Venice Archivi - ROMAN-GATEWAY

The better way to discover Venice is booking Venice Tour by by boat.

During this fascinating tour you will travel along the Grand Canal with its beautiful palaces. You will see the church of Santa Maria della Salute, the famous Saint Mark Square and the bridge of the Sighs.

You will also explore the narrow canals that criss cross through the island, flanked by wonderful private palaces and gardens. Along the boat ride you will see the façade of the Church SS. Giovanni e Paolo, where many of the Doges of Venice are buried, the Rialto Bridge, the Aman Hotel (where George Clooney’s wedding took place), The Church of Saint George, designed by Andrea Palladio and the island of Giudecca with its iconic building called the three Eyes.

You will admire the first Cathedral of Venice, Saint Peter’s church, then you will enter the imposing Water Gate to access the Arsenal where you will see the famous Hands by Lorenzo Quinn.

By boat you’ll also sail out in the open lagoon, passing by Murano, while enjoying the view of the Dolomites mountains in the distance.

Then, continuing your route of this fascinating labyrinth of canals you will stop at a famous Gondola Boatyard called The Squero of San Trovaso .

San Trovaso is the city’s longest continually operating squero, documented as far back as the late 1600s. Today it is owned by the city of Venice and operated by a co-op of specialized artisans who make new gondolas and refurbish old ones.

Tour length: 2 hours

You can combine this tour with Burano and Murano islands that are famous for the Glass Blowing and Lace artworks.

We will start our Murano and Burano Tour on a private boat. As you sail through the lagoon, you will have great opportunities to take pictures of the spectacular surroundings.

The first stop will be at Murano, famous for its glass-making industry. The local craftsmen use century-old techniques to create some of the most outstanding designs and works of art.

The museum of glasses is a must for anyone wishing to bone up on the art of glass making in Venice. It has an extraordinary collection of decorated articles and glass produced between the 15th century and the present.

Then we will go to a Furnace for a visit to the work spaces and to watch the fascinating glass blowing by the Glass Masters.

They are the descendants of an unbroken line of artisans that reaches back to the beginning of the craft itself. In 1291, the Venetian Government ordered glass masters to move their furnaces to Murano for fire safety reasons. Since then, they became a kind of second aristocracy there and the glass they made was traded far and wide. They refined the techniques for making all kinds of glass effects and Murano was the only quality glass for centuries.

We will go to take a look at the beautiful Church of Santi Maria e Donato. The richly-decorated interior has a lovely mosaic floor that was laid in 1141, around the same time as the similar floor in Saint Marc Basilica in Venice.

The second stop will be at Burano.

Burano is famous for its brightly colored homes. These homes also attract artists from across the world. Permission must be granted from the government before they can paint a house in a certain color.

Families used to paint their homes in bright colors to designate where their family’s quarters ended and a neighbor’s began, as well as to make their homes more visible from the Sea.

Burano is famous for the lace working art too.

Back in the 16th century, the women of Burano started stitching lace. Each women specialized in a single stitch, and since there are seven stitches in total, each piece would have to be passed from woman to woman to finish. That’s why one handmade lace centerpiece for a tablecloth takes about a month to do!