Venice

On display inside this splendid Baroque palazzo is one of Venice’s richest collections of Modern art. This includes works by Tiepolo, Umberto Boccioni, Gino Rossi, Gustav Klimt, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Giorgio Morandi, Giorgio de Chirico, Wassily Kandinsky, and Juan Miro.

From the Old Library on Piazza San Marco, you will encounter this gem of a museum. Museo Archeologico Nazionale is home to a group of Greek statues from the 5th and 6th centuries, several Roman portraits, Egyptian artifacts, exquisite vases and ancient ivory, and a large coin collection.

This incredible place used to be the home of the San Stae branch of the Mocenigo family, one of Venice’s most important families. Now it houses two museums, the palace itself—richly furnished in the 18th-century classical patrician manner—and the Venetian Museum of Costume and Textiles.

The sexiest hangout in Venice, QuotAmare is a stretch of sand at Lido, where Venetians spend most of their summer. The action picks up in June and lasts well into September.

Its collection showcases pieces that best illustrate the Jewish tradition. On display are fine pieces of gold, silverware, textiles, and lamps. Surrounding the museum are synagogues, an ancient cemetery, and bakeries of a fascinating Ghetto.

Recognized as one of the city’s symbols, St. Mark’s Campanile is Venice’s tallest bell tower. Narrow corridors and steep stairs lead you to the heart of the campanile, which is located near the basilica’s front. Each of the five bells of St. Mark’s Campanile has a specific purpose. The largest signals the start and end of the workday, while another rings at midday. Still another bell alerts members for council meetings, while a different bell proclaims a session of the Senate. The last of these bells rings to announce an execution.

At the heart of Venice, Piazza San Marco calls upon all beings—man or beast to take in the surrounding beauty, which is in abundance starting with two iconic symbols of Venice: St. Mark’s Lion and the statue of St. Theodore. Also on the square are historic buildings such as the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Procuratie Vecchie, the Procuratie Nuove, the Biblioteca Marciana, and so on.

The center of Jewish tradition in Venice, the Ghetto is home to the Jewish Museum, synagogues, bakeries, and an ancient cemetery. For more than two centuries, however, beginning in 1516, the Jews were kept prisoners in this area. The only means of living available to them include money lending, merchandizing, selling rags, and the odd medical job.

The Tintoretto on the walls of Frari Church will move you to tears. If this experience makes you hunger for more of the Maestro’s work, a short ferry ride to the island San Giorgio Maggiore will more than fill you up. On the island is a monastery that houses paintings by Tintoretto, including The Last Supper. The island also has a Renaissance church and a clocktower, which offers terrific views of the city and lagoon.

Discover a cheerful neighborhood an hour away from Venice. Taking the ferry allow you to marvel at Burano’s brightly colored houses and lace-making tradition. The School and Museum of Lace and several churches (Santa Maria delle Grazie, San Mauro, San Vito, and San Martino Vescovo) are also on the island.

Prepare your own meals, with fresh ingredients from the markets of Venice. At Rialto, you will have your fill of fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, and seafood—the last still alive and struggling to get back to the lagoon. The food market is in full swing by 8am.

Its name was inspired by a legend. Built at the beginning of the 17th century, the Bridge of Sighs connected the Old Prisons in the Doge Palace and the New Prisons across the Palazzo River. From the bridge, the condemned would have their last sight of the lagoon—and of freedom—before they were led to the execution. Their sighs were said to fill the overlapping corridors of the bridge. Lord Byron’s poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, references the bridge: I stood in Venice on the Bridge of Sighs, a palace and prison on each hand.