Film Festival; on 21th November is celebrated the Feast of the Madonna della Salute; and of course in February there is the Carnevale.

Food & wine:
Try to avoid every “menu turistico” and look for some of the genuine hidden treasures that Venice offers: dine at a local bàcaro or osteria. You’ll probably eat cheaply and find excellent bollito misto (boiled meats) and the risotto nero, rice coloured and flavoured with squid ink.

Venezia by night:
Unfortunately Venice by night offers almost nothing to see or do: bars, restaurants and most everything else shuts down before midnight. You can find at least a few piano-bars, but not so much of theatre, music or cinema.

Places to see:
The Grand Canal; Piazza San Marco; Palazzo Ducale (the Doge’s Palace); Ponte dei Sospiri; Torre dell’Orologio; Museo Correr; Campo San Moisè; Teatro La Fenice; Campo Santo Stefano or Campo Morosini; le Mercerie; San Zulian; Campo San Salvador; Ponte di Rialto; Fondaco dei Tedeschi; Riva del Ferro and Riva del Carbon; San Luca; Palazzo Grimani; Palazzo Grassi; Rialto; Ca’Pesaro; Fondaco dei Turchi; San Giacomo dell’Orio; Ponte degli Scalzi; Campo dei Tolentini; I Tre Ponti, Giardino Papadopoli; Riva del Vin; Campo San Polo; Campo San Rocco; Campo dei Frari; Campiello di San Giovanni Evangelista; Campo della Carità; Gallerie dell’Accademia; Palazzo Cini; Campo della Salute; Punta della Dogana; the Zattere; the Gesuati; Rio di San Trovaso; Ca’Rezzonico; Palazzi Giustinian and Ca’Foscari; Scuola Grande dei Carmini; San Nicolò dei Mendicali; San Sebastiano; the Scalzi; Palazzo Labia; Ponte delle Guglie; Campo San Fosca; Ca’ d’Oro; San Giobbe; Ponte dei Tre Archi; the Ghetto; Campo Madonna dell’Orto; the Gesuiti; Calle del Paradiso; Santa Maria dei Miracoli; Scuola Grande di San Marco.
The Islands: Giudecca, San Giorgio Maggiore, San Michele, Murano, Burano and Torcello.