Visit Venetian Italy

Venice, Italy is a city unlike any other in the world! Built directly on canals, Venice is truly a port city. Serving as a critical element in the shipping world and home to explorers such as the famous Marco Polo, visitors of all ages will fall in love with the beauty and history of this famous Italian city.

Venice encapsulated the soul of Italy. If you want to have a truly Italian experience, look no further than the North Italian city of Venice. The city has its unique style of art and architecture, delicious food and friendly people. Its importance in the shipping routes has opened it to influence from outside, particularly Turkish. Hence you would find Byzantine designs in Venetian architecture and gold coating of surfaces.

San Marco or St. Mark's Basilica is the fantastic edifice that was restored for the Jubilee year of 2000 and is now more breathtaking than ever! With all the gold, mosaics, and carvings freshly cleaned, San Marco is a sight worth seeing. The building is famous all over the world for the four horses that stand guard over the basilica. It is said that these four equines originally came from Constantinople, and were subsequently looted by Napoleon Bonaparte. They were returned years later in 1815.

The piazza where the basilica is situated is known for its pigeon population and is just as famous as the building itself. However, if you are bird shy, you can watch from the arcades on either side of it. But, you must not miss out on the beautiful Doge's Palace and all the shops in the square.

Although Venice is a city of bridges that cross over the lagoons and canals, the most famous by far is the “Bridge of Sighs.” Located near the Piazza San Marco, this beautiful bridge can be viewed easily from the Grand Canal. The name of this 17th Century bridge comes from prisoners who would pass through the beautiful bridge on the way to their cells.

The other famous bridge in Venice is the Rialto Bridge, which straddles the Grand Canal. Shops line both sides of this famous bridge, allowing visitors to purchase a wide variety of Venetian goods. Legend states that couples who kiss while riding under the bridge on the city’s classic gondolas will remain in love forever.

Gondolas have been a major attraction of this famous city for a long long time. Take a ride on these long black boats. What is unique about this experience is that these stripe shirted gondoliers use only a pole for navigation and have the knowledge of the city's canal system on their fingertips. If you tip and tip well, they would most definitely oblige you with a song.

You must have heard of the world famous Murano glass. This is manufactured in Venice. Some of the world's biggest glass companies are located in Murano, a tiny island not far from the Piazza San Marco. A visit to these factories would be a great learning experience for you, as you would see how these masterful craftsmen shape molten glass into beautiful things.

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Ingrid Ingra is the owner and operator of F italy, the web's premier resource for information about italy. For questions or comments about this article visit: www.finitaly.com/articles
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