ahotelinitaly.com blog

In which we offer our bold attempt to give you a five-stop guide to Venice, the sine qua non of sights and sites of The Serene Republic. So imagine you had no guidebook and just a day to see everything Venice had to offer, what mustn’t you miss. So, ‘a Venice hotel is a wonderful thing’ because it puts you on the doorstep of…

* The Doge’s Palace or ‘palazzo ducale’ was the seat of power in the Serene Republic of Venice. The Doge (or duke) was the leader of the city from the seventh century to the turn of the 19th. The imposing building, flanked by the Bridge of Sighs and with its imposing Gothic bulk looking out towards the Lagoon and St Mark’s Square. Ensure your Venice hotel puts you within striking distance of the Palazzo Ducale.

* Which brings us neatly to St Mark’s Square, or Piazza San Marco, the main square in Venice and home to the magnificent Basilica di San Marco. The ‘drawing room of Europe’ as the cliche would have it, and a buzz of cafes, restaurants, tourists and annoying pigeons and photographers. It is, though, the buzzing hub of this buzzing city. We strongly advice a Venice hotel close to Piazza San Marco.

* And so to the Basilica di San Marco, one of the world’s great Byzantine churches. An opulent (or vulgar depending on your taste) riot of gold and gilt, with Byzantine mosaics, it is known accurately as the Chiesa d’Oro or ‘church of gold’. Look out for the Greek Horses (of St Mark), the Four Tetrarchs, and the extraordinary gilded Narthex. Arranged as a Greek Cross, the church has a decorated surface area of some 8000 square metres. You may wish to rest your eyes afterwards. Unmissable … your Venice hotel must allow you the chance to visit St Mark’s Basilica.

* From the grandest to the humblest. Well not that humble, because the Venetians certainly knew how to build a bridge. With endless miles of waterways they had lots of practice. An essential box to tick on your visit to the city isthe Ponte di Rialto, the oldest of three across the Grand Canal. The Bridge of Sighs (or Ponte dei Sospiri) meanwhile, is an enclosed limestone pontoon linking the Doge’s Palace to the town gaol. The view from the window onto the canal was the last the prisoners saw before their incarceration. The name was given by visiting Lord Byron in the 1800s … ah, a poet’s touch. What more appropriate than a Venice hotel overlooking the canals and bridges of this city on the water.

* The Accademia is a superb gallery of pre-19^th century art on the southern banks of the Grand Canal. Established in 1750, L’Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia was once the city school of architecture, painting and sculpture. Where to start with the treasures within. We have Mantegna, the various Bellinis, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, Leonardo and so the list goest on. And of course we have Canaletto, a scion of Venice and expert painter of the city’s waterborne beauty. You must find a Venice hotel near L’Accademia.

Venice hotel listings from ahotelinitaly.com
Tickets for Venice attractions, including the Doge’s Palace - tickitaly.com