Venice's only Gothic church. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is simply called "I…read moreFrari" as it was built by the brothers (frati) of the Franciscan order. LOCATION: In the San Polo sestiere but I remember just stumbling onto it while walking the island from my hotel in Dorsoduro to the train station on the opposite side of the island. ADMISSION: €3 Modest dress requested. I'm an atheist but as Christianity was highly influential in shaping European history I visit churches with the intent of understanding the history (and sometimes) art in shaping a region's cultural identity. As the Frari is not in San Marco, Rialto or any other major Venetian landmark I would've easily missed this church if not for Rick Steves' audioguide (http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/walkingtours/FrariChurch.mp3). His reasoning is that offers an opportunity to experience art in-situ (right where it was designed to be seen) as opposed to hanging in a museum. The audioguide explains the major art pieces in detail way better than I ever can. Here's a summary of the major pieces inside the church. - Titian's Assumption of Mary. This is considered to be Titian's magnum opus and his first major commission from a church. It's located behind the main altar. Its depiction of Mary was revolutionary for its time as she is seen as triumphant and depicted in soft and warm colors. - Titian's Madonna of Ca' Pesaro. What's significant is that this broke Renaissance tradition by depicting Mary and Jesus off-center and interacting with the commonfolk. - Giovanni Bellini's Madonna and Child aka the Frari Triptych. - Tombs of Titian and Canova. Titian had his tomb decorated with a relief of his most famous painting. On the other side Canova's cenotaph (Venice's most famous sculptor) is pyramid-shaped and was once meant for Titian, but when the church used the present design his pupils repurposed it for their master instead. It's a cenotaph because he isn't buried here but an urn contains his heart. Once you're done exploring the church the surrounding area is quieter than San Marco or Rialto. It makes for a good lunch/dinner spot and the prices are more reasonable.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (aka Frari Church) was one of my favorite attractions in Venice…read more The church is beautiful, there were no lines to wait in, and the cost was only 3 Euros per person. Frari church has many beautiful Venetian sculptures. The main highlight at this church is Titian's Assumption over the main alter. We downloaded Rick Steves' free audio tour onto to our iPods and it really added to the experience since our knowledge on Venetian art and Frari Church were minimal. You can download the free audio tour at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/italy-audio-tours/id272230438 After you visit the church I recommend checking out the Dorsoduro neighborhood along the Grand Canal and buying a cone of gelato!

Impressive medieval building in the heart of downtown Padua anchors the city center. Flanked by…read moreActive town squares with shopping, outdoor dining Anna vibrant food and flower markets. Worth a visit if you're in the area.

One of the jewels of the Veneto, this multi-faceted treasure is not to be missed. Palladio…read morecertainly created a glorious masterpiece of a villa here, and the facade commands the view over the plain below. The villa's interior features frescoes by Paolo Veronese and has delightful details, e.g., a hunter opening a door with a country view beyond -- except that it's a solid wall. Another detail -- the mistress of the villa, with pets, overlooking the room from a colonnade above -- except that there is no colonnade. The Nymphaeum at the rear of the villa features a garden with pool and statuary and gives the feel of an intimate atrium, backed with the hillside. The ongoing restoration is minimally disruptive and the guides are professional and thorough. Unfortunately, interior photos are not allowed and soft slippers are provided to protect the floors. Adjacent to the villa proper is a wine-tasting room, featuring Villa di Maser wines made on the estate. They also have light foods -- the luscious platter of cold cuts, cheeses and olives easily feeds four, a wonderful repast while sampling the wines. The Tempietto Barbaro is the family chapel, unfortunately closed during my visit. It was Palladio's last work, along with Vicenza's Teatro Olimpico. Spend an afternoon here and step into a gracious Renaissance confection!

Fountains map at venicetapwater.org, always updated and complete. For a plasticfree Venice trip. I…read moredrink water wisely!!! No more plastic in town. Play your part and drink Venice Tap Water

On a particularly hot day while walking around Venice, the stores ran out of bottled water. Where…read moreto find water? The storekeeper gestured towards the courtyard, "Fountain". We saw the fountain. Water ran out of it continuously from a lion's mouth. It looked like it was built a century ago. Or longer (see photo). Is this water drinkable? We consulted the WWW: Yes, water from Venice fountains is potable. At Piazzale Roma, visitors were given an empty bottle and a map of the 122 drinking fountains across Venice to fill/refill the bottle [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/04/water.italy]. The water was refreshing and tasted great. Ever since that day, we cheered up heat-exhausted and lost tourists in Venice by pointing out the nearby fountain to rehydrate and by giving them directions.

