Very close to the Lido, this little island (once a leper camp) was given in the 18th C. to the Armenians, kicked out by the Turks, who founded a convent that was a central point of diffusion of Armenian culture. Unless you want to emulate Byron and swim to the island, you may take the vaporetto there, in which case you will be greeted by the monks, who will take you on a tour of their church, their refectory and the Archives Hall, containing 4 000 manuscripts.

For many, the Lido is strongly attached to a memory of Visconti's film, Death in Venice, filmed at the Hotel des Bains. A refined vacationing resort, the Lido is famous for its Film Festival, the Mostra, created in 1932. From the lagoon to the sea, a long avenue crosses the offshore bar. On the waterfront, the Lungomare Marconi leads to prestigious palaces, with their colorful cabins, to the Casino and to the Cinema Palace. Here and there, sumptuous villas are spread out in the greenery. Undergoing renovation in preparation for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification in 2011, the Lido will be treated to a new "porta d'acqua", designed by Pierfrancesco Fugali and Luca Gasperini, and a new Palazzo del Cinema e dei Congressi, a Franco-Italian project by architects 5 + 1AA & Rudy Ricciotti.

Despite its church by Palladio, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is not on the main tourist circuit and this is part of its charm. Here, a little distance from the hubbub of Piazza San Marco, visitors can contemplate the waterfront or, from the top of the campanile, a serene view of the palaces opposite.

Despite its church by Palladio, the island of San Giorgio Maggiore is not on the main tourist circuit and this is part of its charm. Here, a little distance from the hubbub of Piazza San Marco, visitors can contemplate the waterfront or, from the top of the campanile, a serene view of the palaces opposite.

An island? It's actually eight islets whose shape has earned them the nickname spinalonga, fish bone. This old resort for Venetian nobility, separate from the actual city by the canal with the same name, is a true haven for someone escaping the brouhaha at the Piazza San Marco by taking the vaporetto. A peaceful walk along the quays of this place of graceful simplicity, facing the sumptuous Venetian Republic, is truly appreciated.

Spend the evening on Giudecca and take an opportunity to taste Venetian cuisine in the one of the restaurants on the island.

An extraordinary cemetery island. It was Napoleon who in 1807 decreed for public health reasons that San Michele should be Venice’s cemetery. In this haven of peace rest Russian ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev and composer Igor Stravinsky (in the Orthodox section), Ezra Pound and Joseph Brodsky (in the Protestant section), plus musician Luigi Nono and comic actor Cesco Baseggio.

The view of Venice and its lagoon from the top of the bell tower is particularly stunning at sunset.

As you land on the cemetery-island, this is the first building you will come to. Built with white stone from Istria by Mauro Codussi, this was the first Renaissance church built in Venice. It has a simple facade (its top is similar to that of the Church of Saint Zachary) masks an interior adorned with a sumptuous coffered ceiling.

A small island 45 minutes from Venice where, in spite of the canals, everything is quite different: not a single palace, but simple fishermen's homes with brightly colored facades along tiny streets and along the quays of the village, an upbeat atmosphere. In addition to its colors, Burano attracts visitors for its fine lacework that were at the origin of several European factories. Many shops and stalls will solicit your attention from the moment you step off the vaporetto !

In the middle of the lagoon, this island was once an important city and seat of a bishopric but was progressively abandoned from the 10C onwards due to it silting up and malaria. While Venice bloomed into full glory, Torcello returned to a wild state and today has no more than ten houses on it. It still draws visitors on account of its exceptional mosaics, the ideal excuse for a pleasant excursion to a place with its own melancholy charm.

This museum recalls the history of the island of Torcello.

This little octagonal church, built in the 11th C., has a beautiful portico with raised archways in a Venetian Byzantine style. The sacred sobriety of the interior, the harmony of the portico, the rustic look of the whole, the impression that the place is abandoned, all of this gives it a charm that is very touching.

In the late 13C, the Great Council, fearing a major fire, decided to relocate the glassmaking industry to Murano, ever since when this has been the island of glass. The ovens and insistent requests from vendors to visit shops and workshops should not obfuscate the very real spirit of artistry prevalent here, which may be savoured while strolling to Santa Maria e Donato.