Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
after its shipping empire declined. Best of all is Basilica di San Marco, the apotheosis of
Venice's millennium of brilliant self-invention. Besides free entry, free guided tours of the
basilica's mosaics are offered by the diocese.
Arts & Architecture
To defray substantial costs to the city, there's an entry fee to the main art and architecture
Biennale shows and Venice film festival premieres - but many dance, music, cinema and
ancillary arts programs are free of charge citywide, from summer through autumn. Free
admission is offered at Murano glass showrooms and art galleries on your
San Marco
Gallery Hop
(
Click here
). The entire city is an architecture showcase year-round, and
you can discover hidden gems like Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo on your San Marco
walking tour.
Festivals & Events
Festivals fill Venetian
calli
(lanes) with revelry all year, from Carnevale masquerades to
raucous regattas. Eternally grateful for being spared the plague, Venice gives thanks at
Festa del Redentore (
Click here
) and
Festa della Madonna della Salute
(
www.turismovenezia.it
)
with
fireworks, wobbly pontoon bridges and
prosecco
. Free movies and theatre illuminate
nights in the Summer Arena (
Click here
), and several bars in Venice now have year-
round schedules of free jazz concerts to accompany your
ombra
(half-glass of wine). Dur-
ing regatta season from summer through autumn, join crowds along canal banks from
Cannaregio to Burano cheering on rowers.
Island Getaways
A timed
vaporetto
ticket lets you do laps of lagoon hot spots without paying extra. First
stop in summer is the Lido, which has three
beaches
(
Click here
) with free access, a
miniature version of Venice at Malamocco, and a free summer beach concert series. Es-
cape from tourist flocks with stunning Venice views in Giudecca, wandering past Palladio
facades to art galleries, a 14th-century church, the Fortuny showroom, and the organic
farmers market (
Click here
) run by the women's prison. Visit the haunting cemetery isle
of San Michele on your way to Murano, where you can glimpse glass-makers at work,
spot dragon's bones among the Byzantine mosaics of San Donato, and learn trade secrets