We've been in Venice several times. Always a joy. But somehow we've never made it to Burano. So…read morethis time we did. Had a weekly pass for the Vaporetto and took the No.12 from Fondamenta Nove in Venice. The trip took around 40min. And even on a weekday in April the Vaporetto was completely packed. But Burano is popular for good reason, it's an insanely pretty place! The Vaporetto will stop at the northern part of the small island. And it is indeed small. You can explore it easy in a few hours. It's very walkable - and most parts are even fit for wheelchairs and strollers (special bridges for these). From here you best get to the Fondamenta Assassini and Mauro. That will take you Vial Baldassare Galupp, the main drag here in Burano with countless shops, cafés and restaurants. And the famous buidlings in all colors (not just on this street of course). Soon you will reach the main Piazza with the lovely Chiesa di San Martino. Its tower is pretty tilted/leaning. You can see it clearly from further away west. From there you can head to the Fondamenta Cao di Rio - a more quite walk along along the canal. We did just that and then walked along the also pretty quiet Fondamenta della Peschera in the south. That will bring you back to the Fondamenta Cavanella and then Fondamenta Mauro where you came in first. It's a nice little round-trip. Of course there's more to explore. But this covers the most important and famous parts. There's also good food. Many good option. Cicchetti of course. But we've felt like a real meal and had lunch at the Osteria Cicchetteria da Gigetto. Excellent fried seafood and wonderful pasta. Nicely located at a more quiet canal. It's a really lovely place, this small island. The colors are amazing, we were lucky to get a picture-perfect blue skied day. And the colors were really glowing. It's definitely a must-do at least once. The ride there isn't that much fun, but definitely worth it.

What a treat! Watching an authentic woman who has had the tradition of lace making passed down to…read moreher was an honor to witness! Looking around the island during my visit was special and hearing about the tradition of painting the houses in colors that stand out because the men who are fisherman need to see their house distinct from others in the foggy weather! True or False...Burano benefits by having beautiful homes that tourists find unique! We had lunch while On the island and the food was fresh and tasty... If in Venice..only 30 mins or so distance..you can catch a public water bus and I would say it is worth it!

The tallest in Verona @84 meters and visible from pretty much anywhere in the city, Torre Del…read moreLamberti is easily found-just few minutes from Juliet's house. Constructed in 12th century and rebuilt several times after, this is the only private tower in Verona built by Lamberti family in the heart of the old town in Erbe square. Entry fee is 6 €, unless you are a teacher, part of the group, press etc when it's significantly reduced. We decided for the free panoramic views from Castel San Pietro terrace of the whole city, including this must see tower.

I have fallen hopelessly in love with Verona…read more And this tower is one of the reasons. LOCATION ======== Go to the Piazza delle Erbe and at the heart of this piazza is the Torre dei Lamberti. HISTORY ======= Tower dates from the 12th century, although it has been added to and changed since then. A lightning knocked its top off in 1403. Several decades later, the tower was restored and made even higher. It is now the tallest in Verona at 84 meters. VIEW ===== Some people take the elevator, but we decided to climb all 368 steps to reach the top. Good exercise and spectacular view on a clear day. PRO TIPS ======== Watch out for the ringing of the bells. I almost shat in my pants when it rung (next to my ear). INFO ==== Address: Via della Costa, 1, Piazza delle Erbe Hours: Open June-Sept: Mon 1:45pm-7:30pm; Tues-Sun 9:30am-7:30pm (last admission 30 min. before closing). Closed Oct-May. Admission: Admission by lift/on foot €3/2

A beautiful building located at the Piazza del Signori in Vicenza, Italy. The architecture is…read moresimply amazing. As we sat at the Piazza you can't help but admire this beautiful structure.

There is so much history in Vicenza and the Basilica is a huge part of that history…read more "The Palladian Basilica is a public building facing onto the Piazza dei Signori. Its name is linked to Andrea Palladio, who redesigned it, adding the famous loggias with serliana openings in white marble to the existing Gothic building. The building on which Palladio worked was the Palazzo della Ragione, built in Gothic style in the mid-fifteenth century. The upper floor is entirely taken up by an enormous hall with no intermediate supports, where the Council of the Four Hundred met. The copper-lined, inverted ship's-hull roof was inspired by that of the Palazzo della Ragione in Padua. The Gothic facade was originally clad with diamonds of red and straw yellow Verona marble, which are still visible behind Palladio's addition. A loggia surrounding the building was commissioned after its completion, but continually delayed due to various structural difficulties and the nature of the ground beneath. At the beginning of the sixteenth century the double order of porticoes and loggias, though not complete, collapsed. The Council called on many leading architects of the time to resolve the difficult problem of its reconstruction. They included Jacopo Sansovino, Sebastiano Serlio and Giulio Romano. The project was awarded to Andrea Palladio (1508-80) in 1549, following a competition, and he worked on it for the rest of his life. It was completed posthumously in 1614. The reconstructed building was called a basilica by Palladio himself, who had been inspired by the model of the Roman basilica for civic use." The building has three independent exhibition spaces that are used to host architecture and art exhibitions of international renown. http://www.museicivicivicenza.it/en/tbc/basilica_palladiana.php In the Summer months they offer a pass for 5euro and you can go up to the top and walk around on all the levels as often as you like. One time guests only need to pay 1euro. There's a nice bar on the rooftop and it is one of my favorite spots in the city to watch the evening sky change or a storm roll in.