VENICE: CHURCHES, PALACES, MUSEUMS, a wonderful holiday

VENETIAN MASK - MERCHANT OF VENICE - GONDOLA TOUR

Today's Venice is more than ever a city devoted to art, in all its forms. Historic art can be seen in its numerous museums, which display the most beautiful original works of art by the artists who gave a major contribution to the history of art.

Venice museums click here

By taking a simple walk you will find yourself surrounded by palazzi and churches whose architectural features turn them into an open-air museum. Moreover, once every two years Venice holds one of the most important exhibitions in the world on contemporary art: la Biennale di Venezia, which acts as a springboard for today's best artists and their work.
The Theatre "La fenice" (which has been completely rebuilt at last) and the numerous Auditoriums scattered all over the city offer many shows. Classical music finds in Venice its ideal setting, as the city is a natural choreography that goes perfectly with symphony and chamber music.

Venice is also known as the "City of lovers" because the absence of cars allows people to take long and serene walks, reached only by the sound of water washing the shores. Venice is suitable for the youngest tourists and the more mature ones, as the city itself inspires the rules of intimacy among people.
It lacks the amusements typical of all large cities, there are no huge discos (only one, which is very nice actually), but it is rich in places where you can eat the typical Venetian "cicchetti" (small portions of food usually served with aperitives) and drink an excellent "spritz" (aperitif), maybe listening to some great musicians playing jazz.
Obviously, the most restless ones can always go to the mainland, at few kilometers from Venice, where some of the most beautiful discos in Italy can be found, and for those of you who love gambling, Venice hosts one of the best Casinos in the world.

One of the most extraordinary events is the Carnevale di Venezia which draws in hundreds of thousands visitors from all over the world. For about 10 days the streets are painted with the most incredible colours and masks. In this period Venice is the quintessence of entertainment and music.

Restaurants in Venice are famous for their culinary skills, especially for their fish specialities. Prices are always displayed in showcases outside restaurants so as to allow people to choose places they can afford.

Getting into Venice is very easy, no matter how you choose to move. There are large parking lots but it is a good idea to choose and reserve a place before you arrive, just to be sure that you find a place where to park and at a fair price. Another possible solution is to park your car on the mainland, in Mestre, from where you can count on frequent connections all day long, and slightly less frequent ones late at night, and reach Venice in 10 minutes.

In Venice there are hundreds of hotels, hostels and B&Bs that offer a wide range of categories and prices. Should all hotels be full up, or if you find Venice too expensive, you may choose to find an accomodation in Mestre because, as already mentioned, it really is very close to Venice.

The railway station is located right in the centre so arriving by train is indeed an excellent solution. If you decide to get there by train click here

The airport is only few kilometers away and connections between the airport and Venice are possible both by bus and by sea. It takes about 45 minutes.
From the Marco Polo airport you can reach the historic center in several ways click here for more info

Tania Danieli