Living in Venice

Have you been to Venice?

Today, we will take a short tour of the most beautiful and beloved city in the world!

Like the articles on Tuscany, Sardinia, Rome and Matera, we try to give short and practical itineraries for those traveling to Italy. Today we take you to Venice.

As you leave the historic Santa Lucia Station or cross into the city from the Ponte della Costituzione (designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava), you find yourself suddenly in a different world. The experience is quite extraordinary, to say the least.

Immediately you notice that there are no cars in sight. Instead of roads, you will see water, and canals filled with all sorts of boats: motorboats; steamboats; sailboats; as well as the historic boats of Venice, the gondolas. These beautifully carved wooden vessels are artistic masterpieces and also symbols of love and romanticism.

Living in Venice

After reaching your accommodation, leave your bags, put on some comfortable shoes, and start exploring on foot, or by sea, the treasures that await you.

Living in Venice: the Canal Grande!

Venice is also known as “La Serenissima,” or the most serene Republic of Venice.

It lies in the heart of the Venetian Lagoon and the Grand Canal spectacularly cuts it’s main island into two. The canal is lined with majestic palaces, historic villas, museums, institutes and fairytale hotels, every inch steeped in hundreds of years of glorious history.

Living in Venice: Rialto bridge!

Explore the colorful Rialto district with its markets of fresh fish, fruit, vegetables and fragrant spices, then cross over the famous Rialto bridge, built in 1591. It will bring you to an area full of historic shops and luxury boutiques: for a wonderful souvenir to show off at any occasion, stop by Eredi Jovon, where you can have a unique Cameo engraved and personalized.

Living in Venice: piazza San Marco!

From here, just like in a painting by Canaletto, you will arrive at the extraordinary Piazza San Marco (Saint Marks Square) also nicknamed the Salotto d’Europa (The Drawing Room of Europe). On one end of the 170-meter long square stands the monumental Basilica of San Marco with its almost 100-meter-tall bell tower. Surrounding the other three sides are the Procuratie, imposing buildings built over covered walkways where the procurators once lived. Under these porticos, you will find the most exclusive and antique cafés in the world. The most famous are the Quadri, Florian, and Lavena, frequented by Richard Wagner and now a cocktail bar of the Venetian elite.

Don’t let this scare you off, however. Come and admire its 18th-century interior and order a spritz- the classic Venetian aperitif- at the bar. You are in for a surprise! If you don’t sit at a table, the price is the same as in any other city in Italy!

Obviously, a visit inside the great Basilica is a must. If you buy your tickets online in advance, you can skip the long line and have much more time to discover this unique and unforgettable city.

Living in Venice: art!

You could use this time to discover some of the amazing art museums Venice has to offer. For art from the 14th to 18th century, visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia, among the richest museums in existence. Or, if you are interested in the best of modern and contemporary art check out the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, and the Venice Biennale. The Biennale is held every odd-numbered year in the great Arsenale, the oldest factory in the world where Venetian ships were constructed.

It can be reached on foot via the Riva degli Schiavoni, passing the Palazzo Ducale, the Bridge of Sighs and the Church of the Pietà, where Antonio Vivaldi taught music. In front of you, on the opposite bank, is the memorable profile of the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.

Inside the Biennale there are Gardens created by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century, that today host 29 art pavilions. To get there cross the only real street of the city, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. For the first time, it will seem as though you are not in Venice. Keep walking to return to the world of the lagoon, canals, small squares, typical venetian streets, boats, gondolas, history, art, and music. Venice is all of this and so much more. It is full of wonders, and you will discover things you can only imagine!

Living in Venice: shopping.

To experience Venice and Italy, follow our Made in Italy articles, a careful selection of excellent Italian products curated just for you. Discover the Venetian cameos of the Eredi Jovon, and if you love shoes, head to the nearby footwear district of the Riviera del Brenta. Here you will find the fantastic Rosso Venezia, shoe designers for the best fashion houses in the world.

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