VENICE TOURS WITH OFFICIAL CITY GUIDE |
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ST. MARK'S SQUARE (Sunday only after. 2pm HD 2 hours) - Euro 160,00 per group
St. Mark's square was the political and religious centre of the Republic of Venice; since ancient times it has been a place extraordinarily rich in historical and artistic value: we shall visit the basilica with its precious mosaics and from the outside explanations will be given of the ducal palace with its well-known Bridge of Sighs, the Procuratie palaces and the Napoleonic Wing, the Clock Tower, the Campanile and the Marciana National Library. We can then continue our walk through campi and campielli in the Castello area up to the Rialto markets on the Grand Canal. We pass by the square Santi Giovanni e Paolo and the lovely marble church of the Miracoli.
ST. MARK AND THE DOGE'S PALACE: (HD 3 hours - maximum 4 persons) - Euro 160,00 per group
Extra fee: Doge’s Palace and secret passageways entry 16€ per person.
St. Mark's Square was the political and religious centre of the Republic of Venice. Here we find the very famous basilica which includes the remains of the evangelist St. Mark under the golden vaults and domes. Climbing the stairs, you can reach the church museum. Here you can become acquainted with the mosaic technique and admire the glass and gold leaf tiles, as well as closely observe the famous four horses in gilded bronze, part of the Fourth Crusade's booty. Eventually, you can reach the church's balcony and look down at the square from above. At the side of the basilica there is the Doge's Palace, the former seat of government and today our most important museum. Here we will visit the historical setting of political and judicial life in the past, as well as visit the old prisons crossing the Bridge of Sighs. Then we will walk to the backstage of the different halls, using narrow, secret passageways to reach both the prisons where Giacomo Casanova was kept and the room on the top of the ceiling of the huge Major Council Hall.
OLD VENICE (HD 2 hours) – Euro 160,00 per group
The ancient Jewish ghetto in Venice is in the Cannaregio district, one of the most authentic Venetian areas in the city, and yet quite unknown to tourists. Important historical and artistic memories of the past will be seen in this tour which starts from Rialto, where other foreign communities lived. We continue with the Jesuits' campo, its church where an important canvas by Titian is preserved as well as the small precious oratory of the Crociferi. From there we move to the scuola of the Misericordia and then we walk along the fondamenta to see a small squero (boatyard). The beautiful church of the Madonna dell'Orto is very close: here we can stop to admire the much celebrated works by Tintoretto. In this multicultural and multiethnic context, not too far from the campo dei Mori, but away from the centre of power, the Jewish ghetto was born in 1516. We will try to understand what distinguished this area from all other Jewish quarters in Europe at that time as well as learn the history of the Venetian Jewish community till nowadays.
HIDDEN VENICE: THE SOUTH SIDE (HD 2 hours) – Euro 160,00 per group
Dorsoduro is on the south side of Venice. There are many possible walks you can do in this area, all including historically important places as well as more popular spots. The tour here proposed starts from the Santa Margherita campo, one of the liveliest areas in Venice, thanks to its proximity to the University. From here we walk to the Church of San Sebastiano where Paolo Veronese painted some of his major masterpieces. Then we go on through calli and campielli and we reach the squero (shipyard) of San Trovaso where gondolas are made. From the squero we move to the Zattere where the tour ends with the visit to the church of the Gesuati, frescoed by Giambattista Tiepolo.
ART AND HISTORY (HD 2 hours) – Euro 160,00 per group
Extra fee: San Rocco 7€ per person.
The tour starts at the Frari campo: the signs of the foreign communities that lived here in the past characterize the square and its history. Inside the Frari church, it is possible to retrace the development of the history of Venice as well as that of the Venetian art (and not only Venetian) from the 13th to the 19th century - in particular, you can admire the masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini and Titian. Then, around the corner, we enter San Rocco campo where we can visit the site of the much celebrated San Rocco brotherhood, internally decorated with Tintoretto's masterpieces in the late Renaissance.
CA' REZZONICO AND ST. MARK'S SQUARE (HD 4 hours) – Euro 300,00 per group
Extra fee: Ridotto Venier 50€ per group.
The Museum of 18th Century is set in one of the most beautiful palaces on the Grand Canal in Venice, Ca' Rezzonico. The Rezzonico family were rich merchants who became part of the new aristocracy. They were not Venetian, but thanks to their extraordinary wealth, they could buy a noble title, and they lived in this splendid dwelling, which was completed by the architect Giorgio Massari in 1756. The palace has been the site of the Museum of the 18th Century since 1936. This is where you can admire the splendours of that age, looking at the masterpieces by Tiepolo, Guardi, Longhi, Rosalba Carriera, Giambattista Pazzetta and Canaletto, as well as its original furniture, elegant staircases and large rooms and above all, the beautiful ballroom. After visiting the palazzo we then move towards St Mark's square to visit the ridotti. Since the 1500s, and in particular in the 1700s, the ridotti became extremely fashionable in Venice. A ridotto was a private place to go in the evening until late at night to enjoy the company of a few intimate friends, play games, organize interesting events and entertain oneself. Otherwise known as a "casino," the ridotto offered the opportunity to develop a particularly elegant taste in furniture and interior decoration, with frescoes and stuccos, using delicate tones.
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