Rick Steves' Venice 2014
Rick Steves
Language: English
Pages: 500
ISBN: 1612386571
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Following the self-guided tours in this book, you’ll explore Venice’s most important landmarks and cruise the Grand Canal for a close-up look at the elegant palaces, bridges, and churches. You’ll discover picturesque lanes, enjoy the best city views, and tour outlying islands in the lagoon. Dine at a romantic canal-side restaurant, or join the locals at a characteristic cicchetti bar and munch seafood-on-a-toothpick. As the stars shine over St. Mark’s Square, sway to the free music of café orchestras.
Rick’s candid, humorous advice will guide you to good-value hotels and restaurants. You’ll learn how to explore Venice hassle-free and get up-to-date advice on what’s worth your time and money. More than just reviews and directions, a Rick Steves guidebook is a tour guide in your pocket.
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)
Between Salt Water and Holy Water: A History of Southern Italy
Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes
Brunelleschi’s Hospital of the Innocents, considered the first Renaissance building. Locals call the square Piazza Dante for the statue of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri that dominates it. Dante—always pensive, never smiling—seems to wonder why the tourists choose Juliet over him. Dante was expelled from Florence when that city sided with the pope (who didn’t appreciate Dante’s writing) and banished its greatest poet. Verona and its ruling Scaligeri family, however, were at odds with the pope
hiring a gondolier for your own private cruise, see the Nightlife in Venice chapter. Tours in Venice Avventure Bellissime Venice Tours This company offers several English-only two-hour walks, including a basic St. Mark’s Square introduction called the “Original Venice Walking Tour” (€22, includes church entry, most days at 11:00, Sun at 14:00; 45 minutes on the square, 15 minutes in the church, one hour along back streets), a 70-minute private boat tour of the Grand Canal (€43, daily at 16:30,
Donatello’s statue, or Bellini’s altarpiece. Photography: Prohibited. Eating: The church square is ringed with small, simple, reasonably priced cafés. The recommended Grom gelateria has a branch right on the square, facing the left side of the church at #3006. Concerts: The church occasionally hosts evening concerts and small theatrical performances (usually around €15, buy tickets at church, for details see www.basilicadeifrari.it). Nearby: For efficient sightseeing, combine your visit with
pay Titian only after the Holy Roman Emperor offered to buy the altar if they refused. In a burst of youthful innovation, Titian (1488-1576) had rewritten the formula for church art, hinting at changes to come with the Mannerist and Baroque styles. He energized the scene with a complex composition, overlapping a circle (Mary’s bubble) and a triangle (draw a line from the apostle reaching up to Mary’s face and down the other side) on three horizontal levels (God in heaven, Man on earth, Mary in
€150.) Most listed hotels have rooms for any size party, from one to five people. If there’s room for an extra cot, they’ll cram it in for you (charging you around €25). English works in all but the cheapest places. Nearly all places offer private bathrooms. Generally rooms with a bath or shower also have a toilet and a bidet (which Italians use for quick sponge baths). The cord that dangles over the tub or shower is not a clothesline. You pull it when you’ve fallen and can’t get up. Double
