Venice

A republic built on a lagoon

Venice has a birthday. On 25 March 421, three consuls from Padua, looking for a place to build a trading port, laid a first stone. That spot later became the church of San Giacomo di Rialto, beside the Rialto market. On Torcello, in the northern lagoon, people began settling about 1,500 years ago, fleeing barbarian invasions. The water stood in for city walls. The republic that grew from there lasted a thousand years before ending in the Napoleonic wars. A few street words make the map easier to read: a lane is a calle, a square is a campo, and a path along a canal is a fondamenta.

San Marco: a saint's relics and a golden ceiling

The story of St. Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) begins in 829, when the body of Saint Mark was brought from Alexandria in Egypt. Rebuilding of the present church started in 1063 and it was consecrated in 1094; the mosaic decoration was begun between 1071 and 1084. Once your eyes adjust to the dim interior, the gold of the domes slowly comes into view. Next door, the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) ran the politics and administration of the thousand-year republic. The bridge linking it to the New Prisons, built in the 17th century, is the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), named for the story of prisoners sighing at their last glimpse of daylight through its windows. The Secret Itineraries tour (Itinerari Segreti) through the palace's hidden spaces is by reservation only and takes small numbers. Caffè Florian, under the arcades of the square, opened in 1720.

The Grand Canal and Rialto

The Grand Canal (Canal Grande) cuts through the main island in an S. The palaces along it face the water, which tells you right away that this was a city people reached by boat. A wooden bridge once stood where the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is now, and it burned and collapsed several times. The Republic passed over designs by Michelangelo, Palladio and Sansovino and gave the new bridge to Antonio da Ponte. Work began in 1588 and finished in 1591. The bridge spans the canal in a single arch of more than 28 m, and 12,000 wooden piles sit beneath its foundations. Its 24 shops were first taken mostly by goldsmiths, jewelers and craftsmen. Cross over and you're in the Rialto market, lined with fruit and vegetable stalls.

Cicchetti in a bacaro

Around sunset, walk along the canals of Cannaregio and the little bars called bacari open one after another. This is where Venetians gather for an aperitivo and cicchetti, bite-size snacks. Point at two or three things in the glass case, eat them standing up, then move on to the next place: that's the usual rhythm. • Sarde in saor — fried sardines marinated with vinegar-soaked onions, sharp and tangy. • Baccalà mantecato — dried cod, boiled and whipped smooth with olive oil. It's served on bread or polenta. For a proper sit-down meal, order risotto al nero di seppia, made with cuttlefish ink. It arrives jet black, but the flavor is gentle, with a deep taste of the sea.

Murano and Burano: islands of glass and lace

In 1291, to contain the damage from fires, the Republic had the city's glassworks moved to Murano. Seven islands divided by canals and joined by bridges, Murano has been the island of glass ever since, and since 1861 the Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro) has occupied Palazzo Giustinian, once the residence of the bishops of Torcello. Burano is a fishing island. The story goes that its houses were painted bright colors so fishermen could find their way across the lagoon on foggy days, and hundreds of brightly painted houses still stand there today. In the old Podestà palace, home to a lace school from 1872 to 1970, the Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto) shows Venetian lace from the 16th to the 20th century. To do both islands in a day, stop at Murano first: it sits between the main island and Burano, so the route is shorter.

A calendar of tides and festivals

Acqua alta, when seawater pushes into the city, is common in fall and winter, especially November and December. St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in Venice, floods first. At the lagoon's three inlets (Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia), the MOSE system holds back the sea with 78 gates. The festival year opens with Carnival before Lent. The Republic-era custom of hiding social rank behind a mask lives on in today's elaborate masks and costumes. On the night of the Festa del Redentore in mid-July, fireworks go up over the lagoon. On the first Sunday of September at 4 p.m., a procession of historic boats led by the Bucintoro, the Doge's golden ship, sets off along the Grand Canal, and about half an hour later the Regata Storica races begin. The Biennale alternates between art and architecture each year, running from April or May to November; after the 2026 art exhibition, 2027 is architecture's turn.

What to eat

• Cicchetti (bite-size bacaro snacks)
• Sarde in saor (tangy marinated sardines)
• Risotto al nero (cuttlefish ink risotto)
• Baccalà mantecato (whipped dried cod)

Handy tips

• A single vaporetto (waterbus) ticket is €9.50 and lasts 75 minutes from when you first validate it. If you'll ride three or more times in a day, the 24-hour pass (€25) is cheaper, and there are 2-day (€35), 3-day (€45) and 7-day (€65) passes too.
• Venice has a city access fee. The days it applies, the price and who's exempt are posted on the official site (cda.ve.it), so once your dates are set, check whether they're covered.
• Acqua alta is most frequent in November and December. When the tide tops +95 cm, waterbus routes change too, so bring waterproof shoes and leave some slack in your schedule.