Venice à la carte

What if you only have one day, 36 or 48 hours to visit Venice? Even if one week is probably not enough to say that you’ve seen everything worth seeing in the city of the doges, we’ve prepared three different itineraries featuring numerous highlights to help you make the most of your stay.

By Chiara Zaccarelli

It’s not unusual for people to find themselves passing through the Lagoon city, either on an onward journey to other destinations, for a business trip or a last minute weekend. At first glance, Venice does not give the impression of being a city that’s easy to navigate. There’s no public transport, or rather there is public transport but only via water, and even first-time visitors to Venice who love walking might find themselves a little disoriented amidst ‘calli’, ‘fondamenta’ and ‘campielli’ (the Venetian words for streets, walkways and squares). But don’t worry, even if you’re on a tighter schedule, you can use the suggestions provided by Where® to make the most of your stay and get an idea of the city. Based on the time that you’re able to dedicate to your visit, we’ve compiled three personalized itineraries featuring the main museums, monuments and culinary specialties that should not be missed during your visit to this watery wonderland.

Let’s be honest, twelve hours are really not enough to visit Venice. However, based on the assumption that you’ve only got one day, thanks to our suggestions, you should be able to cram in the most familiar highlights. Given that you’re on a tight schedule, the ideal solution is to start your tour, bright and early, from your hotel. St. Mark's square, the heart of the city, featuring a series of architectural treasures that are unique throughout the world, is an absolute must for any first-time visitor to Venice, and the starting point of our one-day Venice itinerary. Visiting all the square’s masterworks requires more than one day but, in this case, you can admire them from outside. St. Mark is the patron saint of the city, and St. Mark’s Basilica, featuring a marble façade dating back to the 13th century, adorned with mosaics, Gothic-style statues, bas-reliefs and lavish spoils which give it its polychrome appearance, is dedicated to him (www.basilicasanmarco.it). Lying next to the basilica, you’ll find Palazzo Ducale, a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic architecture and the former residence of the Doges and the seat of the city’s government (www.palazzoducale.visitmuve.it). And then there’s St. Mark’s bell tower or campanile, one of the most important symbols of the Serenissima. Measuring 100 meters in height, it soars over the square in all its majesty. Its spire is decorated with a revolving golden angel that moves in the wind. From here you can head towards the only open side of the square, which faces towards the lagoon, to admire the view spread out before you including the basin of San Marco, rows of gondolas and, in the background, the islands of San Giorgio and the Giudecca. Moving on, we come to the Bridge of Sighs. The bridge crosses Rio di Palazzo and is located behind St. Mark’s Square. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, it connects Palazzo Ducale to the New Prisons. Its name derives from the ‘sighs’ emitted by inmates crossing over the bridge from the prisons on their way to the rooms at the Doge’s Palace where they would be sentenced. On your way back to St. Mark’s Square, by taking one of the narrow streets that emerge under the Procuratie Vecchie, next to the Clock Tower, you’ll come across another of Venice’s most iconic bridges. From here, although you’ll find a succession of ‘calli’ and bridges, it’s almost impossible to get lost because you’ll see numerous signs indicating the route to Rialto. The Rialto Bridge which crosses the Grand Canal, linking the San Marco and San Polo districts, is located in the city’s oldest neighbourhood. This area, which was formerly Venice’s main hub of commerce, is still crowded with mooring posts and picturesque stalls lining the canal. Walk over the bridge and you’ll come to the city’s famous Rialto Market, one of the most evocative in Venice, and a compulsory stopover for those wishing to immerse themselves in an authentic, oldworld Venetian atmosphere, if only for a few minutes. Although at lunch you won’t have time to dine at a restaurant, you’re in luck because the alleys behind the Rialto Market are packed with eateries and ‘bacari’. At All’Arco in Calle dell’Occhialer, you can sample ‘cicchetti’ with baccalà mantecato (whipped salt cod), sarde in saor and shrimps, but also other tapas-like snacks topped with fried eggplant or radicchio, charcuterie, vegetables and cheese. Although there are a few tiny outdoor tables, it’s so crowded that most people prefer to eat standing up. After recharging your batteries, head to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, in the Sestriere di San Polo, where you can admire more than 60 paintings by Tintoretto. In 1564, Tintoretto won a contract to paint the scuola, and his cycle of large-scale paintings, executed between 1564 and 1588, are so spectacular that the Confraternity of St. Roch is referred to as ‘Tintoretto’s Sistine Chapel’. Other highlights include Christ Carrying the Cross, attributed either to Titian or Giorgione, Titian’s Annunciation, Tiepolo’s Abraham and the Angels and Hagar and Ishmael, as well as numerous other masterpieces (www. scuolagrandesanrocco.org). Sadly, after ending your tour of the Scuola, your time in Venice will be over. If you have to head to the Santa Lucia railway station or Piazzale Roma via the line 1 vaporetto, which traverses almost the entire length of the Grand Canal, you can savour a final, unforgettable Venetian vista from a privileged viewpoint, while admiring the magnificent buildings lining the canal.

