Top 25 Attractions in Veneto

Thanks to its canals, Venice is known to be one of the most magical places on earth. The city is a testament to the ingenuity of the human spirit and man-made invention. Stone buildings of great beauty sit on the water; boats of varying sizes traverse the canals the way cars, trucks, and buses crowd the streets of more conventional cities; crowds throng the bridges and narrow pedestrian streets ...

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Venice's iconic symbol, gondolas, are a traditional, flat-bottomed rowing boat that was once the preferred means for Venetians to get around the city’s canals. These wooden boats are made by hand in special workshops known as squeri, with some still in operation today. A ride in one of these remains one of the top things to do in Venice by tourists. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it is estimated that there were between eight and ten thousand gondolas in the city, with vaporetti now the main means of getting around ...

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Dating to the 16th century, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is one of the most beautiful buildings in Venice. It was constructed from white marble to house a charitable society dedicated to San Rocco, regarded by many as a protector against the plague. It was designed like most other scuole in Venice, with two halls (one on the ground floor and the other above), with a staircase and landing topped by a dome connecting the two ...

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Situated on the Campo dei Frari at the center of the neighborhood-district of San Polo, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is an important church in Venice. Affectionately known as the “Frari”, construction began on the church around 1340 by the Franciscans and its immense campanile (the second tallest in the city) was completed in 1396. The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is constructed from brick and one of three Venetian churches built in the Italian Gothic style ...

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Considered the “parent island” of Venice, Torcello lies at the Venetian Lagoon's northern end. It was first settled in the 5th century, developing into a bustling commercial town with its own cathedral by the 12th century and believed to be where Venice’s population originated. While it once contained palaces, churches, shipyards, and docks, only two churches and a small collection of homes remain ...

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Nicknamed the “marble church”, Santa Maria dei Miracoli is one of the best-preserved examples of early Venetian Renaissance architecture. It was designed by Pietro Lombardo and built between 1481 and 1489 to enshrine a picture of the Virgin Mary, with the plans expanded in 1484 to include a new convent. The convent was built to house the nuns of St. Clare on the church's eastern edge and connected by an enclosed walkway that no longer stands ...

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Separating the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, the Lido di Venezia is a 12-kilometer-long strip of sand that is considered Europe’s first beach resort. It was once the place to be seen for celebrities and royalty, with grand hotels and Art Nouveau villas lining its golden sands. It’s just a short vaporetto ride from St. Mark’s, in Venice, to Lido, which is more residential and less touristy than Venice's center ...

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One of Venice's most iconic landmarks, the Campanile di San Marco is the soaring bell tower of Saint Mark’s Basilica. It stands alone in a corner of Piazza San Marco near the front of the basilica and towers to a height of almost 100 meters. It features a fluted brick shaft and a loggia that surrounds a belfry housing five bells. A cube tops this with faces depicting the Lion of St ...

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Towering on the northern side of Piazza San Marco near the entrance to the Merceria, the Torre dell’Orologio adjoins the eastern end of the Procuratie Vecchie. This Renaissance clock tower, and popular point of interest, dates to the late 15th century and was designed to exhibit Venice's wealth and strategically placed to be visible from the lagoon waters. The terrace at the top of the tower features two bronze figures known as the “Moors”, which strike the hours on a bell ...

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One of the largest churches in Venice, Santi Giovanni e Paolo is located in the Castello sestiere and was built on the remains of an earlier church. Doge Jacopo Tiepolo donated the land after he experienced a vivid dream in which white doves flew over it. Most of Venice’s doges had their funerals within Santi Giovanni de Paolo in the post-15th century, with 25 buried at the basilica. Santi Giovanni e Paolo is designed in an Italian Gothic style, with its brick construction completed in the 1430s ...

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Situated near the University of Venice, Campo Santa Margherita is a prominent city square in the Dorsoduro sestiere. It is named after a church that once stood on its northern side and has long been home to fisherman’s stalls and a small vegetable market. Its proximity to the university and the St. Lucia train station makes it a popular gathering place, with a number of significant buildings lining the square ...

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Located in Venice's lively Dorsoduro sestiere, the Campo San Barnaba is a little square named after the San Barnaba Church that stands by it. This Neoclassical church was dedicated to the Apostle Saint Barnabas and dates to 1776. It was reconstructed based on designs by Lorenzo Boschetti. It features a 11th-century campanile with a pinecone-shaped spire that is slightly detached from the main church ...

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Renowned for its long tradition of glassmaking, Murano is a series of seven islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon. Jump aboard a vaporetto and make the short ride across the lagoon to visit Murano’s Museo del Vetro and shop for locally crafted glasswork. The Museo del Vetro is located within the 17th-century Palazzo Giustinian and features a magnificent collection of Venetian glass dating back to Roman times ...

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Lake Garda is the largest and probably the most popular Italian lake, situated halfway between Milan and Venice. With its 50km length and 20km width, it covers three regions. Home to a collection of traditional towns that have retained its character and culture and at a stone's throw from Italy’s most iconic cities is Lake Garda, a perfect destination for everyone ...

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The Arena di Verona is an ancient Roman amphitheater located in Verona (province of Veneto, in northern Italy) that could accommodate about 30,000 spectators. The amphitheater has a height of 32 meters. Often considered the third Roman amphitheater by its dimensions, after the Flavian amphitheater (Colosseum) in Rome and the amphitheater in Capua. The Verona amphitheater is, however, the best preserved. The cavea (public seating part of Roman theaters or amphitheaters) is about 138 meters long and about 110 meters wide ...

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The Asiago War Memorial, also known as Sacrario del Leiten, is a monument built to the memory of World War 1 combatants that fought in the Battle of Asiago. It was created by Orfeo Rossato and displayed to the public in 1938. ...

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One of Venice's biggest attractions is the spectacular Doge's Palace, also known as the Palazzo Ducale. Much of the present building dates from the 15th century – although an earlier building on the spot may date back to the 9th century - has been rebuilt and added several times. The building was constructed in a dazzling pink and white marble design and has been described - fairly accurately - as an oversized wedding cake ...

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Located overlooking the water in Piazza San Marco, the Colonna di San Marco e San Teodoro are two columns topped with bronze and marble statues that honor Venice’s patron saints. San Marco Evangelista is depicted as a winged lion on the Column of the Lion, while San Teodoro is seen atop the other. Together with Palazzo Ducale and the Marciana Library docks, they greet visitors accessing Piazza San Marco from the sea. The Colonna di San Marco e San Teodoro were constructed by Nicolò Barattiero under the dogato of Sebastiano Ziani during the 12th century when Piazza San Marco was being enlarged ...

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Santa Maria della Salute, a Roman Catholic church, is positioned on the narrow Punta della Dogana that lies between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal in Venice. Construction began in 1631 following a devastating outbreak of the plague, and the church was dedicated to Our Lady of Deliverance (“Salute”), with many of its artworks referencing the “Black Death”. The church's site was selected as it allowed for an easy procession from Piazza San Marco during the Festa della Madonna della Salute, which saw the city’s officials parade to the church in gratitude for deliverance from the plague ...

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The emperor Napoleon supposedly described it as 'the finest drawing room in all of Europe', and if you visit Piazza San Marco in Venice, it's easy to agree with him. The square, also known as Saint Mark's Square – dedicated to the city's patron saint - is one of the most beautiful public squares in Europe.St. Mark's is also one of the few large squares given over to pedestrians rather than vehicles. It's the only square in Venice known as a piazza – the other squares are technically called campi ...

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