LOST IN REVERIE

Don’t miss the opportunity to discover one of the world’s most fascinating cities on this private orientation tour. Your guide will lead you round Venice’s iconic landmarks while sharing noteworthy tales of its glorious past.

It was once said of Venice: “To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build there one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius”. Indeed this urban masterpiece was founded on unpromising ground. One hundred and eighteen tiny islands scattered throughout a mosquito-ridden swamp were chosen as the site of Venice’s earliest settlement. You might be wondering why on earth anyone would decide to found a city here, on fragile, insalubrious marshland. The answer is simply fear. From the 5th to the 8th centuries AD Barbarian tribes repeatedly sacked Roman towns along the north-eastern shores of the Adriatic, prompting the inhabitants to flee their homes and take refuge on the lagoon. For almost 1,400 years the three miles of water separating Venice from the mainland shielded the city from invaders, isolated its residents from Italy’s turbulent political life and allowed them to gaze eastwards, fanning a desire to reach further and extend their dominion over the seas. So that’s how the story of a powerful Mediterranean mercantile empire began… retreating in fright the Venetians themselves became fearsome rulers of the sea. Venice flourished in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance when it became an unrivalled hub of commercial, cultural and artistic ingenuity, whose legacy you will have the chance to admire as you stroll – and sail – through the town.

Make your way across the exquisite tracery of waterways and fairy-tale bridges to St. Mark’s Square, once the heart of Venice’s political and religious life and today the main tourist attraction of this fabulous floating city. When you reach this wonderful piazza you will be standing in what Napoleon called “the finest salon in Europe” which does indeed appear to be a stunning hall of stone lined with remarkable historic buildings: the Basilica in all its Byzantine glory; the Renaissance clock tower proclaiming the city’s unrivalled wealth and prestige; the elegant arcades of the Procuratie; Sansovino’s ornate Loggetta; the Doge’s Palace, presiding regally over the Serenissima.

Located at the eastern end of the square, St. Mark’s Basilica was originally the doges’ personal place of worship. It was not until 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice, that this private chapel was converted into the city’s cathedral, and henceforth became a public marvel for all to enjoy. Step inside to hear how the construction of the building one thousand years ago was intricately bound up with a theft and the survivors of a storm at sea. The sight of the church’s magnificently decorated interior, with its marble inlays, columns, finely carved capitals and, above all, glimmering mosaics covering 8,000 square metres of vaults and domes will take your breath away.

Intriguing tales of scandal and conspiracies await you inside the Doge’s Palace, the former residence of the Venetian rulers and a feat of Gothic architecture. Follow your guide through the splendid marble courtyard, up the gold-vaulted staircase, past the doges’ private apartments into the Hall of the Great Council. Here, you will gain a better understanding of the city’s political institutions and take a close look at the priceless works of art by local painters that embellish the walls. An allegorical depiction of the Triumph of Venice by Veronese will draw your gaze to the ceiling while on the wall behind the doge’s throne you will see one of the widest canvas paintings in the world, the Paradise, created by Jacopo Tintoretto and his son Domenico between 1588 and 1592. To this duo we also owe the portraits of Venice’s first 76 doges represented on the frieze that runs beneath the ceiling. A macabre tale will explain why one of these paintings has been replaced with a black veil.

Next, hop aboard a gondola and soak up the charm and ethereal atmosphere of Venice on a magical ride with your private gondolier. As you glide along the shimmering waters of the city’s enchanting canals, past lacework facades, under picturesque bridges, the stunning views of the lagoon may seem like aspects of a dream… but this is a reverie come true.