If you have two days to spend in Venice, you can dedicate a little more time to St. Mark’s Square, by visiting the interiors of St. Mark’s basilica, with its golden mosaics and marble flooring. Another must-visit while in the area are the interiors of Palazzo Ducale where, among other things, you can visit the rooms of the Ducal Apartment, the Institutional Rooms, the Armoury and the prisons. During your 36 hours in Venice, make sure to include a tour of the Gallerie dell’Accademia which hosts a fabulous collection of masterpieces including works by Tiepolo, Bellini, Canaletto and Titian. Until 14 July, the Gallerie is hosting an exhibition titled “Leonardo da Vinci. Man as a World Model” which in addition to tracing the fundamental stages of the master’s life, showcases the famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man (www.gallerieaccademia.it). Another worthwhile option is a tour of the Basilica dei Frari. Located in Campo dei Frari, in the Sestriere of San Polo, the interiors of this church – the largest in Venice – are adorned with numerous magnificent works of art. Among these, several of the most notable include Titian’s two altarpieces, the Assumption of the Virgin on the high altar and the Madonna of Ca’ di Pesaro, Bellini’s Madonna with Child triptych in the sacristy, and the wooden statue of St. John the Baptist, the only work by Donatello in Venice. Editor’s tip: the best time to visit the church is in the afternoon when its stained glass windows are illuminated by the rays of the sun (www.basilicadeifrari.it). If you’re not in the mood for churches and museums, head to the Jewish Ghetto in the Cannaregio district. The Venetian ghetto is the oldest in Europe, and still remains the centre of the city’s Jewish community. The interesting Jewish Museum of Venice, which can be accessed from campo del Ghetto Novo, is a widespread museum that includes exhibition spaces and synagogues (www.museoebraico.it). If you’re staying in Venice for two days, you’ll have time to delve a little deeper into the Lagoon’s fabulous cuisine. The best places to do this are Le antiche carampane, a typical trattoria serving mainly fish-based dishes, sourced from the nearby Rialto Market (www.antichecarampane.com). Located just steps from St. Mark’s Square, but surprisingly off the tourist track, you’ll find Al Covo. Although this restaurant also features a seafood-centric menu, carnivores can opt for its equally tantalizing selection of meat-based dishes (ristorantealcovo.com).

You’ve got three days and two nights to tour Venice. You’ve visited St. Mark’s Square, taken the ritualistic photo on the Rialto Bridge, admired Tiepolo’s and Tintoretto’s paintings, and downed that most Venetian of aperitifs – the Aperol spritz. However, there are still lots of things to do, see and…eat. Punta della Dogana, a totally revamped 18th-century building, refers to the triangular area of Venice where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal, overlooking the Basin of San Marco. In addition to housing one of the most important collections of contemporary art in Italy, it is used for prestigious temporary exhibitions. (www.palazzograssi.it). On the subject of modern and contemporary art, another small Venetian gem is the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the largest Italian collection of early 20th century European and American art, featuring works by Pollock, Kandinsky, Picasso and Duchamp (www.guggenheim-venice. it). Since you have three days at your disposal, you can also choose to dedicate one of them to discovering Venice's major islands: Burano, renowned for its coloured houses and lacemaking, Murano, famous throughout the world for its glass products and ‘fornaci’ (kilns) where you can watch master glassmakers at work and purchase artistic glass, and Torcello, where you can lose yourself amidst its small deserted streets. The islands are easily accessible via ‘vaporetti’ (for info visit www.actv.avmspa.it) or with an organized tour (www.isoladiburano.it; www.alilaguna.it). If you want to dedicate a little time to shopping, remember that Venice’s ‘calli’ are packed with treasures just waiting to be discovered. Among these, one of the most notable is the picturesque Libreria dell'Acqua Alta. Located just steps from St. Mark’s Square, its name translates to ‘bookstore of high water’ due to the store being plagued by the canal’s rising waters, which regularly flood the floors of the shop each winter. To combat the problem, its owner has piled all of the books into waterproof bins, bathtubs, canoes and even gondolas in order to protect the literature (www.facebook.com/libreriaacquaalta). Other highlights include Marisa Convento’s atelier in the sestiere of San Marco, featuring handmade necklaces, jewel-like accessories and ‘friulane’ (typical Venetian velvet slippers), all decorated with Venice’s traditional hand-strung glass beads (www.marisaconvento.it). If you’ve come all this way and don’t indulge in a gondola ride, a unique way of discovering the city of water and its hidden corners, you might be kicking yourself long after you’ve returned home (ask your concierge).