Piazza San Marco is the principal public square of Venice. All other urban spaces in the city are called “campi” (fields). The Piazzetta is an extension of the Piazza towards the lagoon in its south east corner. The Piazza is dominated at its eastern end by the great church of St Mark. The ground floor of the Piazza has shops and also the Caffè Florian, a famous cafe opened in 1720 by Floriano Francesconi. The Piazzetta di San Marco is connecting the south side of the Piazza to the waterway of the lagoon, between the Doge’s Palace on the east and Jacopo Sansovino’s Bibliotec which holds the Biblioteca Marciana on the west. On the far side of the Piazzetta is the side wall of the Doge’s Palace with Gothic arcades at ground level and a loggia on the floor above.
The Doge’s Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice. It has been opened as a museum in 1923 and today it is one of the 11 museums of Venice. The oldest part of the palace is the façade overlooking the lagoon, the corners of which are decorated with 14th-century sculptures.
The banks of the Canal Grande are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to the 18th century. The noble Venetian families faced huge expenses to show off their richness in suitable palazzos. Amongst the many are the Palazzi Barbaro, Ca’ Rezzonico, Ca’ d’Oro, Palazzo Dario, Ca’ Foscari, Palazzo Barbarigo and to Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, housing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The churches along the canal include the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. Centuries-old traditions, such as the Historical Regatta, are perpetuated every year along the Canal.
Harry’s Bar is a bar and restaurant located at Calle Vallaresso 1323, opened in 1931 by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani. Harry’s Bar has long been frequented by famous people, and it was a favourite of Ernest Hemingway and by other notable customers such as Arturo Toscanini, Guglielmo Marconi, Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Truman Capote, Orson Welles, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Princess Aspasia of Greece, Aristotle Onassis, Barbara Hutton, Peggy Guggenheim, Woody Allen.
Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix) is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to “rise from the ashes” despite losing the use of two theatres (to fire and legal problems respectively). Since opening and being named La Fenice, it has burned and been rebuilt twice more.
The Basilica della Salute is a Roman Catholic church which construction began in 1631 and a minor basilica located in the Dorsoduro sestiere, standing on a narrow finger of land between the Canal Grande and the Bacino di San Marco making the church visible when entering the Piazza San Marco from the water. The church was designed in the then fashionable baroque style by Baldassare Longhena, who studied under the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi.
Gondola luxury compilation
The gondola is the symbol of the most romantic city in the world: Venice.
Our Luxury Gondola Compilation of fascinating excursions will show you the city from an unusual perspective. As the gondola is one of the major attractions of Venice and our tours will allow you to discover the picturesque canals and glimpses of extraordinary beauty on board the gondola.
You may choose between the romantic gondola serenade and have the opportunity to spend unforgettable moments, accompanied by traditional melodies in the background; the private gondola tour to enjoy of the entire gondola at your disposal and share this magical experience with someone special discovering the most intriguing areas of Venice; the rendez-vous gondola tour to celebrate the wedding, an important anniversary or simply to spend a memorable evening with someone special and have the dinner by candlelight in one of the most exclusive restaurants in Venice.
All tours of our Luxury Gondola compilation uses elegant gondolas embellished with decorations that are engraved by hand and finished in gold, you will be accomdated on comfortable plush damask seat and the gondoliers dressed with their characteristic white and gold livery, the historic costume of the “Gondolier de Casàda”.
We can organize custom itineraries, with stop in splendid locations for lunch, dinner or cocktail.