This is a guest post by Travelsupermarket.com.
Venice is one of the world’s most unique cities. Located in the north of Italy, it is famed for its canals, beautiful architecture, and the amazing artwork that can be found there. A popular destination for weekend breaks, Venice has plenty to offer, regardless of your interests.
Built across over 100 islands on a large lagoon, Venice is close to the Adriatic Sea. It has had a long history of inhabitation, but was at its peak from medieval times up through the ages to the Renaissance, when it was an economic powerhouse.
This economic power allowed successive Venetian leaders to invest heavily in the arts, making it not only the most commercially important city in the west, but also one of the most beautiful. Whilst no longer quite as economically influential, it is still undeniably beautiful.
St. Mark’s Square is the biggest square in Venice and is a place where everyone gravitates to at some time during their stay. Aside from the thousands of tourists and scores of outdoor cafes and restaurants, the square is also home to St Mark’s Basilica.
After looking at St Mark’s Basilica from the outside, it also needs to be admired from the inside. Built to commemorate the patron saint of Venice, it houses some beautiful artwork.This artwork includes Byzantine mosaics as well as some iconic paintings and sculptures, the most famous perhaps being the Greek Horses. Once located at the Hippodrome in Constantinople, they were brought to the city in 1204 by one of the most famous doges, Enrico Dandalo.
The Republic of Venice lasted for around a millennium and for the majority of this time, the leader (or Doge) lived in the Doge’s Palace. This is now a museum that not only has exhibits related to the rule of the city, but also gives access to prisons and torture chambers and the Bridge of Sighs.
The Bridge of Sighs crossed from the interior shows the view that many prisoners saw as they crossed to their prison cells. Venice has over 350 bridges and many of them are worth seeing. One other particularly famous bridge is the Rialto Bridge, which crosses the Grand Canal and is now lined by shops and market stalls.
The Grand Canal is another famous site. Two and a half miles long, it separates the old center of the city into two parts. The canal is actually older than the city and it is easy to take a boat trip along the canal, allowing you to see many of the famous buildings as well as the general beauty of the architecture itself.
A visit to an art gallery is also a must for a visitor to Venice. The Galleria dell’Accademia houses art works dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Works of Titian, Tiepolo, and Paolo Veneziano are on display there.
Venice isn’t just about fine art. Modern art is now a feature of Venice thanks to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. One of the first modern art museums in the country, it exhibits works from some of the best 20th century artists, such as Pollock and Klee.
An interesting place to see and one which allows visitors a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city is the island of Lido. This is where the annual film festival is held, but many visitors enjoy relaxing at the beach there or enjoying a meal.
Venice has always been famed for its glass and it is an excellent souvenir of the city. A trip to the island of Murano is very popular, as there are many glass factories here. Most of these factories offer demonstrations on how glass is made and it can make an interesting excursion.
Of course, no visit to Venice is complete without a gondola ride. It is true to say that this is very ‘touristy’ and can be expensive, but it provides tourists with a brilliant opportunity to see Venice from the canals. This is definitely one of the best ways to see the architecture, the bridges and some of the lesser known canals.
Getting around by boat does not need to be expensive and there are plenty of opportunities to get around by water taxi. Alternatively, a traffic free city means exploring sites on foot is a pleasure. Despite the expense and the crowds, it is possible to find moments of peace in Venice and really appreciate the unique attractions of this amazing, historic city.
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