| True romantics have
long flocked to the floating city of Venice,
with its gondolas, elegant villas and piazzas, and its incredible history.
This car-free city, while often crowded during the busy summer months,
is nonetheless serene and has been dubbed by travel guidebooks as “pure
magic.”
Automobiles are banned in Venice so every form of transportation
floats, making the trek from one sight to another even more enticing.
But there’s plenty to see on foot also and tourists are encouraged
to wander a little from the crowded streets of the town and explore
the back alleys, which truly give tourists a taste of the local color.
Besides riding a gondola or the vaporetti, Venice’s version of
a taxi on water, there are plenty of must-dos while in the city on The
Grand Canal.
- Basilica di San Marco (The Golden Church) – Byzantine in
style, this cathedral was built mostly during the 11th century in
honor of St. Mark, Venice’s patron saint. The huge interior
is gilded with Byzantine mosaics that cover nearly every inch of the
walls and ceiling. Don’t miss the church's greatest treasure,
the stunning altarpiece known as the Pala d'Oro (Golden Altarpiece).
This Gothic masterpiece is encrusted with nearly 2,000 precious gems
and 255 enameled panels. It is believed to have been created as early
as the 10th century, and embellished by master Venetian and Byzantine
artisans between the 12th and 14th centuries.
- Galleria dell’Accademia – So many treasures of Venetian
painting are housed in this museum that the true art lover will find
a journey through its rooms to be absolutely awe-inspiring. Though
there isn’t one particular “famous” piece in this
gallery, all the Venetian painters are highlighted, including Bellini,
Tintoretto, Titian, Longhi, and Piazzetta.
- Palazzo Ducale and Ponte dei Sospiri (Ducal Palace and Bridge of
Sighs) – The long time residence of the Doges (dukes that were
elected for life) during their 1000 year reign, The Palazzo Ducale
is literally a palace of treasures, with rooms decorated by the finest
Venetian artists. This pink and white-marble Gothic-Renaissance palace
is one of Italy’s greatest and most visited civic structures.
Make sure to visit the Bridge of Sighs, accessed from the Great Council
Hall, and connecting the palace to the prison. The bridge was so named
by European poets who imagined prisoners sighing their last breath
of resignation there before being led to the prison, where they would
most surely be executed.
- The Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Assembled by American expatriate
Peggy Guggenheim, this museum houses one of the best collections of
modern art worldwide. The collection focuses especially on Cubism,
Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, and European Abstraction. The
18th century palace used for this gallery is located directly on the
Grand Canal and visitors will enjoy the works of such modern artists
as Picasso, Ernst, and Pollock.
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