Let’s try to go beyond the classic Venice, discover its most unknown and interesting curiosities. Here is our top 10 :

1. THE SECRET GARDENS OF VENICE

Contrary to popular belief, Venice offers many green spaces. Many of them are in private or hidden houses. Among the most beautiful and noteworthy are certainly the Garden of the Old School of Mercy, the Garden of Ca’ Morosini and the Gardens of the Church of San Francesco della Vigna. Several gardens are in private homes and therefore not open to the public. However, it is not impossible to visit them, contact us to know their feasibility.

2. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF VENICE

Venice, just to remain faithful to its uniqueness, has a topography completely in itself. First of all, it should be pointed out that there are no other squares than Piazza San Marco. All those that may seem so are in fact called campi or campielli. Then you do not walk along streets, but calli or fondamenta.

3. BRIDGES AND ISLANDS

Venice is located on 124 islands, these are connected by more than 417 bridges. Note that the only bridges on the Grand Canal are the Ponte degli Scalzi, the Rialto Bridge and the Accademia Bridge.

4. SPRITZ AND BACARI

A spritz tour in Venice is a must! It is an aperitif that takes its name from the German expression spritzen, that is watering, composed of 1/3 of white wine, 1/3 of sparkling water and 1/3 of liqueur. It can be tasted in typical Venetian taverns, i.e. Bacari.

5. CICCHETTI AND OMBRE

These, consumed mostly in the evening in some bacaro, are the taste of Venice. The cicchetti are in fact snacks with more local flavors, they can be tuna or meatballs, sardines in saor, salt cod on bread or polenta and much more. All this is then accompanied by a spritz or a ombra, that is a glass of wine. Generally this is a raboso (red) or a tocai (white).

6. THE WINGED LION OF THE SERENISSIMA

Surely the symbol of the Serenissima, the winged lion, cannot go unnoticed. This, which is also present in many cities in Veneto, has various meanings. If you see it represented with an open book, it means that the inhabitants of the city had to pay taxes in Venice. If instead you see it with its paw over the closed book, it means that that city was exempt from paying taxes, for example because of military merits.

7. BELLS AND VENICE

In Venice there are 84 bell towers, three of which are visibly hanging.

In San Marco there are also 5 bells, with completely different past functions. One was used to announce the death sentences in the square, another to mark the working hours, one to define the working session of the senators, the fourth to invite the nobles to trot and finally the fifth to mark midday.

8. THE COLUMNS OF THE DUCAL PALACE

You will surely notice when you look at the facade of the Doge’s Palace, seat of the Venetian Doges, two pink columns on the upper loggia. These, unlike the other white columns, indicated the point from where the Doge announced the death sentences.

9. THE WORLD’S FIRST FEMALE GRADUATE

We’re talking about Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Psicopia, the first woman in the world to graduate. She was born in Venice in 1646 and graduated from the University of Padua in philosophy in 1678. To have a second woman graduate in Italy you have to wait until 1732 with Laura Bassi.

10. THE NARROWEST STREET

The narrowest street in Venice is Calle Varisco, only 53 cm wide. It’s definitely worth a visit, you can’t pass it in two! It is located in Cannaregio in Campo San Cancian, overlooking the Rio dei Santi Apostoli.