Everyone notices the Basilica. Almost nobody notices the hand-painted sign fifty feet from it, or the strange numbering on the
Guests preparing for a Venice trip often send me a spreadsheet. Hour-by-hour, museum to gondola to restaurant, every block of
I’ve had guests return to Venice three, four, even six times, and every one of them has told me the
Venice is a walking city with no shortcuts — every destination means bridges, uneven paving, and more distance on foot
Guests sometimes tell me, halfway through a day of walking, that Venice doesn’t feel like the rest of Italy they’ve
Most people come to Venice to look at it. Fewer people come to Venice to do it — and that’s
Guests often ask me how to get past the postcard version of Venice — the version defined by St. Mark’s
Most Venice guides tell you what to see. Fewer tell you when to do the logistics that actually make or
I’ve had this conversation with guests hundreds of times: they’re choosing between three or four European cities for a trip,
After nearly thirty years guiding people through this city, I’ve noticed something consistent: the things guests remember most vividly rarely
Guests often tell me the same thing after their first full day wandering Venice: “It felt like I visited three
I’ve had this conversation more times than I can count. A guest tells me they’re doing Venice as a day
Guests planning their first Venice trip almost always ask me the same question: what’s the one walk I should do
Piazza San Marco earns its fame, but it’s also the only square in Venice technically entitled to be called a
I’ve guided art historians who’ve spent careers studying Venetian painting, and I’ve guided guests who couldn’t name a single Renaissance
Guests often ask me where they should go to see “real” Venetian craftsmanship, as opposed to the mass-produced masks and
People often assume that Venice’s best views require a ticket — a campanile to climb, a rooftop terrace to book,
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion I see on the faces of new arrivals at the train station every morning.
Venice is a city that never stopped talking to itself in symbols. Long before street signs and museum placards, Venetians
Everyone who visits Venice knows the three headline islands: Murano for glass, Burano for lace, Torcello for its ancient cathedral.
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.
