Now home to L’Alliance Française and perfectly preserved with elaborate stuccos and Murano mirrors. Look for the hole in the elaborate marble floor: It came in handy for spying on those entering below.
Ponte dei Baretteri, 4939
+39-041-522-7079
For a special break from the crowd, this charming wine resort on the northern island of Mazzorbo. (Take vaporetto line 12 from Fondamenta Nove or arrange pick-up with the restaurant.) Start by wandering the island of Burano across the footbridge to see the colorful houses. Then make your way to the grounds at Venissa, exploring the property and the 14th-century bell tower before settling into an intimate dinner in the 18-seat dining room. The artful menu updates classic Venetian dishes in exquisite presentations. Every course has a dedicated chef. If you decide you can’t possibly leave, simply stay the night in one of the six cozy guest rooms.
Fondamenta di Santa Caterina,
Mazzorbo
+39-041-527-2281
This beautiful, intimidating Gothic building is where the rulers of Venice orchestrated mysterious and nefarious power plays. The ornate Golden Staircase (Scala d’Oro) leads to the Doge’s apartments, where the best things to see are Sala del Scudo, Sala Grimaldi, Sala del Senato, the old jail cells, and the corridor that leads to the Bridge of Sighs, so named for the last sad breath prisoners would take as they got their final view of Venice.
Piazza San Marco, 1
+39-041-271-5911
Overflowing with mosaics, marble, and a gold altar it can bee seen that Venice was just as influenced by the east as it was the west..
San Marco, 328
+39-041-270-8311
Here, art salutes knowledge: Veronese’s Plato and Aristotle, Tintoretto’s philosophers and prophets, the ceiling devoted to disciplines (geometry, sculpture) and virtues (honor, fortune).
Piazzetta S. Marco, 7
+39-041-240-7211
One of the city’s loveliest museums, notable for room after room of paintings about Venetian history. Fra Mauro’s 15th-century map of the world, upside-down and painted on parchment, is dazzling.
Piazza San Marco
+39-041-240-5211
Instead of floor-to-ceiling frescoes, the walls of Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli are lined with panels of white and grey marble, evocative of a proto-Rothko chapel, giving it a surprisingly modern feel.
Campo Santa Maria Nova
+39-041-275-0462
Look up inside Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo to see works by Bellini and Veronese. Look down to see the tombs of 25 doges who used to rule Venice.
Castello, 6363
+39-041-523-5913
A museum with a stunning collection of musical instruments, furniture, sculpture, and paintings like Gabriel Bella’s 67 Scenes of Venetian Life. There’s a lovely garden on the ground floor and public reading room and library (with free WiFi) that’s open on Sunday.
Santa Maria Formosa, 5252
+39-041-271-1411
A beautiful street in a formerly Greek neighborhood that’s close to the chaos of St. Mark’s Square but feels worlds away. Ponte de l’Osmarin is especially picturesque. Say formaggio!
Fondamenta de l'Osmarin
30122 Venice, Italy
A veritable art museum – paintings by Tintoretto and Vivarini covering every surface, with the occasional break for a marble column. The Chapel of St. Athanasius is lined with ornate carved wooden stalls from the mid 1400s.
Campo S. Zaccaria, 4693
+39-041-522-1257
Before Guggenheims opened all over the world, there was the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Picasso, Duchamp, Mondrian, Kandinsky – all the heavy hitters of 20th-century art are on display in her former home.
Dorsoduro 701-704
Venice, 30123
Tucked away in a courtyard down Calle della Vida near Campo Manin you'll find a magnificent spiral staircase reminiscent of a snail (“bovolo”) as well as the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built in the 1400s so the Contarini family could show off. (Those Venetians.) You can climb up during the day or just admire from below. Another great way to see it is by moonlight: The marble seems to glow.
Calle delle Locande 4299
Venice, 30124
A magnificent opera house that has a full schedule of operas and concerts.
1965 Campo San Fantin
Venice, 30124
+39-041-786-511