Venice-Italy's Pride

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 piazza where the basilica is situated is known for its pigeon population and is just as famous as the building itself. However, if you are bird shy, you can watch from the arcades on either side of it. But, you must not miss out on the beautiful Doge's Palace and all the shops in the square.

Venice is a city of bridges that cross over the lagoons and canals, but the "ridge of Sighs" is the most famous one. It is located near the Piazza San Marco and can be seen from the Grand Canal. It gets its name from the prisoners who used to pass through the bridge to go to their cells in the 17th Century.

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 have been a major attraction of this famous city for a long long time. Take a ride on these long black boats. What is unique about this experience is that these stripe shirted gondoliers use only a pole for navigation and have the knowledge of the city's canal system on their fingertips. If you tip and tip well, they would most definitely oblige you with a song.

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.