Venice Tourist Attractions
Venice itself is one large tourist sight, one of the most breathtaking in the world. Many travellers will be content to admire the views, to cruise along the Grand Canal, and to stumble upon hundreds of picturesque angles. If, on the other hand, you like visiting museums, churches and galleries, there are enough here to last you many weeks.
Tourist cards and passes
If you want to 'do' everything that Venice has to offer, you'll find it a time-consuming and expensive business. There are different combination of museum tickets and tourist passes, so if you have an idea of the places you want to visit, it's worth researching ways to save money on admission charges. The under-30s and over-65s are the lucky ones when it comes to saving money.
The Venice Card, which comes in two brands, orange and blue, has different prices and offers for different age groups. These cards include public transport, but are not an amazing bargain; and are really only worthwhile if you plan to visit a great number of museums and public toilets(!). Read the information carefully, and if you decide you want the card, pay in advance online for discounts.
Those aged 14-29 will find it worthwhile buying a Rolling Venice card, which costs just €4 and lasts until the following December. It entitles the holder to a 3-day travel card for €18 (a good saving), and to significant discounts on most museum entry charges. You can buy the Rolling Venice card in tourist information offices, including the one at Piazzale Roma.
The city museums, Musei Civici, which include the Ca' Rezzonico, Museo Correr and the Torre dell'Orologio, have a range of combined tickets. Again, it's worth reading the list of attractions included to work out what will represent the best deal for you. EU children, students and over-65s are entitled to reductions.
The Grand Canal (Canalazzo)
Venice's main waterway splits the city in half with sestieri in equal parts to the west and east of it. It is the hub around which much activity in Venice is concentrated and is encircled with elegant facades of the palazzi, which testify to the city's past opulence. The best way to explore the architectural splendour of these Renaissance buildings is on board a vaporetta. Pedestrian access across the canal is only provided along three bridges situated at the station, Rialto and Academia. Gondolas cross the canal at regular intervals and provide a romantic interlude to the sightseeing itinerary. The Grand Canal palaces and buildings to look out for include the Ca da Mosto, with its rounded arches in low relief. The 'House of Gold' (Ca d'Ora) is a beautiful Gothic building constructed between 1424 and 1430. Palazzo Corner-Spinelli and Palazzo Vendramin Calergi combine classical and Byzantine elements designed by Mauro Codussi. Architect Jacopo Sansovino was inspired by Codussi's style and infused this in his creation of the Palazzo Corner (Ca Granda). Another notable Palazzo is the Grimani di San Luca, designed by Michele Sanmicheli.
St Mark's Square
St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) has always been the nucleus of Venice. The first citadel and church were erected on its stony foundations, the Palazzo Ducale and the Basilica di San Marco respectively. The Basilica di San Marco is a unique juxtaposition of Byzantine, western European and Islamic architectural styles. The Basilica's most precious relic is the Pala d'Or, a Venetian-Byzantine gold relief adorned with precious gems. Travellers and pigeons flock to the Piazza with equal zeal. It is the tourists however who pay dearly to eat or drink at the elegant cafes that spill onto the pavements. Designer shops line the streets that radiate from the square. There are worthwhile places of interest to explore beyond the square that include the Museo Correr, the Archaeological Museum and the Museo del Risorgimento, which are housed within the Procuratie Nuova. Attached to the Procuratie Vecchie is the triumphal Torre dell'Orologio. The adjoining archway guides one through to the Mercerie, Venice's main commercial street that stretches to the Rialto.
Rialto
The Rialto has long been the commercial core of Venice and is famed as the place where the first bridge over the Grand Canal was built. The original wooden bridge collapsed under the strain of the crowds gathered here to admire a wedding procession. It was replaced by the sturdier single stone arch design of Antonio da Ponte, built in 1588. Today the area still resembles the bustling fruit and vegetable market of former times but is additionally swamped with tourists and the accoutrements geared towards them.
Basilica dei Frari
This great Gothic Franciscan church was constructed in the 14th century and is primarily known as the burial place of Titian and the Venetian sculptor, Antonio Canova. Titian's tomb in the south aisle watches over large marble pyramid created for Canova. The interior of the church is adorned with the works of famous artists. These include Donatello's St John the Baptist, Giovanni Bellini's triptych of the Madonna and Saints, Titian's famous Assumption of the Virgin and his Madonna of Case Pesaro.
School of St Roch (Scuola di San Rocco)
A Scuola in Venice was a mixture of guild and religious fraternity where members paid annual fees to support fellow members and to decorate the school's premises. The School of St Roch is known for the canvasses of Jacopo Tintoretto that adorn its interior. Tintoretto was commissioned to decorate the School in 1564 and dedicated 23 years to this task. The paintings are arranged in chronological order that can be followed by beginning on the second floor in the Sala dell'Albergo. Notable amongst his works are the scenes from the Life of the Virgin and the Crucifixion.
Peggy Guggenheim Collection
The Guggenheim collection is housed in the former Palazzo of the wealthy American heiress and has become one of the most illustrious collections of Modern Art in Italy. It spans the artistic movements of Cubism, European Abstraction and Surrealism with notable works by Brancusi, Marino Marini, Kandinsky, Picasso, Magritte, Rothko, Max Ernst, Dali and Jackson Pollock. Peggy Guggenheim built up her collection between 1938 and 1947 and bought the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in 1948 where she lived until her death in 1979.
Bell Tower (Campanile di San Marco)
Originally built in the 9th century, this 318-foot (97-metre) bell tower is the highest structure in Venice and offers visitors breathtaking views of the cupolas of St. Mark's, the lagoon, its neighbouring islands and the red rooftops and church domes of Venice. When the air is clear, one can even spot a snow-capped peak of the distant Dolomite Mountains but, strangely enough, not one canal can be seen from this bell tower. The tower collapsed unexpectedly in 1902 and was rebuilt exactly as before, even rescuing one of the five historical bells that are still in use today (each bell was rung for a different purpose, such as war, the death of a doge, religious holidays, etc).
Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)
Entering the Piazza San Marco, the clock tower is one of the first things to be seen, towering above the Procuratie Vecchie (the ancient administration buildings for the republic). Built in 1496, the clock mechanism of that same period still keeps perfect time. The two bronze figures, known as 'Moors' because of their dark colour, pivot to strike the hour.
Source : wordtravels.com
Tags:Venice Tourist Attractions, Tourist Attractions in Venice, Venezia Tourist Attractions, Venice Tourist Places Italy, Venice Attractions , Venice Italy, Top Venice Tourist Attractions, Main tourist sights in Venice Italy,Venice tourist information
No comments:
Post a Comment