Venice, Italy

[Lookingtoimprove]

Gentlemen,

At the end of May I'll be visiting Venice with my girlfriend. Do you have any suggestions for sights we should see (other than the well-known tourist attractions)? We're mainly looking for some 'hidden gems' in or around Venice as it were.

I posted this question on another forum already -and received several replies to 'get lost' in Venice. Please disregard this question if you've already replied in the other forum.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Mark

[BenedictSpinola]

I'd recommend that you read Jan Morris' book on Venice.

[stbdtack]

Hello to all. I am a new registered visitor and I'm very much looking forward to learning from all of you. Perhaps, once in a while I'll have something to offer. I have a passion for fine clothes, exquisite shaving and scents, and great wine.

I travel to Venice (and other European destinations) often for business and pleasure. I suggest you take the time on your first visit to see the important sites. They are really worth the time -- buy a tour ot two because otherwise you'll be standing in long lines -- tours go to the front -- well worth a few Euros, and you get good history lessons as well. Another suggestion is to just zone out all the touristy things and focus on the "real" Venice -- my favorite city. Lots of nice shopping but very limited compared to, say Milano or Florence.

[preobrazhensky]

This thread long expired it seems, though I'd like to point out my favourites for the enjoyment of anyone facing an imminent visit.
Santa Maria Dei Miracoli is one of the most perfect early Renaissance buildings and must not be missed. Ezra Pound thought it worth all the other Venetian churches combined (value his opinions as you wish, I myself am generally ambivalent to sceptical, but in this instance he is spot on). With San Miniato al Monte in Florence and L'Abbazia di Sant'Antimo in South Tuscany it represents for me the pinnacle of all Italianate architecture.
San Sebastiano is infuriating to visit due to its state of repair and the inability to view the paintings from any satisfying angle, but it is literally wallpapered with Veronese; I remember barely a square inch untouched by his brush. The altarpieces are particularly wonderful.
La Scuola Grande di San Rocco has enthralled the greatest painters ever since Tintoretto devoted seventeen years to the fifty or more canvases that decorate it. Beautiful rooms too. Giacometti thought it the greatest work he had ever seen, and his is a judgment I absolutely defer to.
I apologise in advance for more superlatives, but an excursion to Padova is essential to see what I regard as the greatest painting in the world; Giotto in the Cappella Scrovegni. The Assisi paintings, whatever the authorship (it is much contested) are inspiring, but Padova is the only place to really know Giotto. There is a pervasive realism that only Masaccio, Rembrandt, and Watteau come close to, as far as I am concerned. There are fewer tourists in Padova and great dining opportunities. The Baptistry frescoes are interesting, there are some youthful frescoes by Titian elsewhere, and the chapel which houses the relics of St. Anthony is a surreal and spectacular conception.
Back to Venice, within the Accademia Carpaccio's St. Ursula cycle is enchanting, and don't miss the small panels by Antonello da Messina. I feel I need not mention Giorgione, Bellini, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Tiepolo...
I would also recommend, time permitting, a day down the Brenta canal. Observing the shifting landscape at a steady pace is rewarding, and you may catch sight of the odd Palladian villa.
Almost every Venetian church contains a treasure, and though I have neglected the most obvious sites of import, I have not space to list every of subsidiary interest. The best advise to give is to peek through any door that permits opening as you are unlikely to face disappointment.
I hope this is of use to someone, though enlightened bunch that you are perhaps my choices are well known to you. Either way, I have indulged myself in pleasant memories whilst composing this, so am grateful for the opportunity.