• Ca’ Foscari Rio Nuovo - The meeting spot will be this charming Campiello near Ca’ Foscari, a Gothic palace on the Grand Canal that houses the headquarters of Venice University.

• Campo San Pantalon - Before viewing the only Banksy graffiti in Venice on Rio Novo, we will admire the world’s largest canvas painting at San Pantolon church.

• Campo Santa Margherita - We will traverse this large campo, which hosts a quiet market in the morning and becomes a main hub of Venetian nightlife in the late afternoon.

• Campo San Barnaba - The neoclassical facade of the church is well-known even to first-time visitors in Venice. This location gained fame from scenes in the films ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989) and ‘Summertime’ (1955).

• Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Carmini - A 14th-century cathedral that has retained its original Gothic character. The Carmini church collaborated with the adjacent Scuola Grande dei Carmini, both belonging to the Carmelites and dedicated to the worship of the Virgin of Mount Carmel in Palestine (Santa Maria del Carmelo).

• Campo dei Carmini - This square features the remnants of an ancient palace once inhabited by the Moro family, known as the “house of Othello.”

• Palazzo Ca’ Zenobio - Palazzo Zenobio is considered one of the most significant examples of late Baroque Venetian design, both architecturally and in interior decor. Throughout the 18th century, the palace was a hub of intense intellectual activity. Since 1993, following a complete restoration, it now serves as a research center for Armenian studies.

• Chiesa di San Sebastiano - One of Venice’s premier art venues, thanks to its magnificent cycle of paintings by Paolo Veronese, who is buried here. Adjacent to the church was a convent, now housing the humanities faculty of Ca’ Foscari University, redesigned by the famous Italian designer Carlo Scarpa in a dialectic twist with the old church.

• Chiesa di San Nicolo dei Mendicoli - A 12th-century church with a Veneto-Byzantine bell tower and wooden interiors. Early Venice was a collection of independent communities, each with its own unique characteristics. San Nicolò dei Mendicoli is an extreme example: its inhabitants, all fishermen, gathered in the church to elect their own doge, who would dress in scarlet and, following a symbolic ritual, go to the Doge’s Palace in Saint Mark’s to receive the embrace of the true doge.

• Chiesa dell’Angelo Raffaele - The Church of Angelo Raffaele, the only church in Venice with two bell towers, is said to have been built in 416 to fulfill a vow. This part of the city is very Venetian, with children playing in the streets in the afternoon.

• San Basilio - San Basilio was once the maritime terminal where all the steamers arrived in the 19th century. It overlooks the Giudecca Canal, and we can admire the Giudecca Island on our right with the magnificent Mulino Stucky building, an important example of 19th-century industrial archaeology now housing a hotel.

• Fondamenta Zattere - This wide fondamenta was once called “Carbonaia” because of the coal (carbone in Italian) that used to be unloaded here. Paved in 1519, it was later called “delle Zattere” because rafts (zattere) carrying wood for the Arsenale docked here after arriving from the mainland by river and then by lagoon.

• Punta della Dogana - Punta della Dogana is an art museum in one of Venice’s old customs buildings, the Dogana da Mar. It also refers to the triangular scenic area of Venice where the Grand Canal meets the Giudecca Canal, and its collection of buildings: Santa Maria della Salute, the Patriarchal Seminary of Venice, and Dogana da Mar at the triangle’s tip.

• Licensed Tour Guide
• Hotel pick-up in Venice available for private groups

• Gratuities

Uncover the marvels of the aquatic city of Venice while avoiding the well-trodden paths filled with teeming throngs. We’ll meander through select hidden lanes and trails chalked full of undiscovered treasures, taking you through local communities, grand palaces stationed by the canals, and enchanting gardens. As you soak in the tranquil atmosphere, you’ll get a peek into authentic Venetian daily life, ultimately unearthing a church renowned as a film location. Navigate towards the canal where residents take pleasure in purchasing fresh produce directly from a boat.
Each new turn presents a distinct allure, from an obscured 14th-century church exuding serenity, lavishly adorned within, to a leisurely exploration of slender ‘calles’ and ‘campos’, home to local children at play. Follow your local guide through majestic residences and must-visit secluded churches in peaceful seclusions, culminating your journey at one of Venice’s most panoramic vistas.

• On certain dates, most travelers staying outside of Venice who are planning to visit for the day will be required to pay a €5 access fee. For further details (including exemptions) and to learn what days this fee is applicable, please visit: https://cda.ve.it

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.