The city of Venice is unique in the entire world. A port city, Venice is built directly on canals. Venice is truly a city of explorers and among its most popular citizens was Marco Polo. It is also an important location as far as the shipping fraternity is concerned. Tourists to this city are always in awe of its rich history and beauty.



The fantastic Northern Italian city of Venice presents a unique section of Italy, which has a distinct style in art, architecture, food, and people. Unlike other Italian cities, Venice has a unique Turkish flair with Byzantine designs in architecture and gold coatings on every available surface.

On your visit to Venice, do not miss the world famous St. Mark's Basilica, better known as San Marco. This fantastic edifice was restored for the Jubilee year of 2000 and is now more breathtaking than ever! With all the gold, mosaics, and carvings freshly cleaned, San Marco is a sight worth seeing. The building is most famous for the four horses that stand guard over the basilica. Originally thought to originate from Constantinople, Napoleon Bonaparte looted the four equines, which were returned years later in 1815.

The basilica is situated in the equally famous area called the piazza. This piazza has an abundance of pigeons, and to protect tourists from these, arcades along the square have lined up on either side. Other places of attraction are the Doge's palace and the shops in the square.

A city built on canals and lagoons would no doubt have an abundance of bridges. But the "Bridge of Sighs" takes the cake. You can easily see this bridge from the Grand Canal, as it is located straight near the Piazza San Marco. The bridge is so called because prisoners used to pass through this beautiful 17th century bridge to reach their cells.

The Rialto Bridge along the Grand Canal is the next famous bridge in Venice. There are shops along both sides of this famous bridge, and you can purchase a bevy of Venetian goods from these. There is also a legend attached to this bridge for eternal lovers. It goes on like this. If you take a ride in one of the famous gondolas and kiss your lover while under this bridge, you two would remain in love forever.

Gondolas are the historic long black boats navigated by striped shirted gondoliers in the narrow canals using only a pole and a master's knowledge of the canal system. Most of these gondoliers will sing a song for you but they do expect to be tipped generously.

By far the most famous item made in Venice is the lovely Murano Glass. Made in a tiny island just minutes from the Piazza San Marco, Murano is home to some of the most famous glass companies in the world. Be sure to visit the factories and see how these masters of glass blow and shape molten glass into exquisite creations.