Illuminated Palazzi at Night
by veneziac
After dark, take a vaporetto—a water bus—from the train station down the entire length of the Grand Canal to the Palazzo Ducale—the Palace of the Doges. The facades of the palazzi bordering the Grand Canal are magnificently illuminated and reflected in the dark waters. In the winter it might be cold, but it is worth braving the weather to see the palazzi from a seat in the bow of the vaporetto. To experience a different perspective, do the same thing in the daylight. Don't forget to have your ticket validated before boarding the vaporetto. My husband and I have been to Venice five times, usually in early April or mid-October. To experience the empty Piazza San Marco before the city comes alive is bewitching, wonderous,—and romantic. So each time, on at least one morning, we rose before dawn and went to the immense Piazza.
It was usually devoid of people, and we found that the amazing silence was broken only by the soft cooing of awakening pigeons or the sudden whirling of their wings. We liked to imagine that the ghosts of the Dogi, or Tintoretto and Titian, or even Earnest Hemmingway and Robert Browning were about, and that if we listened closely, we could hear them whispering.
As the sun rose, it ignited the bronze angel atop the Campanile—the Bell Tower—and then the golden crosses crowning the Basilica of San Marco. Solitary footseps would be heard from the far end, and soon, many people would be crossing the Piazza on their way to work.
The magic would be broken, and we would find a cozy place to enjoy a café latte and a sweet roll.
Spring for the audio tour
by Hopkid
When visiting the Palazzo Ducale, Galleria dell'Accademia, and the Scuola di San Rocco, I highly recommend paying for the audio tour. Unless you have a guide book specific for that museum, you won't get a good idea of what you're looking at. Most, if not all, artwork placards are in Italian so you're out of luck if you don't know the native language.
The audio tours are great because they give you a lot of background information on what you're looking at. You can also go at your own pace, even skipping things if your interest starts to fade. We had an art guidebook specific to Venice but still purchased the audio tours which greatly added and supplemented the book. A great idea! I gained a great appreciation for the work of Titian and especially Tintoretto on my visit to Venice. I had heard of neither before I arrived.
My Last Night in Venice...
by coceng
After watching the violinists serenading me, I decided to go back to the hotel & thinking of one more photo of me !
Some couples behind me also wanted to take in for the memory...
A passer-by took this photo, it was okay ! My cheap camera couldn't really take good night photos.
I was tired & sleepy anyway.
There were many people at that time, around 11 pm.
Walking, kissing (as if they should do that while in Venice, when they get home, they got a divorce !), kids were playing & the gypsies still selling their flowers I had to grip my (empty) wallet !
This was the night sight around St. Mark's Square...
Napoleon
by msbrandysue
Napoleon I (born Napoleone Buonaparte, later Napoléon Bonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic, and Emperor of the French. He was also King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine.
That's right...he was born of Italian decent. At birth, his name was Napoleone di Buonaparte. However, neither Napoleone nor his family used the aristocratic particle di. Though the Buonaparte family belonged to minor nobility, they were financially poor and did not regard themselves as aristocrats. However, as it was necessary to belong to a proven noble family to enroll at the military academy at Brienne, in school the child was known as Napoleone de Buonaparte. He gradually adopted a French version of his first name, Napoléon. In 1795, after having become a major French general, he dropped the "u" from his last name, making it Bonaparte.
If you caught my St. Mark's Basilica tip you'll read about the Triumphal Quadriga or Horses of Saint Mark. A quadriga is a four-horse chariot. Itrepresented the usual chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and bas-reliefs. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing. Quadrigas became a natural emblem of triumph, victory or fame. Well, in 1797, Napoleon carried the quadriga off to Paris where they were used in the design of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. From that date Italians have HATED Napoleon. After Napoleon was captured the Venetians went to Paris and brought their horses back home. However, due to the effects of atmospheric pollution, the original quadriga was retired to a museum and replaced with a replica in the 1980s. The Triumphal Quadriga in Venice is the only surviving ancient quadriga. Don't bypass these historical markers.
Do not confess your love of Napoleon in Venice. You may just be dumped in a canal never to be found again...Traitor!
Historical information gathered from Wikipedia
Peggy Guggenheim Gallery
by croisbeauty
Peggy Guggenheim Gallery is situated in Dorsoduro, facing Canal Grande, just about half way between the Accademia and the church of Santa Maria della Salute.
The gallery houses some of the most prestigious contemporary works of art.
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Hidden Chapel - ceiling
Beer and tremazzini on Strada Nuova
on one of 400 + bridges
Santa Maria della Salute
