Segui la Linea Blu

• Chiesa di S.Eufemia
• Chiesa di San Biagio

In a few steps ranging from the Accademia’s immortal masterpieces of Venetian painting to the most extreme contemporary art at Punta della Dogana, and the absolute 20th century Masters at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. There is more to see at the Gesuati Church, facing the Giudecca Canal, like the magnificent ceiling painted by Tiepolo, and the dancing hall at Ca’ Rezzonico, home of the Venice 18th Century Museum, with Tiepolo’s frescos. And, where the Gran Canal flows into the Saint Mark’s Basin, the spectacular Basilica della Salute, a masterpiece by architect Longhena.

Giudecca island’s farthest edge offers one of the best views on San Marco basin, like the one you get from the three windows of spectacular “Casa dei Tre Oci” (the three-eyed manor), neo-gothic building now International Center for Photography. Next to it Convento delle Zitelle, founded in 1581 to assist poor girls of marriageable age (“zitella” means “spinster”) and now a luxury hotel. Its Church, open to the public, is claimed by seventeenth-century sources to be a project by the Palladio, however neither the façade nor the interior show traces of his art, which are evident in their perfection in Chiesa del Redentore, a short walk down the alley. The indisputable masterpiece of the Palladio is the centre of the great Festa del Redentore, feasted on the third Sunday of July.

Saint Mark’s Square and its monuments are among the world icons; the Basilica, with its vaults and Byzantine mosaics, is a timeless masterpiece bathed in gold. The Palazzo Ducale is the heart of the Serenissima, the arcades are lined with shops and cafes – like the Florian, the most ancient and renowned, almost three centuries old. At the Procuratie Nuove, the Correr Museum encloses the square with a magnificent collection of Venetian art and history. On top of the Clock Tower, the two “Moors,” suspended between the past and the present, strike the hours, first the older and, five minutes later, the younger.

San Zaccaria Church has a tripartite façade, it was designed by Codussi, and hosts, among other masterpieces, Bellini’s Madonna Enthroned with Saints. One more church designed by Codussi is Santa Maria Formosa, with Bartolomeo Vivarini’s famous Triptych of Mercy, located in the homonymous wide campo. Palazzo Querini is a historical palace, seat of the important cultural foundation Querini Stampalia. It is also a library and a museum, hosting Bellini’s Presentation at the Temple; it also hides a little, delicious zen garden designed by Carlo Scarpa. Palazzo Grimani is a precious, unique remnant of 16th century architecture. A series of canvases by Carpaccio are exhibited in the Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni.

Venice, ruler of the seas, owns an interesting Historical Naval Museum, displaying significant sea memories and a model of the legendary Bucintoro. The sea factory, the Arsenale occupies a huge space in the heart of the city, one part is still devoted to its original function, others host the Venice Biennale of Art, the world’s most important exhibition of contemporary art. The Giardini della Biennale present a series of national pavilions plunged in a secular garden. Extreme present and remote past are intertwined in this area, and the San Pietro di Castello Church confirms that: it was Venice’s cathedral until 1807.

Since as early as 1820 Lido has been home to many writers and poets such as Lord Byron and T. Mann, whose famous novels, Death in Venice, was set at the historical Hotel Des Bains, to be later put on big screen by Luchino Visconti big screens. Lido is the right choice to immerse yourself in a retro atmosphere amongst the tree-lined avenues and Art Nouveau villas and hotels, the Casino (now closed) and Palazzo del Cinema, which hosts the famous Venice Film Festival. 12 km of beaches, equipped with small beach cabins. Not to be missed is the Old Jewish cemetery, whose foundation dates back to 1389, and the quaint old village of Malamocco, a small miniature Venice.

• Polo Nautico Vento di Venezia

• San Francesco della Vigna
• Arsenale

Venetian Jesuits built a majestic church and filled it with important paintings, among those, The Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence by Titian, who had his atelier in Fondamenta Nuove. The ancient Ospedale ed Oratorio dei Crociferi stands almost in front of the church, and hosts eight big teleri by Palma il Giovane. The old, gothic Misericordia school, and the new one, are located in a quiet, picturesque area. The new school, opened at the end of the 16th century, is the place where the lagoon basket tradition started in the 20th century. Ca’ d’Oro, facing the Grand Canal, is an example of the international gothic style and hosts the Galleria Franchetti – named after the palace’s last owner – displaying many masterpieces, among which Mantegna’s Saint Sebastian.

The affinity between Venice and Murano, named “Ammurianum” apparently derives from a door or a ward of the ancient Altinum, is demonstrated by the morphology of the two ‘cities’, which have the same fields, streets, internal canals, bridges and even the Grand Canal. The boat stop, Murano Colonna, owes its name to the great granite column that once supported a statue of the Doge Domenico Contarini. A few steps here and the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, a theory of shops testify to the universal fame of Murano, the island of glass. Do not miss Palazzo Giustinian, the Glass Museum, whose collection includes more than 4000 objects, and the Church of Santa Maria and Donato (Murano Cathedral), the only of its kind in Laguna.