Experience Venice
The Origins of Venice - Tour 17
Trace the origins of Venice on a guided tour of the northern lagoon islands of Mazzorbo and Torcello. These islands offer a unique window into the city’s early history, combining cultural heritage, nature, and sustainable practices.
Mazzorbo, a peaceful and sparsely populated island, is covered with vineyards, vegetable gardens, and the historic church of San Caterina. Walking among its green spaces, visitors experience the calm atmosphere and learn about medieval life, traditional agriculture, and the island’s role in shaping the Venetian lagoon.
Torcello, mostly uninhabited today, is known as the “mother of Venice.” Here, participants explore the Santa Maria Assunta church, famous for its ancient mosaics and impressive bell tower. The church reflects the island’s religious and cultural significance, offering insights into Venice’s early development and the spread of Christianity in the lagoon.
Your guide explains how geography, waterways, and natural environment influenced the formation of Venetian society, connecting the islands’ history to the rise of the city.
This tour blends historical storytelling with quiet moments in nature, providing a rare perspective on Venice beyond the city’s bustling canals.
Visitors gain a deeper understanding of the lagoon’s ecological and cultural value while enjoying a tranquil, immersive experience. Families and small groups leave with an enriched appreciation of Venice’s roots, heritage, and the serene beauty of its northern islands.
Duration: 4 hours
Price: €360 for small groups and families up to 8 people
Church entrance: €5 per person. Appropriate is dress mandatory
Transport: not included.
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Venice and the Rising Tide - Tour 18
Witness the resilience of Venice on a guided walking tour that explores the city’s relationship with water and its ongoing environmental challenges. Beginning in Campo Santo Stefano, one of Venice’s largest and most historic squares, visitors immediately notice subtle signs of strain: water stains on buildings, crumbling foundations, and sagging balconies. These details reveal how centuries of exposure to the lagoon and rising tides have shaped the city’s fragile architecture.
As the tour continues along narrow alleys and quiet canals, your guide explains how tourism, boat traffic, and the natural ebb and flow of acqua alta, high water, affect Venice’s historic buildings and public spaces.
At the Rialto Bridge, see firsthand the measures taken to control erosion and maintain the city’s unique urban fabric. Participants learn about restoration efforts, preservation strategies, and the balance between protecting Venice’s cultural heritage and accommodating modern life.
The walk concludes at St. Mark’s Square, a place where beauty and vulnerability coexist. Here, the impact of flooding and human activity becomes clear, highlighting Venice as both a historical treasure and a living, delicate city.
Through storytelling, observation, and historical context, visitors gain a deeper appreciation of the challenges Venice faces while witnessing its enduring charm.
This tour offers insight, awareness, and a unique perspective on a city constantly navigating the tension between preservation and change.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: €200 for small groups and families up to 8 people
Secret Gardens - Tour 19
Stroll through the hidden green spaces of Venice on a guided walking tour that takes you away from the city’s bustling streets. Scattered across the districts, Venice’s secret gardens offer peaceful courtyards, flowering plants, fragrant herbs, and quiet corners tucked behind churches, monasteries, and grand palaces. These secluded retreats reveal a side of Venice rarely seen by tourists, where nature thrives in harmony with the urban landscape.
Your guide will lead you along narrow streets and through charming squares, sharing stories about the history, design, and horticultural traditions of each garden. Manynspaces feature a mix of ornamental plants, fruit trees, and vegetables, reflecting the practices of aristocratic residences and monastic communities. As you stroll through these serene areas, you will gain insight into how Venetians have historically balanced city life with green spaces, preserving centuries-old gardens and maintaining their ecological and cultural value.
Access to gardens may vary depending on availability, making each tour a unique and intimate experience. Visitors have the opportunity to connect with Venice’s quieter, more reflective side, appreciating the city’s beauty beyond its canals andnhistoric architecture.
This tour is perfect for those seeking tranquility, a connection with nature, and a deeper understanding of Venice’s heritage, offering a memorable and immersive exploration of the city’s secret gardens.
Duration: 3 hours
Price: €300 for small groups and families up to 8 people
Garden entrance fees: not included
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History of the Gondola - Tour 20
Explore Venice through its iconic gondolas on a walking tour that reveals the history, craftsmanship, and cultural significance of these legendary boats.
For centuries, gondolas have been at the heart of Venetian life. They once served as the city’s main form of transportation, carrying residents, merchants, and nobles along the canals.
Today, they remain one of the most recognizable symbols of Venice’s maritime heritage.
As you walk through quiet streets and hidden corners, your guide will share stories of everyday Venetian life, from local commuters navigating the waterways to the grand ceremonial processions that once filled the canals.
During the tour, you will learn how gondolas are traditionally built in a squero, the historic boatyard where skilled artisans construct these elegant boats. Gondolas are made using eight different types of wood and are carefully shaped to create their distinctive asymmetrical design. Your guide will also explain the meaning behind the iron bow, known as the ferro, and why gondolas have been traditionally painted black.
As the walk continues, discover how gondolas evolved over time from practical watercraft to refined symbols of Venetian identity and artistry.
For those who wish to enhance the experience, there is also the option to enjoy a gondola ride through narrow, tucked-away canals, offering views of Venice that many visitors never see.
Duration: 2 hours
Price: €200 for small groups and families up to 8 people
Optional squero visit: additional, ask for a quotation
The gondola ride is not included in the price