Venice, Italy: Island Hopping in the Lagoon
After Rome fell, farmers on Venice's mainland were sick and tired of being overrun by barbarians and moved out into this lagoon, and hoped the barbarians didn't like water. Today, these towns' back lanes give you a candid peek at a peaceful slice of the Venetian lagoon most visitors miss. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit http://www.ricksteves.com.
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Venice, Italy: The Doge's Palace
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Venice, Italy: Gondola Gliding
For open air art in Venice, you need only to look at the canals. Sleek and graceful, gondolas are a symbol of this most serene city. On a gondola, romantics glide through their own parallel Venice, experiencing echoes of the past, and reflections of once upon a time grandeur. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visithttp://www.ricksteves.com.
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Venice and its Lagoon (UNESCO/NHK)
Founded in the 5th century and spread over 118 small islands, Venice became a major maritime power in the 10th century. The whole city is an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building contains works by some of the world's greatest artists such as Giorgione, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and others.
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BBC - Francesco's Venice. Blood
If you have the time, this is a great BBC video on the history of Venice. This video includes a description of the history of Saint Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace, both sites are on the Bella'Italia tour. Please note there are some bloody violent scenes which may be disturbing to younger kids.
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Francesco's Venice. Part 2. Beauty
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This last two segment describes the artist Titian and includes many inappropriate images. It may not be appropriate for kids therefore I didn't include it on the site. If you are interested, you can find this segment on YouTube.
Interactive Map of Venice with Panoramas
This site has a great interactive map of Venice. When you click on an attraction, you can read a description and see a panorama of it. This site also has audio tours (iPod and MP3) that you can download. The audio tours include: Venice, Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Basilica, Carnival, La Fenice.
Saint Mark's Square Panorama
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Early Morning at the Rialto Bridge Panorama
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