Art & architecture walks and guided museum tours in Venice

At the eastern end of the elegant Piazza di San Marco, the political and religious heart of Venice for over 1,000 years, is the Basilica of San Marco, built in 1063. With its Byzantine style domes and its stunning golden mosaics, the Basilica is a testament to Venice's historical power as a sea-trading empire, and to its political links with both East and West. Our next stop will be the adjacent Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace, the seat of the Venetian government until Napoleon's conquest in 1797. It houses myriad Renaissance masterpieces, including Tintoretto's Paradiso, one of the largest paintings on canvas ever produced....

Our guided visit to the Accademia presents a master class in Venetian painting, with the possibility to see its development from the early Renaissance domination of the Bellini family to the opulent designs of Tiepolo, the last of the great Venetian painters. We will explore highlights of the collection, which includes works by Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto, Giorgione, and Tiepolo, while weaving a narrative on the history and character of Venetian art...

For over a thousand years the Doge of Venice, elected for life, ruled over the Serenissima. A look into this key role, as well as the numerous other political positions that allowed Venice to maintain a position of international power will all be explored as we move through the maze of the Ducal Palace. This walk also explores the commercial nature of Venice, how it intertwined with the political structure, and the cosmopolitan culture that pervaded life in the city. During our time visit the Doge's Palace, we will have the opportunity to discuss how the building itself, including major architectural and decorative components were used to reflect the power of the government...

This three-hour walk will provide a striking examination of Venetian art and its integral role in the public life of Venice. We will come away with an appreciation for the masters of the Venetian Renaissance—Titian, Tintoretto, Bellini—and a greater understanding for how these works were meant to be viewed in context. Part of the beauty of Venice is its wealth of art still in-situ, and here we will focus on the churches and scuole of the San Polo sestiere...

This three-hour walk explores Venetian art from the early Renaissance, also touching on the urban nature of the city and its relationships with water and the East, through trade and the worship of relics. As Venetian art is highly intertwined into the culture and social structure, you will also gain knowledge of the social history of the city. In this walk we have the possibility to visit churches such as San Zaccaria which contains stunning 15th century altarpieces, as well as one of Giovanni Bellini's most famous works. A discussion of Bellini will give us insight into the workshop practices of the day and the slow progression of thought from the artist as laborer to the artist as genius...

Rising up from the ashes of the declining Roman empire, Venice, during the Middle Ages, was able to transform itself from a collection of fishing villages into a powerful Republic. During this period, the city grew to be a force that controlled a large portion of the trade and commerce in the Mediterranean, making Venice a vital link between Europe and the East. This unique relationship, coupled with Venice's place as one of the richest cities in Europe and an epicenter of the arts, generated architectural and artistic styles heavily influenced by Byzantine and Islamic designs...

The northernmost sestiere of Cannaregio remains a hidden gem and home to much of Venice's resident population. Largely avoided by tourists, this charming neighborhood provides us with the opportunity to view important monuments without the crowds. This neighborhood stroll focuses equally on art, architecture, and local character, thus providing you with an insider's sense of both modern and historical Venice...

Our neighborhood stroll through Dorsoduro will uncover one of the city's most exciting and intriguing creative neighborhoods. Dorsoduro is home to two of the city's most important art collections, the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, as well as being a lively university district. In addition to being on the cutting edge of contemporary art, Dorsoduro also contains a traditionally Venetian core...

Venice's architecture and urban development has evolved from the unique environment and cultural nature of the city. Built on a lagoon, ingenious methods of laying foundations and construction were essential, while the Republic's vast trade empire ensured a constant influx of influence from the East. Our Architecture of Venice walk aims to give you a sense of the growth in Venetian architectural styles, as well as insight into the urban planning of a city challenged by a dense population packed into a small string of islands...

Architectural decoration and an exploration of the lagoon's urban fabric can be used to understand the daily life of Venetians during the Renaissance period. The aim of this walk is to reconstruct what it was like to live during this period and will, on the one hand, consider external factors affecting one's comfort and quality of life. These factors include the layout and decoration of the domestic home, which we will view and discuss during time in the Ca' d'Oro...

Explore the verdant countryside of Venice's terra firma in this full-day tour that takes you to three of Palladio's most celebrated villas. You'll visit enchanting Asolo, too - called the 'Pearl of the Veneto,' it is one of Italy's most beautiful hill towns and is the perfect place to sample the local wines and regional recipes. Departing from and returning to Venice's Piazzale Roma, first stop is Vicenza - "the city of Palladio" - which UNESCO has made a World Heritage Site due to its wealth of buildings by the famous architect...

You probably know that masks are worn during Venice's Carnevale, but have you ever bothered to scratch the surface and learn about the intriguing and mysterious legends behind Venetian masks? In this 1 1/2 hour hands-on workshop, you will learn the craft of mask making from a real Mascareri, one of the skilled artisans who, for hundreds of years, have made original Venetian masks in their ateliers located all over Venice...