On this stroll through Venice’s lovely, narrow streets, we’ll hit all the highlights, and then some. You’ll see not just St. Mark’s Square, Venice’s largest and most famous piazza, but also Campo San Polo, the piazza that’s hosted masked carnivals, bullfights… and the murder of a Florentine noble. You’ll see not just the Bridge of Sighs, the world-famous connection between Venice’s interrogation rooms and its jail cells, but the Rialto Bridge, a structure considered so audacious in its engineering that critics predicted it would fall (420 years later, it’s still standing!). 

At St. Mark’s Basilica, you’ll see the enormous building that’s been a symbol of Venice itself ever since its 9th-century founding. You’ll hear the story of its start—a tale that involves both an angelic prophecy and a bold theft. The Doge’s Palace, meanwhile, was the seat of Venice’s independent government and the home of its leader, as well as of its courts and prisons… for seven hundred years!

One of the most exciting parts of our walk together, though, is the Church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Heard of the artists Titian or Bellini? The sculptors Donatello or Canova? The pieces in this church played key parts in all of their careers… and there’s no understanding Italy’s Renaissance, or Venetian art, without exploring them! Titian’s Assumption of the Virgin is especially famous, a piece that made his career—despite initial controversy! Titian himself is buried in a monumental tomb here in the church. 

Throughout our stroll together, feel free to tap into the knowledge of your local Venice guide to get any questions answered with your group of maximum 12 people! And rest assured—as easy at it seems it might be to tumble off a narrow Venetian street and into a canal, with a group this small, your guide is sure to notice!