Venice Italy attractions include a long is the list of churches, monuments, museums and palaces, from Doge’s Palace to the Accademia Gallery.
As a major tourist destination in Europe, Venice is a city full of attractions and things to see and do.
You will not get bored here, even just navigating the narrow streets, historical squares, and monumental bridges of the city, enjoying this unique city.
As a city with a long history, Venice is rich in terms of churches and cathedrals, museums, ancient buildings, magnificent palatial residences and historic villas.
In addition, as a city on a lagoon, Venice offers possibilities for trips to the neighboring islands and islets, such as the beautiful islands of Murano and Burano.
Even for those who love the cultural aspects of a holiday, Venice does not disappoint, as you can, for example, take a guided tour in the Fenice theater or go out to the Venice Biennale.
PHOTO: Venice Italy attractions: Saint Mark’s square in sestiere of San Marco.
For most tourists, the main place to start sightseeing in Venice is the sestiere of San Marco, the center of the city, with churches, monuments, museums, and palaces.
San Marco district contains the square of Piazza San Marco, with the beautiful Venetian Byzantine style basilica of the same name, Campanile, and the Doge’s Palace, a former residence of the Venetian ruler, Doge.
On the sides of the square, you can also find Old and New Procurazie buildings that host of museums, including the Archaeological museum of Venice. Other attractions in the district include Church of San Moise and the Church of San Fantin, in front of which is the La Fenice theater (built in 1790).
PHOTO: Venice Italy attractions: Bridge of Sighs, one of the famous bridges in Venice.
Basically, Venice has two famous bridges that most tourists don’t want to miss: Rialto Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs.
Of these two, Rialto bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal, is one of the city’s oldest, dating back to 1181. However, it was originally a simple wooden bridge structure, initially called the bridge of La Moneda, probably because of its proximity with the historical Venetian mint.
Bridge of Sighs, meanwhile, is visible only from one of the Venetian tourist gondolas, or from a viewing point at Ponte della Paglia. This small Baroque bridge dates back to 1600, when it was built by the Doge Marino Grimani, to connect the Doge’s Palace to the Venetian prisons, a holding place for prisoners who were going to be judged.
As a city, Venice is also known for its many historic palazzos, including the famous Ca ‘D’Oro in Cannaregio, directly overlooking the Grand Canal and now housing a museum.
The building, constructed in a Gothic style, dates from the first half of 1400s, commissioned by a wealthy Venetian merchant. The name of the palace comes from the fact that its facade was once was decorated in gold.
Other famous palaces include the renaissance style Palazzo dei Camerlenghi in San Polo district, Palazzo Grassi, overlooking Grand Canal and a home to many prestigious exhibitions, as well as Palace Franchetti, in which you’ll find the Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts.
Many of the historical palatial residences in Venice are also hotels of today, such as Palazzo Schiavoni.
Venice also has many not-to-miss churches, such as S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, a Franciscan church. The church is located in the district of San Polo, built in Gothic style, and with interiors that contain masterpieces by Titian and Bellini.
Church of the Redeemer, on the other hand, was built to celebrate the end of the terrible plague that struck Venice and many other parts of Italy and Europe in 1500. From this church, on Ascension Day, starts the celebrations for the Feast of the Redeemer, commemorating the end of the epidemic.
PHOTO: Venice Italy attractions: Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute in Venice.
Another church linked to plague is the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, which Doge Nicolò Contarini built in 1630 as a votive church after an outbreak of the plague. The baroque church stands within Punta della Dogana, overlooking the Grand Canal.
In terms of Venice Italy attractions, there are also many museums in the city that contain significant collections, such as the Accademia Gallery Museum, which houses Venetian paintings dating from the centuries between 1300 and 1700.
Among the most important painters within the museums collections include Titian, Giogione, Bellini, Tintoretto and Tiepolo. Of the many important works of the museum, you’ll enjoy individual artworks such as the famous “Vitruvian Man” by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Guggenheim Museum, at the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in Venice, is home to the Peggy Guggenheim museum, with a collection of European and American art from the first half of 20th century.
The museum, which is located directly on the Grand Canal, was originally a home of Peggy Guggenheim, and today, contains not only his personal collection, but also that of Gianni Mattioli, a Nasher Sculpture Garden, and other temporary exhibitions.
Other things worth seeing in Venice include a short water bus trip to Lido in Venice, a long, thin island in the lagoon that has earned a nickname “Golden Island” for its fine, golden sand beaches.
The island also annually houses the Venice Film Festival.
Murano and Burano are other islands within the Venetian lagoon worth visiting, which you can easily reach by a motorboat and vaporetto.
You can visit the Murano glass factories and the Museum of Glass Art, and also purchase jewelry and products made by the artisan glass makers. Burano, on the other hand, is an island of fishermen, which famously features colorful houses. Typical Burano craftmanship products include lace and there is also a museum dedicated to these products.