Few cities can claim such a priceless art and history heritage as Venice. This unique city, with its magical and spectacular scenery, is a real miracle of creative genius. Venice was a city built entirely on water, and for centuries Venetian architects stubbornly insisted on recovering even the smallest bit of land from the water to build their homes. From the very beginning, building the city was a real engineering miracle, and nowadays Venice has become one of the most-visited places in Italy. So let’s now look at the top 10 things to see from a tourist perspective:
10. Gallerie dell’Academia is a museum gallery of pre-19th-century art that is housed in the Scuola della Carità building on the south bank of the Grand Canal, within the sestiere of Dorsoduro.
9. Lido di Venezia is an 11km beach and home to about 20,000 residents. Much of the beach has great sand and is the site of many luxury hotels, which makes it a very touristy place in the summer months. In addition, the Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.
8. Santa Maria della Salute is a Roman Catholic church located at Punta della Dogana in the Dorsoduro sestiere. It stands on the narrow finger of Punta della Dogana, between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, making the church visible when entering the Piazza San Marco from the water.
7. Cannaregio Sestiere is probably the most romantic spot in Venice. It is in this sestiere (district) where you will find the picture-postcards of the city and is a great place for couples to unwind beside the narrow canals.
6. Campanile di San Marco is a famous bell tower in Piazza San Marco. It is one of the most recognisable symbols of the city. There are great views to be found at the top of the viewing platform!
5. Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo. The bridge is one of the most photographed places in the whole of Venice.
4. Doges Palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice, opening as a museum in 1923. The oldest part of the palace is the façade overlooking the lagoon, the corners of which are decorated with 14th-century gothic sculptures.
3. St. Mark’s Basilica is the most famous of the city’s churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge’s Palace. For its opulent design, gold ground mosaics, and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, from the 11th century on the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d’Oro (Church of Gold).
2. The Bridge of Sighs is an enclosed bridge made of white limestone, passing over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the New Prison (Prigioni Nuove) to the interrogation rooms in the Doges Palace. It was designed by Antonio Contino (whose uncle had designed the Rialto Bridge) and was built in 1600. Simply one of the most beautiful sights in Venice!
1. The Grand Canal forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city. Public transport is provided by water buses and private water taxis, and many tourists explore the canal by gondola. The banks of the Grand Canal are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to the 18th century, and demonstrate the welfare and art created by the Republic of Venice. Most of the palaces emerge from water without pavement. Consequently, one can only tour past the fronts of the buildings on the grand canal by boat.
This brings back good memories. I missed almost all the places mentioned here though but I guess I have a reason to visit again.
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It’s a fairly small city, though, so finding good places to see is actually quite easy. However, I would say that Venice is perhaps more for the more affluent tourist, rather than backpacker groups, as a lot of the attractions here are more cultural.
However, a gondola ride down the Grand Canal is one of the best things to do in Europe (no matter touristy it seems!)
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It looks very busy ! Did you visit Burano and Murano ?
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