Venice, Italy

June 15-16 Touring Italy's most romantic city...

Grand Canal
Venice's main water thoroughfare, lined with great Renaissance palaces, is a colorful and busy spectacle of gondolas and vaporetti.

Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco)
Blending the architectural styles of East and West, Venice's magnificent basilica was consecrated in 832 AD as an ecclesiastical building to house the remains of St. Mark.

St. Mark's Square
Undoubtedly the most photographed and famous plaza in Europe, St. Mark's is in the heart of the city, surrounded by chic sidewalk cafes and boutiques.

Academy Gallery (Gallerie dell'Accademia)
The city's most important and prestigious art gallery features an impressive collection of Venetian paintings and works by such artists as Bellini, Titian and Mantegna.

Guggenheim Museum
This satellite gallery of the famous Guggenheim in New York occupies the 17th-century Customs House in Venice, featuring modern and contemporary works of art.

Rialto Bridge
Considered the true heart of Venice, this landmark bridge, characterized by its 24-foot arch, is built on approximately 12,000 wooden pilings that still support the bridge more than 400 years after it was built.
Attraction type: Flea/street market; Bridge

Santa Maria della Salute
Designed by Baldassare Longhena in 1631-83, the church's façade is embellished with 125 statues, which form a sharp contrast to the somber interior.

Doge's Palace
The most impressive secular building in Venice, this palace served as the senate house, administrative center, hall of justice, public archive and prison up until the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797.

Campanile di San Marco
Originally built as a lighthouse to assist navigation in the lagoon, visitors can be whisked by elevator to the top of St. Mark's Campanile or bell tower to savor incredible views of Venice, the lagoon and the Alps in the distance.

Ca' Rezzonico
Immerse yourself in Venice's Age of Decadence with a visit to this lavish palace of the Venetian aristocracy Rezzonico, which houses an unsurpassed collection of eighteenth-century Venetian art.

- from smarterliving.tripadvisor.com