THE INSIDERS’ HEART OF VENICE

A walk into the central core of Venice on the footsteps of past and present Venetians.

From St Mark’s Square we walk in the old theater district, passing by the famous Gran Teatro la Fenice, the celebrated Opera House, newly rebuilt after the 1996 fire which greatly damaged it.

Then, in the steps of Antonio Vivaldi and Giacomo Casanova into the Sant’Angelo and San Samuele districts, once renowned for theaters, music, and world-famous artists such as the inventor and textiles’ designer Mariano Fortuny, Spanish by origin and, like many others, Venetian by adoption.

In our day, there is Alberto Valese‘s art shop ‘Ebru’, with its magic papier-maché creations, based on an ancient Turkish technique, carries on the local tradition of highly skilled craftmanship.

We will use the popular “gondola shuttle” to cross the Grand Canal at San Tomà and explore the Sestier di San Polo (one of the six neighborhoods of Venice), passing by the house of Carlo Goldoni, the greatest Venetian playwright, who based his witty comedies on everyday life in 18th century Venice, still successfully staged today.

By the Rialto market area, we walk into the former red-light district (prostitution was legalized here in 1358, but it is illegal in today’s Italy) and go by the majestic palaces