Sooner or later you will become lost in Venice, a city of more than 100 separate islands divided by roughly 150 canals and crossed by 400 bridges. Its narrow and closed streetscapes make it difficult to navigate. To help, signs all over town indicate the way to the train station, the Rialto Bridge, and Piazza San Marco, the heart of the city.
Central Venice is divided into six neighborhoods, or sestieri (San Marco, Castello, Dorsoduro, Cannaregio, San Polo, and Santa Croce). Addresses consist of the name of the sestiere and a number, though the numbers don't go in any sequential order, so San Marco 3672 and 3673 might well be several streets apart. When necessary, addresses give the nearest calle (street), campo (field - a piazza in any other Italian town), or bridge. If a street runs alongside a canal, it is a riva or fondamenta, and a street with shops is often called a ruga or salizzada.
You walk everywhere in Venice, and where you cannot walk you go by water. While the city has hundreds of bridges, the Grand Canal can only be crossed on foot at three points: Ponte degli Scalzi, near the train station (Ferrovia); Ponte di Rialto, at the Rialto; and at Ponte dell'Accademia. As an alternative, take the traghetti, essentially gondolas that ferry across the canal. The vaporetti (water buses) that circulate through the city on set routes are best used to cover long distances.
Here's the highly selective list of the very best things to see and do in Venice.
Basilica di San Marco. An opulent synthesis of Byzantine and Romanesque styles, Venice's gem is laid out in a Greek-cross floor plan and topped with five plump domes. It was inaugurated in 1094 as the resting place of St. Mark the Evangelist. San Marco is famous for its 43,055 sq ft of stunning mosaics, for the Cappella della Madonna di Nicopeia (Chapel of the Madonna of Nicopeia), and for the extraordinary Pala d'Oro (Golden Altarpiece), a dazzling gilded silver screen encrusted with gems. There are free guided tours in English during summer months. Piazza San Marco, Venice, TEL: 041/522-5697. Basilica: COST: Free. Mon.-Sat. 9:45-4:30, Sun. 1-4:30. Sanctuary and Pala d'Oro: COST: EUR1.55. Treasury: TEL: 041/5225697. COST: EUR2.10.
Burano. Dotting this fishing village on an island in the lagoon are houses painted in cheerful colors and a raked bell tower in the main square, Piazza Galuppi, about 100 yards from the landing stage. Lace is to Burano what glass is to Murano, but be prepared to pay a lot - $1,000 to $2,000 for a 10" doily - for the real thing. Stalls line the way from the landing stage to Piazza Galuppi. Piazza Galuppi, Venice, TEL: 041/730034. COST: EUR4.20; Apr.-Oct., Wed.-Mon. 9-5; Nov.-Mar., Wed.-Mon. 10-4.
Ca' d'Oro. This exquisite Gothic palace was once literally a "Golden House," its marble traceries and ornaments embellished with pure gold. Created in 1434 by the rich and enamored patrician Marino Contarini for his wife, the Ca' d'Oro served as a demonstration of love a second time in the 19th century, when a Russian prince offered it to the celebrated classical dancer Maria Taglioni, who collected palaces along the Grand Canal. The last proprietor, perhaps more taken with Venice than any of his lovers, left the Ca' d'Oro to the city, after carefully restoring it and filling it with the fine collection of antiquities, sculptures, and paintings that today make up the Galleria Franchetti. Calle della Ca' d'Oro, 3933 Cannaregio, Venice, TEL: 041/523-8790. COST: EUR3.10. Daily 9-2.
Campanile. Venice's famous brick bell tower stood across from the Basilica di San Marco for 1,000 years before it collapsed one morning in 1912, practically without warning. It was swiftly rebuilt according to the old plan. The stunning view from the tower on a clear day includes the Lido, the lagoon, and the mainland as far as the Alps. Piazza San Marco, Venice, TEL: 041/522-4064. COST: EUR4.20. June-Sept., daily 9:30-10; Oct.-May, daily 9:30-4:15 (last entry 30 mins before closing). Closed 2 wks Jan.
Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. This large square has the massive Dominican Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo - or San Zanipolo as it's known in Venetian dialect - on one side and the powerful equestrian Monumento di Bartolomeo Colleoni by Florentine sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio on the other. Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, TEL: 041/523-7510. Mon.-Sat. 8-12:30 and 3-6, Sun. 3-6.
