Hidden Venice: secrets and legends

Have you already seen St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge? Wonderful! Now it’s time to meet a different Venice.

The one without endless crowds, where laundry dries above the canals, old doors hide the stories of wealthy families and real treasures lie behind ordinary facades. This is the Venice of narrow calli, secret courtyards, unusual bridges, old wells and stories that Venetians have passed down from generation to generation.

What we’ll discover

• San Polo and Santa Croce. Old neighbourhoods of merchants, craftsmen and ordinary city folk.
• Scuola Grande di San Rocco and the Frari. Art treasures that people hurrying to St Mark’s walk straight past.
• Campo Santa Maria Formosa. One of the most interesting squares in the city, with palaces, legends and unexpected architectural details.
• Corte del Milion. Places connected with Marco Polo and his famous travels.
• Ponte delle Tette. Yes, Venice has a bridge with that name! We’ll find out where it came from and what this place had to do with Venetian life.
• Hidden courtyards, wells and alleyways. This is where the city shows its true character.

We’ll talk about courtesans and secret rendezvous, Venetian witches and ghosts, rich merchants and poor fishermen. We’ll find out how ordinary Venetians lived, why the houses have such unusual entrances, how the old wells worked and why in Venice even an ordinary street can have an amazing story.

It’s a tour full of surprises, humour and legends, to see the city without its tourist scenery. Don’t just see Venice, feel it!