Holidays in Venice

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Venice is divided into neighborhoods, sestieri and the Grand Canal weaves its way through the city from northwest to southwest for 4km. Be prepared to get lost in the maze of tiny alleyways and do not miss a gondola tour! It is important to choose an accommodation located in the center, around San Marco square and the Rialto Bridge. Some are cutting edge chic while others are a throwback to the days of the Grand Tour.

Worth to visit In Venice every corner is full of history and its architecture will amaze you. The city was one of the four most powerful Maritime Republics and built a trading empire with the Near East.  Among the must-see places are the Piazza San Marco and its Basilica, the final resting place of St Mark.
Next to St Mark's Basilica is the Doge's Palace. Wonder at the staterooms and then tremble in the dungeons. The city is bursting with artistic treasures and practically everything that hangs in the Accademia is a masterpiece. Don't forget to visit the private collection of Peggy Guggenheim, which has an outstanding selection of modern art. Take a boat trip to the island of Murano, where the famous Venetian glass is made and catch a performance at the recently restored La Fenice Theatre. However, considering that Venice sits on an archipelago of islands in a lagoon as if floating on water, the real Venetian experience is to wander and get lost in the maze of tiny alleyways and bridges which criss-cross hundreds of tiny canals. Do not forget to explore them also with a romantic gondola tour!

Food and Wine Pop into a bácaro, a typical Venetian bar, and try some local snacks with a glass of wine, called cicchetto. Try carciofini, tiny artichoke hearts, polpi, baby octopus, polpette, small beef meatballs and polenta and schie, polenta with shrimps. Seafood and rice dominate the menu and dishes often have a spicy twist that recalls the city's links with the Middle East. A must-try is risi e bisi - a dish of a simple risotto with bacon and peas cooked in a broth - and the baccala' alla vicentina - a tasty recipe prepared with dried cod. As in Venice's great rival, Genoa, it was a popular dish on board ship and came from the Baltic, and is thus another legacy of Venice's trading past.

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