"La Serenissima Dominate" (The Most Splendid
Maritime Republic) is literally laid at your feet as you stroll from
lagoon to bridge to piazza. Your private lecture-tour begins at the
Byzantine jewel of Venice , St. Marks Church and Square. From here you
experience architectural splendor of the Bell Tower - Il Campanile,
Renaissance Masterpieces and a breath-taking view of the old harbor
(Bacino di San Marco) from the Ponte dei Sospiri - " Bridge of Sights ".
A stop at Marco Polo's House precedes you visit to the Rialto Bridge.
Robert Benchley, the humorist who
wrote for The New Yorker, once arrived in Venice and sent a cable to his
editor that said: "Streets full of water. Please advise."
He was joking of course, but that
IS the magic of Venice . The surrounding lagoon forced Venetians
centuries ago to build their homes on every inch of land available. So,
the maze of narrow walkways makes the cityÃs center square, Piazza San
Marco, a luxury of open space. Napoleon called it the finest drawing
room in Europe And the Grand Canal is the most
beautiful "road" in this city, so a private boat is the best vantage
point to see and hear about Venice Carnival, her magnificent palaces,
her symbolic lion, the secrets of glassblowing and the oldest caffe in
Italy (Cafe Floriana, 1720)
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