If the facade of Saint Mark's Basilica is superb, the interior will leave you in awe with its mosaics on golden backgrounds that cover the walls, cupolas, and illuminate this oriental looking basilica! If you want to see them more closely, you will..

The sestiere of San Marco lies in the last meander of the Grand Canal before it spills into the lagoon. It encompasses the so-called golden triangle, the area of Venice most frequented by tourists, demarcated by the Accademia (to the west), the ..

This extraordinary architectural ensemble is the very embodiment of Venice. Everything here is graceful and beautiful, albeit teeming with pigeons and tourists. This vast trapezoidal space is harmoniously framed by the Procuratie, under the arcades o..

Unmissable, this amazing palace reveals Venice’s entire history, both the public history of its doges and the more secret, tragic one of an uncompromising Republic. On the brighter side are the sumptuous ducal apartments with a visit culminating with..

The Grand Canal is 3.8km in length and varies between 30m and 70m in width according to the curves it weaves across the city. Simply spectacular, the Grand Canal is striking naturally for its famous palaces (especially impressive by night) but also b..

Known as the school of the Dalmatians or the “Slavonians” (Schiavoni), the foundation dates from 19 May 1451 when a decree of the Council of Ten approved its statutes and rules. The small interior has the Sts George, Tryphon and Jerome cycle , a mas..

Although stripped of the ornamentation from which it derives its names (oro is gold), this delicate, floral, Gothic creation is stunning, both in terms of its façade and what lies within. Above the magnificent mosaic-paved inner courtyard, the Galle..

Housing the city’s finest art collection, the museum occupies a group of buildings comprising the Lateran convent, church of the Carità and the Scuola Grande della Carità, granted to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1750 and a museum since the 19C. Today,..

Immense, the Church of the Friars Minor (Franciscans) has the tallest bell tower in Venice, after Saint Mark, of course. Built entirely with bricks, very sober, this Gothic church imposes itself by its size, and above all, by the works of art it cont..

Dedicated to San Rocco, who protected against pestilence and disease, this influential confraternity or scuola was recognised by the Council of Ten in 1478 and dedicated to fighting the plague. Tintoretto was chosen as their painter, and a fine co..

At 96m high, this is one of Venice’s most distinctive landmarks; visible from the mainland, it is an exact replica of a 16C tower which collapsed in 1902. From the top, the view stretches from the Giudecca Canal and the Grand Canal, over terraces a..

Enthralling and dense, this museum recounts the history of Venice, both the long period of the Doges and that of the Risorgimento: objects and works of art evoke its maritime commerce, artisanal crafts, games and festivities, and the daily life of Ve..

This arched bridge made with stone from Istria, built over the canal of the Palace between 1595 and 1605, bears the coat of arms of the doge Marino Grimani. It is one of Venice's best known sights (of the world's sights, in fact), and the little brid..

A Lombard facade, a masterpiece of the Renaissance, built by Codussi between 1480 and 1500 according to the plan for the Church of Saint Michael. A spacious interior with a Renaissance nave and Gothic choir, and walls that are literally covered with ..

With its humped shape covered with arches, this bridge is emblematic of Venice. So it shouldn't surprise us to see it besieged by a crowd coming to take "the" photo of the Grand Canal, and the small shops, once occupied by bankers and finan..

Built in 1630 by Baldassare Longhena to ward off a plague epidemic, this immense church crowned with a domed and standing almost exactly at the mouth of the Grand Canal, is one of the best-known sites of Venice. If the interior can seem quite cold ..

Palazzo Venier dei Leoni is home to the collection of Peggy Guggenheim, niece of collector Salomon Guggenheim. She amassed a fabulous collection of contemporary paintings and sculpture (most of which are surrealist works and pieces from the Dada mo..

Andra Verrochio created this equestrian statue depicting a proud mounted warrior, his fierce demeanour and spirited steed making for a magnificent spectacle, further enhanced by the bulky plinth on which it stands. After the artist’s death, Alessandr..

Built by the Dominicans from 1240 to 1430, this is the largest Gothic church in Venice. Its solemn character is derived from its historical role as doges’ pantheon . The impressively spacious and light interior layout comprises a nave and two aisles..

In the Venetian dialect, Zanipòlo is a contraction of St John and St Paul. The Gothic church dedicated to them is the burial place for the doges and opens onto the square after which it is named. In its centre stands an equestrian statue of Bartolme..