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Venice and Venetia

San Giorgio Maggiore basilica
The San Giorgio Maggiore basilica is located on the island of the same name, opposite Saint-Marc, the very heart of Venice. Designed by architect Palladio, the construction process was initiated in 1565 and not completed until 1576, after his death. Its façade was only finished in 1610 by Vincenzo Scamozzi. One of the church's most unusual aspects is it's three naves, and the view from the Campanile is simply astounding, offering a superb panorama of the city's rooftops.

Guggenheim MuseumThe Peggy Guggenheim Collection is Italy's most important museum for American and European art dating back to the first half of the 20th century. The collection is housed in the former home of Peggy Guggenheim, the ?Venier dei Leoni? situated on Venice's Grand Canal.

Inaugurated in 1980, the museum is home to Peggy Guggenheim's personal art collection as well as works by Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Léger, Brancusi, Delaunay, Giacometti, Klee, Magritte and many others.

Your visit to Venice will surely take you past masquerade boutiques (for the carnival), sumptuous bridges, cafés on the Piazza San Marco and the Doge's Palace...
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Piazza San Marco	Rialto	Carnival	Gondolas

Strolling through the San Paulo quarter in Venice: Start your tour at Santa Lucia station, but before crossing the Grand Canal, look up to the Gli Scalzi church with its Baroque facade in Carrara marble.

Once at the Grand Canal cross the Ponte degli Scalzi, one of Venice's four bridges - take your time and admire the view. Crossing through the neighbourhood you will be going from the tourist quarter to the more residential areas. A few steps away, you will see the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista which features a beautiful entrance dating back to 1481.

Keep on going until you hit the campo dei Frari; there admire the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church, a beautiful Fransiscan basilica is topped with a campanile (the tallest in Venice). Within, you can admire a few gemstones of Italian art such as Canova's sculptures or Tiziano Vecellio's Assumption of the Virgin.

The basilica is located near the San Paolo quarter, a major cultural centre in Venice. The area hosts numerous festivities and film projections throughout the year. Behind the Frari basilica, you can admire the impressive Scuola Grande di San Rocco. This edifice is one of the most impressive of the city's store of Renaissance architecture and boasts a collection of Tintoret paintings. Enjoy your tour!
Venice, a place of peace and quiet...: Torcello isle, in the middle of the Lagoon, is a haven of peace, a place of solitude for some -- Ernest Hemingway was known to spend time there himself.

The vaporetto n°12 will take you straight to Torcello, and once on dry land skirt the Torcello canal. Along the way you will see beautiful houses, groves and vineyards... From there you should be able to see the campanile of the Santa Maria Assunta church, one of the island's last standing monuments. Then cross the canal on Diavolo bridge, and be careful as the bridge has no parapets! Walk to the cathedral for a fascinating tour; Venetian/Byzantine mosaics can still be admired within.

You can continue your tour of Torcello with the Santa Fosca church, interesting especially for its octagonal shape. The adjoining museum boasts a fascinating collection relating to the island's history: sculptures, mosaics, pottery and paintings...

Before heading back to Venice centre, make your way to the top of the Campanile to enjoy a stunning view of the Lagoon...
Venice and its many playhouses.: Venice is the capital of theatre par excellence. Tragedy, comedy, masquerade... These concepts were once the very life-blood of this great city.

Your tour will begin with a visit of Carlo Goldoni's house. Goldoni was a reputed 18th century playwright and his former house is now home to the Casa Goldoni institute of theatrical studies.

From there, why not take a gondola ride to the mouth of the Rio di S. Tomà and cross the Grand Canal; you'll disembark on the doorstep of the Lando Corner Spinelli palace (a design signed Codussi in the late 15th century).

While you ramble through the narrow streets you will happen upon the Fenice theatre on campo San Fantin. This beautiful opera house, twice rebuilt from a pile of ashes, has seen many a playwright rise to stardom (Rossini, Bellini, Verdi... ).

After a quick visit, take the alley running between the San Fantin church and the Cteneo Veneto, cross the rio dei Barcaroli. Take the next right and stop at the scala del Bovolo; from the spiral staircase you can enjoy a view of the city with its church peaks here and there...

Return to campo San Luca which is a favoured meeting point for locals; enjoy a hot chocolate or cup of tea in one of the many cafés. To end the day with a bit of culture, take the calle del Teatro and walk to the Goldoni theatre where you can check the programme to see if there is anything worth watching... There probably will be.

What’s on in Venice

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