There is nowhere on earth quite like Venice. The sky, the sea and the land seem to converge in this city in the most unique way.

My name is Guido, Italian native, travel enthusiast and founder of Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours. Since first visiting Venice Italy as a child, right up until the present, it is a city that never fails to make feel like I am in awe of it. Here’s what makes Venice so unique for me:

Having so much water in the centre of the city.

When you get to Venice during your Italian holidays, spend time just looking around. You will see so much water. It is unusual to see so much water in the centre of a city. But it is not that surprising when you consider that Venice is built upon a number of small islands and mud plains. However, the mix of water so close to urban infrastructure and beautiful buildings reminds me that I’m somewhere special – no matter how many times I visit.

It is a brave and confident city.

When you really think about Venice, the fact that so many beautiful buildings were built so close to water, or on land that floods regularly, you realise what a confident and brave city it is. Those who founded Venice, and who created its beautiful architecture found ways to make the structure of the buildings work with their proximity to water. Their technique was genius and the buildings still exist for us to enjoy today. I like that sense of certainty. I like to think that’s what made the city survive – whether a flood or what it later endured with Napoleon and during the war.

The view from the Grand Canal.

Whether on a gondola or vaporetto (water bus), I love the view from traveling along the Grand Canal. This is sure to be one of the most memorable parts of a vacation in Italy. You cannot fail to pick up on the sense of history one gets as you move and gaze at the beautiful buildings and think about their individual stories. Stop off at the Rialto Bridge – arguably Venice’s most famous bridge and survey the canal from here.

The architecture.

You probably knew I would mention the architecture. Who could come to Venice during their Italian vacation and not notice the beautiful buildings. You are truly spoilt for choice in Venice, as there are so many thanks in some part to the wealth that the Venetian Republic accumulated and its trade links. My favourite building is one of the city’s most famous landmarks – the Doges Palace. I favour it for its gothic style – it is striking. And I am touched by its history – once a political and administrative hub for Venice, it has been refurbished and repaired and its role has been reinvented but it never loses its presence. The design is intricate and it’s hard to believe that part of this building was also once a prison – which is said to have housed Casanova.

Piazza San Marco – the drawing room of Europe.

Napoleon referred to the piazza as the ‘drawing room of Europe’. It is busy as it is one of the most popular places to visit in Venice Italy. Everything is here. The Doges Palace, mentioned above sits off the square, but so does the beautiful Saint Mark’s Basilica – which Venetians consider an expression of the city’s independence thanks to the story around how St. Mark’s remains came to rest here. (Join us on a tour and we’ll tell you more about that story!). Come see the Basilica in the evening – the sight is impressive – with the structure and its mosaics almost glowing as the sun sets on the day. You may even hear music from some of the local musicians as you spend time here.

Music and art

As I said at the beginning, the sky, sea and land seem to converge in Venice in the most unique way. But music and art also meet here in great abundance, unlike anywhere else. When it comes to music, I really like to attend a concert when in Venice. It’s not just the music that’s fantastic – after all this is the home of Vivaldi – it’s the combination of the music and the backdrop that creates such a special atmosphere. And added to this, today’s visitors are lucky that Venice is such a unique repository of art – the most well thought of artists have left their mark all over Venice. Whether it’s Tintoretto’s ‘Crucifixion’ at Scuola Grande di San Rocco or the Accademia – the place to which Napoleon moved Venice’s artistic treasures in 1807.

These are some examples of what makes Venice so unique to me. I hope that when you travel to Venice Italy on your Italian vacation you have the same reaction to this beautiful city. I am very sure you will. Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours has the pleasure of helping visitors to Italy explore Venice. We offer some of the best Italian tours and fantastic tours of the city – whether it is a half-day sightseeing tour, a tour of the city’s wine bars to see how Venetians live, our walking and gondola tour of the city or excursions to the famous Murano, Burano and Torcello islands – the famous islands of the Venice Lagoon. Visit us at ciaoitalytours.com for more information.

Seeing just some of these sights in the flesh would be, as we say at Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours, creating memories of a lifetime. And I am proud to say that I have handpicked all of our tours in Italy and Italian vacations. They are based on my own experiences of this country. Please do visit us at ciaoitalytours.com I am sure your Italian vacation will be one you’ll never forget.

Ciao,

Guido.