Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Heavenly devotion and earthly delights are neighbours in San Polo and Santa Croce, fea-
turing divine art alongside the ancient red-light district, now home to artisans' workshops
and excellent
osterie
(taverns). Don't miss fraternal-twin masterpieces: Titian's glowing
Madonna at I Frari and turbulent Tintorettos at Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Quirky mu-
seums fill Grand Canal
palazzi
with fashion, video art and scientific oddities, while
vendors sing the praises of the Rialto Market's island-grown produce.
Anyone could adore Venice on looks alone, but in Cannaregio you'll fall for its personal-
ity. A few streets over from bustling Strada Nuova, footsteps echo along moody Fonda-
menta Misericordia without a T-shirt kiosk in sight. Between the Gothic wonder of
Madonna dell'Orto and the Renaissance miracle of Santa Maria dei Miracoli are Venice's
top
osterie
and the tiny island Ghetto, a living monument to the outsized contributions of
Venice's resilient Jewish community.
Sailors, saints and artists made Castello what it is today: home to seafood restaurants, eth-
ereal icons and the Biennale. Some 5000 shipbuilders once worked at the Arsenale, and
their output is showcased at Museo Storico Navale. Byzantine churches are gilt to the hilt,
luxury hotels sprawl along the waterfront, and Vivaldi echoes from the orphanage where
he worked - but Castello slips into something more comfortable to hit the Giardini,
campo
cafes and
bacari
(bars).
Architecture binges have brought visitors here for centuries, and no wonder: have you
seen the Palladios on Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore? Giudecca was an elite garden get-
away before it became an industrial outpost; there's still a women's prison here alongside
luxe spas, art galleries and romantic restaurants. Lido is Venice's 12km island escape,
with sandy beaches, an A-list film festival and Liberty villas. Resorts ring the Lido, along-
side quarantine islands and San Servolo's Museum of Madness.