Ca' Rezzonico. Begun in the 1660s and completed a century later, this Baroque mansion was bought and sold frequently over the centuries, and for a time belonged to the son of the English poet Robert Browning, who died here. Fondamenta Pedrocco, 3136 Dorsoduro, Venice, TEL: 041/241-0100. Closed for restoration.
Giudecca. The island's name is something of a mystery. According to some, it derives from the possible settlement of Jews here in the 14th century; others believe it was so called because in the 9th century nobles who had previously been exiled were compensated for damages with land here (giudicato means judged, adjudicated). It became a pleasure garden for wealthy Venetians during the long and luxurious decline of the Republic, and in one regard it is still the province of the wealthy: the exclusive Cipriani hoTel. lies secluded on its eastern tip.
Jewish Ghetto. The neighborhood that gave the world the word "ghetto" is today a quiet warren of streets off the main arteries and still home to Jewish institutions, a kosher restaurant, a rabbinical school, and five synagogues. The first Jews probably came to Venice in the 11th century; in the early 16th century, they were confined to this area, named for its foundry ("geto" in Venetian), which produced cannons. A century later, the ghetto housed about 5,000 Jews; notice the narrow, slanting buildings that remain on Campo del Ghetto Nuovo. Campo del Ghetto Nuovo, 2902/b Cannaregio, Venice, TEL: 041/715359. COST: EUR2.60, EUR6.20 lire guided tours. Weekdays 9-5, Sun. 9-5:40. Tours: Sun.-Thurs. hourly 9:30-3:30. Closed Sat. and Jewish holidays.
Murano. Like Venice, Murano is made up of a number of smaller islands linked by bridges. It is known for its glassworks, which moved here from Venice in the 13th century because they were a fire hazard. Many of these line the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, the canal-side walkway leading away from the Colonna landing stage, and can be visited. Murano, TEL: 041/739586. COST: EUR4.20; Apr.-Oct., Thurs.-Tues. 10-5; Nov.-Mar., Thurs.-Tues. 10-4.
Palazzo Ducale. (Doge's Palace). This Gothic-Renaissance fantasy of pink-and-white marble is the majestic expression of the prosperity and power attained by Venice during its most glorious period - it was the Venetian Republic's White House, Senate, Supreme Court, and prison rolled into one. Inside, you'll see the lavishly gilded Scala d'Oro (Golden Staircase), walls and ceilings covered with works by Venice's greatest artists, and a breathtaking carved and gilded ceiling. A guided tour of the secret rooms takes you to the doge's private apartments, up into the attic and the Piombi prison, and through hidden passageways to the torture chambers. Palazzo Ducale, Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, TEL: 041/522-4951. COST: EUR9.30 includes entrance to Biblioteca Marciana, Museo Correr, Museo Vetrario, Museo del Merletto, and Palazzo Mocenigo; "Secret Itineraries" tour EUR12.40. Apr.-Oct., daily 9-7; Nov.-Mar., daily 9-5. English tours daily 10:30; reservations essential.
Palazzo Mocenigo. So well-preserved it looks like a movie set, this palazzo gives a sense of what private architecture was like in the last years of the Republic, with outstanding floors and glass chandeliers from Murano. The furniture and paintings are all original and constitute a sort of permanent exhibit. The suits, lace, fabrics, and accessories on display come from the collection of the Center for the History of Textiles and Costumes (housed in a wing of the palace). Salizzada San Stae, 1992 San Stae, Venice, TEL: 041/721798. COST: EUR4.20; EUR9.30 combined ticket. Mon.-Sat. 8:30-1:30.
Piazza San Marco. Pedestrian traffic jams clog the most famous piazza in Venice and its surrounding byways. Despite the crowds, you'll see why Napoléon called this "the most beautiful drawing room in all of Europe." Stand at the far end, facing the Basilica di San Marco. From there, the long arcaded building on your left is the Procuratie Vecchie, built in the early 16th century as offices and residences for the powerful Procurators of San Marco. On your right is the Procuratie Nuove, built half a century later in a more grandiose classical style. The short side of the square opposite the basilica is the Ala Napoleonica, a wing built by order of Napoléon to complete the square. Piazza San Marco, Venice.
Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge). In the 16th century, after centuries of failed bridges over the Grand Canal, the Venetian Republic staged a competition for the best design in stone, and the job went to the appropriaTel.y named Antonio da Ponte. A single arcade, more than 91 ft in length, supports two rows of shops with windows that open onto the often crowded central passage. The side paths offer a prime look at one of the city's most captured views - the Grand Canal full of gondolas and boats in the background. The surrounding area is a commercial hub, with open-air vegetable, fruit, and fish markets. Rialto, Venice.
San Giorgio dei Greci. This Greek Orthodox church, built in the 16th century, cost 15,000 gold ducats, an exorbitant sum in those days. The interior is second only to that of San Marco for its glittering gold and Byzantine accents. The walls are covered by notably intense icons, mosaics, and nearly 100 silver reliefs, mostly the work of little-known 17th-century artists from Crete. A stunning ceiling fresco by 16th-century artist Giovanni di Cipro represents a tidy Last Judgment. Ponte dei Greci, 3412 Castello, TEL: 041/522-6581. COST: Free. Mon.-Sat. 9-12:30, Sun. open for Mass only.
San Sebastiano. After leaving his native Verona, Paolo Caliari, better known as Veronese, established his reputation with the frescoes he painted at this church when still in his twenties. He continued to embellish the interior for over a decade with amazing perspective and trompe l'oeil scenes. Because he lived in the street nearby, this was his parish church and, not surprisingly, he was buried here; his tomb is to the left of the sanctuary. Campo San Sebastiano, Dorsoduro, Venice, TEL: 041/528-2487. COST: EUR1.55, EUR7.75 cumulative ticket. Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 3-5.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Perfectly proportioned and sheathed in marble, this church is an early Renaissance gem, decorated inside with exquisite marble reliefs. Notice how the architect, Pietro Lombardo (circa 1435-1515), made the church look bigger with various optical illusions: varying the color of the exterior marble to create the effect of distance; using extra pilasters to make the building's canal side look longer; slightly offsetting the arcade windows to make the arches look deeper. The church was built in the 1480s to house an image of the Virgin Mary that is said to perform miracles - look for this icon on the high altar. Calle delle Erbe, Castello, Venice, TEL: 041/523-5293. COST: EUR1.55, EUR7.75 cumulative ticket. Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5.
Santa Maria della Salute. The view of "La Salute" - as Venetians affectionately call it - from the Riva degli Schiavoni at sunset, or from the Ponte dell'Accademia by moonlight, is simply unforgettable. The architect Baldassare Longhena was only 32 when he participated in the design competition to build a great shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary in gratitude for liberation from a terrible plague that from 1630 to 1631 killed 47,000 victims in Venice alone. His original idea of a classically inspired white octagonal temple covered by a colossal cupola, with a Palladian-style facade and bizarre Baroque decorations, effortlessly conquered the avant-garde judges. The luminous interior features six chapels with one altar each and a beautiful polychrome marble floor. Look for Titian's Pentecost across the aisle to the left. Punta della Dogana, Dorsoduro, Venice, TEL: 041/731268. COST: Church free, sacristy EUR1. June-Sept., daily 9-noon and 4-6; Oct.-May, daily 9-noon and 3-5.
Santa Maria Formosa. This graceful white marble church was inspired by a vision of a curvaceous (formosa) Madonna that appeared to San Magno in the 7th century. The present building, designed by Mauro Codussi in 1492, was grafted onto the foundations of an earlier 12th-century church that replaced San Magno's original. The interior is a unique architectural blend merging Renaissance decoration with Byzantine cupolas, barrel vaults, and narrow-columned screens. Of interest are two fine paintings: Bartolomeo Vivarini's Madonna of the Mercy, sheltering a group of petitioners under her cloak, and Palma Il Vecchio's Santa Barbara (St. Barbara), the patron saint of gun powder. Campo Santa Maria Formosa, Castello, TEL: 041/523-4645. COST: EUR1.55, EUR7.75 cumulative ticket. Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5.
