Attraction
Romantic Gondola Ride in Venice
Gondolas have been a tradition in Venice for centuries. Initially used to transport goods down the narrow canals of Venice, today gondolas are primarily used for sightseeing and ceremonial functions. Taking a gondola ride in Venice gives you a completely different perspective of the city than exploring it on foot. The best time for a gondola ride is in the evening when the waterways are no longer crowded with other boats. You can usually book a ride through your hotel. If you go for a walk around St. Mark's in the evening, many gondoliers stand near bridges offering gondola rides.
Rialto
The Rialto has always been the commercial heart of Venice, so it's hardly surprising that the first bridge over the Grand Canal was built here. The canal crossing had quite a chequered history before Antonio da Ponte (Anthony of the Bridge) built this robust marble version in 1588. Today the area is still famous for its bustling fruit & veg market, but the bridge itself is neck-deep in stalls selling tourist tat.
Rialto is virtually in the center of Venice. San Marco, Saint Mark may be more famous, but Rialto, with its markets and shops is the true heart of Venice.
Piazza of San Marco
Tourist magnet in Venice is the Piazza San Marco, better known to Anglophones as St. Mark's Square. It differs from its foreign counterparts in two major respects: (1) It's more attractive, and (2) It hasn't been corrupted by the automobile.
Piazza S.Marco is the only true square in Venice. St.Mark's Square was called "the drawing room of the world" by Musset. The Piazza San Marco is the hub of most activity, signaled from most parts of the city by the Campanile, which began life as a lighthouse in the ninth century.
The eastern end of the Piazza San Marco is dominated by the city's most important historical sights - the Basilica San Marco, the Doge's Palace and the Campanile. The Campanile is, by far, the tallest building in the city of Venice, and offers incomparable views. This is the busiest part of the city for tourists, and there are always hundreds in the square taking photographs and feeding the pigeons.
The Carnival
Venice's most celebrated event is the Carnival, which occupies the ten days leading up to Lent. More than any other city, is famed for its carnival. Sensual, splendorous and unique, the Carnival of Venice is distinct for its originality. The city, the only one of its type in the world, becomes animated by masks of every kind and costumes of the epoch.
When Carnival first began it was celebrated from December 26 and reached its climax the day before Ash Wednesday, also known as "Mardi Gras". During the period of Carnival it seems that every excess was permitted and the fact that everyone wore masks seemed to abolish all social division.
Basilica di San Marco
Campanile di San Marco
Lido
The Lido is one of the most popular beachfronts of Venice. Complete with fashionable beachfront resort, deluxe hotels and the Casino Municipale, this area receives a great number of visitors. So, while in Venice kick off your shoes and enjoy the texture of the Lido sand.
Lido island is a narrow strip of land about seven miles long, separating the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. This quaint resort-like island is only ten minutes from the heart of Venice, Piazza S. Marco by the panoramic public waterbus, the Vaporetto. The Lido Beach (Open from June 1st through September 15th) is one of the nicest and best serviced in Europe. If desired, we can arrange a beachfront cabana rental for you. Lido is also quite child-friendly, offering parks, arcades, sports centers and movies theatres all within walking distance of the center of town.
The Grand Canal
The Great Canal is literally a great road of water. The canal winds through the city and is filled with vaporetti, motorboats, and gondolas. The beginnings of the canal can be seen within the Piazzetta San Marco, and from there the canal winds its course through the city; outlined by some of the most majestic structures.
The Canal Grande (Grand Canal), about three and a half kilometres (two and a half miles) in length, snakes through Venice, its great double backwards S curve giving the city's sestieri their shape.
The most interesting stretch is between Vallaresso vaporetto stop, near Piazza San Marco, in the south-east and the station (Ferrovia) in the north-west. The trip takes about half an hour and is worth repeating at different times od day (and night).
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