Venice isn’t just romantic. It isn’t just filled with art treasures. It doesn’t merely host an array of the finest architecture, villas and palaces. It is all this and more. Much, much more. St. Mark’s Basilica is just one example among so many. This church is the rival of St. Peter’s in Rome. Not as […]

The famed Carnevale di Venezia has very old origins. There are documents as far back as 1268 discussing its games during the celebration. Though the carnival faded after Napoleon’s invasion, it came roaring back again. Today, it is one of this already festive city’s most celebrated events. It takes place typically in February, and continues […]

The Golden House of Venice is one of the city’s most outstanding works of architecture. In a city renowned for them, that is quite a claim. But the accolade is well earned. As a main European center of trade for centuries, Venice enjoyed influences from all over the continent and the Middle East. This mixture […]

The Fenice Theater in Venice is a world famous opera house. But even for those whose musical tastes run elsewhere, it’s a tourist’s delight. First constructed in the late 18th century, the theater burned to the ground in January of 1996. Official investigations led to uncertain conclusions, but arson was strongly suspected. What no official […]

Venice was a Republic for centuries before the system was adopted elsewhere apart from the Roman period, of course. But even then aspects of nobility in government were present. The Doge’s Palace was one such. It was home to the Doge, and was also used to house administrative offices, along with several prisons. First constructed […]

Anyone who was anyone in 18th century Venice simply had to have their own palace. And so it was with the Bolognese Grassi family. Contrary to popular thinking, aristocracy isn’t always hereditary. One can sometimes buy one’s way in. So it was with the Grassi and one of the patron’s later acts was to commission […]

The belltower of the Basilica di San Marco is much more than just an enclosure to house bells to ring the faithful on a Sunday morning. It is a symbol of Venice and one of its most significant structures. In a city like Venice, that’s quite a claim. The tower stands nearly 100 meters (98.6m […]

Venice is an unusual city, a mixture of influences from East and West. Nowhere is this more evident than in the famed Basilica di San Marco. Built on top of the burnt ruins of an earlier church, the current building took shape in the late 11th century. Consecrated in 1094, the present facade began in […]

Venice has an array of villas that are historically interesting and beautiful to see. They make for another outstanding thing to do in a city already filled with so many. Villa Pisani Villa Pisani is a baroque villa in Stra. Begun in the early 1700s, it was the home of the man appointed Doge of […]

Often compared to the Sistine Chapel Ceiling in Rome, the paintings in San Rocco by the Venetian master Tintoretto easily demonstrate why. While none can surpass Michelangelo, this native artist was indeed one of the most outstanding of the Renaissance. And the over 50 paintings housed here make plain why the comparison is warranted. But […]