Back in 2008, the multi-million dollar Ponte della Costituzione footbridge opened after several delays and cost overruns, and things quickly took a literal nosedive from there. Designed by renowned architect Santiago Calatrava and built over the Grand Canal near Venice’s train station, the structure was intended to symbolize Venice’s modernity, but...

Italy is a country rich in popular traditions, from North to South throughout the year there are many re-enactments of the past, such as the tradition of Pan and Vin in Veneto, each of which has a precise meaning and is still very important for the inhabitants of the place. Of course the Christmas holidays are one of the periods in which these trad...

What happened in Murano, stayed in Murano. So was the rigidly guarded way of life on the tiny island in the Venetian Lagoon, about a mile north of Venice, where, in the late 1200s, the Venetian government mandated that the furnaces used by local glassmakers, and the glassmakers themselves, be relocated from the city center. Intended as a measure to...

Flying into Venice, on the right hand side of the airplane, you'll see the city unfurl beneath you: a mass of terracotta roofs, brick bell towers and those canals, knitting the 118 islands of Venice together. Then, as the plane continues northwards across the lagoon to land at Venice airport, just outside the suburb of Tessera, you'll see another s...

St Marks Piazza, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs and the many other well known sights of Venice are gorgeous. Yet for me, gorgeous as they are, it is the smaller canals and the lesser known parts of Venice that bring me the greatest joy. Nothing much can beat sitting quietly alongside a tiny canal, where tourists seldom venture. I can spend...

While most visitors to Venice have likely not heard of the Church of San Zaccaria, this former monastic complex is considered one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the city.  Dating from the 15th century, it is located on Campo San Zaccaria, just off the waterfront to the southeast of St. Mark’s Square. The church is dedicated to St. Zec...

If you’re planning to travel in  Venice or you are already there, you have to go for a coffee to the Caffè Florian . Caffè Florian is a coffee house situated in the Procuratie Nuove of Piazza San Marco, Venice. It is considered the oldest Café in Europe as it was opened on 29th December 1720 by Floriano Francesconi as “Alla Venezia Trionfante” and...

Venice doesn’t know a true low season. The Serenissima is so unique and so famous that the desire to see it with one’s own eyes knows no seasonal limit. Each time of the year has its pros and cons, as well as different activities and events to enjoy up and down the canals. Here’s your guide to decide what time works best for your visit to Venice. N...

A floating Nativity scene has been installed in the waters around the island of Burano, in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, for the second year in a row. The magical spectacle, comprising 62 wooden shapes representing Nativity figures and animals, is located in an open stretch of water, without hindering boat traffic. Inaugurated on 7 Decemb...

It’s not easy to be a dog in Venice. Plots of grass or even of unpaved earth are rare, as are trees. There are few open public spaces of much size, and even the city’s one substantial park–on the island of Sant’ Elena–has a basketball and a tennis court, two small playgrounds, a scaled-down soccer field, but no dog run. Moreover, Venetian law requi...