Venice
Sometimes called the Turkish Synagogue, the Schola Levantina was founded in 1541 as the first to serve the Ghetto's Sephardic community. Its renovated…
Must-see attractions in The Veneto
Venice
An unexpected outburst of baroque extravagance, this Longhena-designed church (built 1654–80) has a facade by Giuseppe Sardi that ripples with columns and…
Verona
Verona's beautiful open-air salon is ringed by a series of elegant Renaissance palazzi. Chief among these are the Palazzo degli Scaligeri (aka Palazzo…
Chiesa di San Giorgio dei Greci
Venice
Greek Orthodox refugees who fled to Venice from Turkey with the rise of the Ottoman Empire built this church in the 16th century, using taxes collected on…
Venice
It's not the prettiest from the outside, but the bald brick facade of this 17th-century church (rent by a concerning crack), doesn't give any indication…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Until Napoleon established a city cemetery on this little island, Venetians had been buried in parish plots across town – not an ideal solution in a…
Venice
This museum explores the history of Venice’s Jewish community and showcases its pivotal contributions to Venetian, Italian and world history. Opened in…
Venice
Instead of simple father-son handyman projects, sculptor Pietro Lombardo and his sons had more ambitious goals: a high-Renaissance marble facade for the…
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio
Venice
Founded in the 9th century but almost completely rebuilt in the late 17th century, this church is distinguished by a series of six relief maps on its…
Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi
Veneto Dolomites
Just over 17km northwest of Belluno, this magnificent national park offers trails for hikers of every level, wildflowers in spring and summer, and…
Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario
Venice
Venetians have long memories, which is why this church is still called I Gesuati by locals despite the namesake religious order having been replaced by…
Padua
Ancient Padua can be glimpsed in elegant twin squares (one the fruit market, the other the vegetable market) separated by the triple-decker Gothic Palazzo…
Padua
The ground floor of this monastery houses artefacts dating from Padua’s Roman and pre-Roman past, including some delicate glass, serviceable Roman…
The Veneto
To keep hard-partying Venetian nobles in line, Doge Alvise Pisani provided a Versailles-like reminder of who was in charge. The 1774, 114-room Villa…
Vicenza
Now a venue for world-class exhibitions, the Palladian Basilica is capped with an enormous copper dome reminiscent of the hull of a ship. The building,…
Vicenza
Vicenza's expertise in jewellery dates back to 600 BC when the Vicentini were crafting clothing fasteners, called fibula. This museum celebrates that…
Padua
Planted in 1545 by Padua University’s medical faculty to study the medicinal properties of rare plants, Padua’s World Heritage–listed Orto Botanico is the…
Venice
Under the Republic, only the Church and state were permitted to erect towers, as the structures could conceivably be used for military purposes. In around…
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Occupying two buildings across the square from the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, this museum is dedicated to Torcello’s venerable history. The main…
Venice
Originally built as a thatch-roofed wooden church in the 7th century, Santa Maria Formosa was refashioned by Mauro Codussi in 1492 with new baroque curves…
Vicenza
Vicenza's civic art museum occupies one of Palladio’s finest buildings, designed in 1550. The ground floor, used for temporary exhibitions, is where you…
The Veneto
Well-heeled Venetians wouldn’t have dreamed of decamping to the Brenta without their favourite cobblers, sparking a local tradition of shoemaking. Today,…
Venice
Giddily over the top even by rococo standards, this glitzy 18th-century Jesuit church is difficult to take in all at once, with staggering white-and-green…
Verona
Originally a Roman forum, Piazza delle Erbe is ringed with buzzing cafes and some of Verona’s most sumptuous buildings, including the elegantly baroque…
Venice
Giandomenico Tiepolo sure knew how to light up a room. Duck into the atmospheric gloom of San Lio's baroque interior and, as your eyes adjust, look up at…
Museo Civico di Palazzo Fulcis
Belluno
Although Belluno’s Civic Museum has some 600 notable regional works of art, including some stunning canvases by local talent Sebastiano Ricci, the real…
Verona
At the northern edge of the city centre, this bridge is a quiet but remarkable testament to the Italians’ love of their artistic heritage. Two of the…
Museo del Risorgimento e dell’Età Contemporanea
Padua
Since 1831, this neoclassical landmark has been a favourite of Stendhal and other pillars of Padua’s cafe society for the heart-poundingly powerful coffee…
Verona
At the river end of Via Leoni, Chiesa di San Fermo is actually two churches in one: Franciscan monks raised the 13th-century Gothic church right over an…
Padua
Built from a much-altered design of Michelangelo’s, the rather industrial facade and whitewashed symmetry of Padua's duomo is a far cry from its rival in…
Venice
This 16th-century palazzo (mansion) passed through the hands of various Venetian families before Archduke Frederik of Austria snapped it up and set about…
Scuola Grande della Misericordia
Venice
One of Venice’s seven grand confraternities, the Misericordia was the seat of the wealthy silk weavers guild that commissioned this enormous classical…
Convento di San Francesco del Deserto
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Franciscan friars offer free tours of their secluded island home, which still retains some of its 13th-century elements, including the first cloister. As…
Venice
Originally called Chiesa di Santa Maria della Visitazione but fondly nicknamed La Pietà , this harmonious church designed by Giorgio Massari is known for…
Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari
The Veneto
To appreciate both gardening and Venetian-style social engineering, stop just west of Oriago at Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari. Originally owned by…
Santa Chiara – The Glass Cathedral
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
There are authentic glass factories on Murano offering cheaper demonstrations and turning out far finer work, but this furnace – housed within a…
The Veneto
When she wasn’t exploring the furthest reaches of the Empty Quarter or negotiating with future Arab heads of state, legendary explorer and travel writer…
Vicenza
From La Rotonda, a charming footpath leads about 500m to the neoclassical elegance of Villa Valmarana ‘ai Nani’, nicknamed after the 17 statues of dwarves…
The Veneto
Head up steep Calle Madonna della Neve, following an intact section of 13th-century defensive walls all the way to a summit, where the last remaining…
Venice
This hefty-domed 18th-century church contains the body of St Lucy (Santa Lucia), one of the early church's most famous martyrs, who was killed in Syracuse…
