Here’s what most people don’t realize about the Venice Film Festival: you don’t need a ticket, an invitation, or a
Most visitors watching a gondolier glide past assume they’re seeing a performance for tourists. What they’re actually watching is the
If you only have one day for the Biennale, here’s exactly how I’d structure it — a realistic hour-by-hour route
If you’re planning your first visit to the Venice Biennale, here’s the thing almost no first-timer expects: it isn’t one
If you’re planning a July trip to Venice and want to see the city at its most unguarded, time it
Every visitor to Venice notices the winged lion within the first hour — perched above the Piazzetta, carved into a
Why This Angle Works Better Than Anywhere Else in the CityMost of Venice’s famous viewpoints put you among the buildings
Starting Point: San Zaccaria (Vaporetto Lines 1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2)Begin at the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop, just past the
If Dorsoduro is Venice’s art-and-elegance side, Castello is its working memory — the sestiere that quietly ran the Venetian Republic
Everyone who comes to Dorsoduro sees the same three names: the Guggenheim, the Accademia, Ca’ Rezzonico. They deserve their fame.
People ask me all the time which spots actually deliver that feeling — the one they came to Venice hoping
I get asked constantly for a route people can follow on their own — something specific enough to hand someone
After nearly thirty years of walking every sestiere of this city with visitors from around the world, I still find
I tell almost every guest the same thing on their first morning in Cannaregio: put the phone away, don’t open
Most of what gets written about Venice, including some of what I’ve written myself, treats a neighborhood like a checklist:
I’ve written elsewhere on this site about Venice’s bridges in general — the sheer number of them, their engineering history,
July is Venice at its most theatrical. The light stays gold until almost 9 PM, the Grand Canal fills with
Guests often ask me for a version of Cannaregio that fits into a single morning or afternoon — maybe they’ve
The Test I Actually UseAfter thirty years of guiding, I’ve stopped judging a Venetian street by how it looks and
I’ve guided guests through Venice for close to thirty years, and there’s a particular kind of satisfaction in watching someone’s
I'm Igor Scomparin. I have been a Venice graduated and licensed tour guide since 1997. I will take you through the secrets, the history and the art of one of the most beautiful cities in the World.
