Venice is imbued with the atmosphere of a unique city in which every street, every building, every bridge has its own history, fanned by famous names and great events:
Piazza San Marco is the main square of Venice. It consists of two parts – Piazza (“square”) and Piazetta (“platform”). The square was formed in the 9th century.
Cathedral of St. Mark (Basilica di San Marco – “Basilica of San Marco”)– the Cathedral of Venice (until 1807 the court chapel at the Doge’s Palace), a magnificent example of Byzantine architecture in Western Europe. The cathedral is decorated with amazing Byzantine-style mosaics and is home to the relics of the Apostle Mark and many valuable art objects taken from Constantinople during the Crusades. In 1987, the cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) – the main building and symbol of Venice, a grandiose palace (1309-1424), built on stilts – a monument of Italian Gothic architecture (XIV – XV centuries). Presumably the architect of the first version of the palace was Filippo Calendario. The Doge lived and ruled the republic in the palace, the Grand Council and the Senate met here.
Campanile (bell tower) St. Mark (Campanile di San Marco) – a bell tower located on the square of the same name, the tallest building in Venice. This one of the most famous symbols of the city dominates the square, justifying the name given to it by the Venetians – el paron de casa (master of the house). The first bell tower was built in the 9th century. in place of the watchtower. However, in 1902, the bell tower collapsed, and the one that stands today on Campanile Square is a copy of the fallen tower, built at the beginning of the century.
The Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio) is a 15th-century tower, another symbol of Venice. On the tower there is a clock with figures of two Moors who strike the bell every hour. The clock shows not only the time, but also the phases of the moon, as well as the position of the sun relative to the signs of the zodiac.
Grand Canal (Italian: Canal Grande)– a water channel about four kilometers long, which is the largest transport corridor in Venice. One end of it leads to the Santa Lucia railway station, and the other to St. Mark’s Bay.
The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) is a baroque covered bridge built in 1602 to connect the Tribunal in the Doge’s Palace with the New Prisons.
The Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is the oldest of the four bridges over the Grand Canal. Built in 1592, a unique 48-meter marble structure with a 28-meter long arch, there are many shops on the bridge.
Academy Gallery– the museum, founded in 1750, is famous for its magnificent collection of paintings and sculptures, including works by Bellini, Titian, Veronese, Guardi, Longhi, Lorenzo Lotto, Palma il Vecchio, Vittore Carpaccio, Veronese, Tintoretto and others and others.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria della Salute (Italian: Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute) is a Roman Catholic church built in 1681 and located in the Dorsoduro district. It is the latest of a series of cathedrals built in honor of the deliverance of the city from the plague. Tintoretto’s painting “Marriage at Cana” is kept in the cathedral.
Cathedral of San Giorgio Maggiore– a magnificent 16th-century cathedral, decorated with a snow-white facade, located on the island of the same name and built between 1566 and 1610 in the classical Renaissance architectural style, belongs to the monastic order of St. Benedict.
Islands of the Venetian Lagoon:
Lido Island is a sandbank 11 kilometers long in the territory of Venice, which limits the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. The island is the venue for the Venice Film Festival.
Murano Island – on this island, which is famous all over the world for Venetian glass products, there is a glass museum and workshops where you can watch the creation of glass works.
Burano Island – the island quarter of Venice, located at a distance of 7 km from the city center, has been famous since the 16th century for the production of magnificent Venetian lace, and is also known for the bright multi-colored facades of buildings.
Torcello Island– on this island is the oldest building of the lagoon – the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the octagonal Basilica of Santa Fosca.
The island of San Michele is the island named after St. Michael the Archangel. For a long time there was a monastery in the fortress on the island, then a prison, and since 1807 it was transformed by Napoleon into a place for the burial of the Venetians. Here are the graves of famous people, in particular, Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Brodsky.
Restaurants
Venice is famous not only for its own cuisine, but also for its excellent restaurants, many of which have their own centuries-old history.
Gran Caffe’ Quadri is a famous cafe on St. Mark’s Square, opened in 1775, Byron, Dumas, Stendhal, Proust were frequent guests of the cafe.
Florian is the oldest and most famous cafe in Venice. The cafe was opened in 1720, on Piazza San Marco and today is rightfully one of the symbols of the city. Lord Byron, Carlo Goldoni, Casanova, Rousseau, Hemingway, Joseph Brodsky have been here. Like today’s visitors to the Florian, they sat on benches covered with scarlet velvet and drank coffee. It is many who today go to the cafe “Florian” as a museum.
Harry’s Bar– no less famous restaurant on St. Mark’s Square, where Hemingway liked to visit, is famous for its exquisite Venetian cuisine.
Fiore (Calle del Scaleter, 2202) is an elegant restaurant serving the best of Venetian fish dishes and an excellent wine list.
Le Calandre (Via Liguria 1, Rubano) is a chic Italian restaurant awarded with three Michelin stars
Shopping
Venice is unique in every way, including shopping. After all, only here you can buy real Venetian masks, amazing Venetian lace, rare commedia dell’arte dolls and elegant Murano glassware. In addition, Venice has many boutiques of fashionable designer brands. Most of the shops are located in the galleries on Piazza San Marco, as well as on Calle Larga XXII Marzo boutiques, on Chiesa di San Moisi, Campo San Maurizio, Palazzo Grassi.