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This vast Gothic church known simply as I Frari contains some of the most important pictures in Venice. Paradoxically, as the principal church of the Franciscans it is austere in design, reflecting the order's vows of poverty. Chief among the works are the magnificent Titian altarpiece, Assumption of the Virgin, considered his finest painting by most art historians, as well as his Madonna di Ca' Pesaro altarpiece. Titian was buried here at the ripe old age of 88, the only one of 70,000 plague victims to be given a personal church burial. Conclude your visit with a look at DonaTel.lo's arrestingly realistic wooden sculpture of St. John the Baptist. Campo dei Frari, San Polo, Venice, TEL: 041/522-2637. COST: EUR1.55, EUR7.75 cumulative ticket. Mon.-Sat. 9-6, Sun. 1-6.
San Pietro di Castello. At the end of the 16th century, the facade of this church, built in the 9th century on the site of a 7th-century church, was redone based on a design by Palladio. The imposing campanile, the first in Venice to be built in the marble-like Istrian stone rather than brick, stands out against a peaceful Renaissance cloister and the rather picturesque, workaday slips along the Canale di San Pietro. The "island" is a particularly tranquil, almost forgotten place, with nothing to suggest that, until the Basilica di San Marco superseded it in 1807, this church served as Venice's cathedral for more than 1,000 years. Campo San Pietro Apostolo, Castello, TEL: 041/523-8950. COST: EUR1.55, EUR7.75 cumulative ticket. Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5.
San Zaccaria. This church was in large part the result of the foreign policy successes of the 12th doge, Giustiniano Partecipazio, who had gone to Constantinople to pay a gesture of submission to the Emperor. Leo V was so pleased with the doge's visit that he presented Venice with the remains of St. Zachary, father of St. John the Baptist, and even sent along a group of masons, decorators, scalpellini (stonecutters), and mosaic artists to build the church dedicated to the saint. The adjacent Benedictine convent quickly became the richest - and least chaste - in the city. The striking Renaissance facade is only the last chapter in the long story of the building, which features a coronet of four chapels instead of the apse - a Gothic layout typical of the great Northern European cathedrals, but unusual for Italy. Campo San Zaccaria, 4693 Castello, Venice, TEL: 041/522-1257. COST: Church free, chapels and crypt EUR1. Mon.-Sat. 10-noon and 4-6, Sun. 4-6.
Scuola di San Giorgio Degli Schiavoni. The Venetian scuole were not schools but institutions established by tradesmen, enclaves of foreigners, followers of a particular saint, and other groups. They were for the most part secular despite their devotional activities. This one was founded in 1451 by a local Dalmatian community, and the interior was decorated in lavish detail by Vittore Carpaccio, an artist who was not well known outside of Venice, where he spent all his life. Concentrating on scenes from the lives of three saints especially venerated in Dalmatia - Saints George, TryTel, and Jerome - Carpaccio painted devotional Tel.eri (large narrative canvases) against a background of Venetian architecture and created an unpretentious, harmonious ambience that is one of the most beautiful rooms in all of Italy. Try to visit in the morning, as this is sometimes closed in the afternoon for private ceremonies. Calle dei Furlani, 3259/a Castello, TEL: 041/5228828. COST: EUR2.60. Apr.-Oct., Tues.-Sat. 10-12:30 and 3-6:30, Sun. 9:30-12:30; Nov.-Mar., Tues.-Sat. 10-12:30 and 3-6, Sun. 10-12:30.
Scuola Grande di San Rocco. The School of San Rocco is famous for a series of more than 50 canvases painted by Tintoretto in the 1500s. They took 23 years to complete and did for Venice what Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel did for Rome. An impressive sight, the dark paintings are aglow with figures hurtling dramatically through space amid flashes of light and color. The Crucifixion in the Albergo (the room just off the great hall) is held to be his masterpiece. Campo di San Rocco, San Polo, Venice, TEL: 041/523-4864. COST: EUR4.65. Dec.-Feb., daily 10-4; Mar. and Nov., daily 10-4; Apr.-Oct., daily 9-5:30.
Torcello. This is where the first Venetians landed in their flight from the barbarians 1,500 years ago. The island's cathedral, Santa Maria Assunta, dates from the 11th century; its ornate Byzantine mosaics are testimony to the importance and wealth of an island that could attract the best artists and craftsmen of its day. Torcello, TEL: 041/730084. COST: EUR2.60. June-Sept., daily 10:30-5:30; Oct.-May, daily 10-5.
