papagena

I'm going to be in Venice for a fortnight - does anyone has any suggestions of what to do once I've seen the main sights?

I'll go to St Marks and the other famous churches, Doges Palace, Accademia, Guggenheim, Ca'rezzonico, Burano, Murano, Padua and Treviso (not Verona as I've already been), but I think that'll still leave me with a few days free - any ideas for more unusual things to see or do?

boxwood

must go to guggenheim, but need a reservation.

ira

Hi papa,

I suggest visits to:
Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, which has two important works by Titian, and
the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, famous for a series of more than 50 paintings by Tintoretto; it is to Venice what the Sistine Chapel is to Rome. (Open 9:00 - 5:00) 3054, San Polo

Jocelyn_P

We really enjoyed Vicenza.

sherry1

Walk over to the old Jewish Ghetto and WWII Memorial.

Statia

Don't forget to take a sunset cruise on vaporetto # 1 down the Grand Canal. You can even go all the way out to the Lido and back. It's a relaxing way to end the day.

shellio

Torcello, and the Palladian villas on the Brenta.

adrienne

I would add the Ca' D'Oro to your museum list. It's not as fabulous as Ca' Rezzonico but very interesting.

You've listed Burano and Murano but Torcello was even more special. It's only 5 minutes from Burano so you could combine the two islands. Torcello is underdeveloped and only has a couple of restaurants, a church and Santa Maria Assunta cathedral containing some amazing frescoes and mosaics. You get an audio included in the admission price that explains the art. The floor of the church is beautiful as well.

Check out some of the churches that are a bit off the tourist track. My favorite is Santa Maria Miracoli because of its exquisite marble. Another great church is I Gesuiti, near Fondamente Nuove has a Titian and a Tintoretto.

Sign up for the Secret Itinerary tour of the Doges Palace. You can sign up when you get to Venice.

ezlivin

I second the suggestion on visiting the Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari in San Polo (?). An excellent place to go to get away from all the bustle and heat and into a cool, quiet place that is artfully-uplifting and spiritually-reinvogorating, at least to me and Mrs. ezlivin.

Also, walk and get lost in areas less frequented by tourists, like San Polo and Cannaregio (sp?). Spend an early evening at Campo Santa Margherita in San Polo and grab a slice of pizza and soft drink at Al Volo and sit on the benches in the piazza with the locals.

elaine

Yes, I agree that Venice's churches are treasures.
websites for the Brenta Canal ride:
www.boglewood.com/palladio/map.html for map and list of Palladian villas on Brenta Canal. There is a Brenta Canal boat that stops at several of the villas, as well as a city bus. One fodors.com poster especially recommended the Villa Pisani in Stra. There are elaborate stables, a house, and a wonderful maze on the beautiful grounds. Good gift shop.
tour boats: www.deltatour.it website gives rates but not a schedule

also www.antoniana.it/individuali-i.html lots of detailed information

http://goeurope.about.com/travel/goe...ts_culture.htm

http://ville.inews.it/eintro.htm

I have a long file on Venice; if you'd like to see it, email me at
[email protected]

Chicago_Heather

On my fourth trip to Venice last October, I finally made it to visit the Armenian monastery, which I found incredibly interesting and beautiful.

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/...gli_armeni.htm

For a beautiful church in Castello, visit the Chiesa di San Giorgio Dei Greci.

http://www.ortodossia.it/catt-gioe.html

It's small but quite gorgeous.

Also, there's a little book called "City Secrets: Florence, Venice, and the Towns of Italy" that is available on Amazon.com. I've found some interesting entries for both Venice and Florence trips.

There are a lot of great suggestions already posted and I really second the tour of the Ghetto.

Sally

ttt

rialtogrl

Walk up Via Garibaldi and then on to the Chiesa di San Pietro di Castello. Not too many people visit this church, which was once one of the most important churches in Venice. The area around the church is peaceful and beautiful, and of course Via Garibaldi should not be missed.

RufusTFirefly

If interested in ships/boating/naval history, then the Naval History Museum and a gondola yard would be in order.

joegri

papagena: Certainly tour the Jewish Quarter in the Carnnagerio Section. There is a small museum where you can buy tickets to tour three of five (rotating) different Synagogues, Spanish, Levantine or Middle Eastern, German, Italian or one called Canton. The differences in decor determined by cultural background and financial where-with-all are striking. The information offered by the tour guides is very interesting. After your tour, have lunch at Gam Gam, a Hasidic Cafe which offers very good Jewish food.
There are some Jewish shops in the area. We found this area to be very worthwhile. Have a great trip.

artstuff

If you have ever watched the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie (ahhh...Venice) you can do a walk-by of San Barnaba Church. The outside of the church was used in the movie to depict the library (where Indy finds that "X marks the spot&quot. Take the Vaporetta to the Ca Rezzonica stop, get off and go around the corner and the church is right there. By the way, don't bother looking for the sewer hole that Indy came up out of, it's not there (at least we couldn't find it). Have a safe and happy journey. Peace.

Robyn

papagena

Thank you for the great suggestions! Joegri, please could you tell me whether there is a dress code for going into synagogues? Should I cover my shoulders and knees like in Italian Catholic churches?

elaine

Hi
Also at campo San Barnaba are the little shop and footbridge that were featured in the old K Hepburn film "Summertime."
Also the little canal she fell into in the movie.

In tiny Corte dei Risi o del Bovolo, San Marco 4299, between Campo Manin and Calle dei Fuseri, is the Scala Contarini del Bovolo, an outdoor Gothic spiral staircase 6 stories high. "Bovolo" means "snail." As my guidebook put it, this is what Venetian architects were accomplishing around the time America was being discovered. It was built in 1499. To find this little-known and beautiful structure, follow the signs from Calle Della Vida.

bsawg

Did others find a reservation necessary for the Guggenheim? If so, can one do this online or do you have to call?

Also, any websites for ghetto tour info?

Thanks.

Statia

baswg, we went to the Guggenheim in the middle of summer and had no problem getting in quickly w/o a reservation.

papagena, you should have your shoulders covered, as well as thighs and middle area when enter churches. We found that skirts and shorts just above the knee were ok.