The capital of Italy’s Veneto region is also known as the City of Bridges, because of the beautiful open and covered promenades that cross Venice’s canal system. Built along the mouth of two rivers, the Po and the Piave, the city has over 100 islands. The gondola boats for which Venice is famous are also major methods of transportation, though walking is by far the most common way to discover Venice’s tucked-away cafes, historic monuments, museums, villas, basilicas and markets.

There are two equally important histories of Venice--that of its republic, and that of its art. The true origins of Venice trace back over 15 centuries, when people ventured from the mainland to Rialto, one of the lagoon’s islands, to escape invasion. Venetian culture reached its height during the Renaissance with paintings by Bellini, Giorgione, Tintoretto and Titian and, in the eighteenth century, during its golden age, the era of Goldoni, Longhi, Tiepolo, Guardi and Canaletto.

Whether your interests run to the neoclassical or the gothic, the monumental or the modern, Venice has a museum collection or work of architecture for you. Highlights of an art tour include Museo Correr, Museo Fortuny, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the Venice Accademia Gallery, Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), the three buildings that comprise the Procuratie in St. Mark’s Square, the Clock Tower, the Basilica di San Marco and Santa Maria Della Salute. Make your pilgrimage to see Tintoretto’s “The Last Supper” at San Giorgio Maggiore.

Venice is at its most beautiful in its open-air markets. Vendors converge at Rialto, where Venetians have haggled over fresh produce and other foods for 1,000 years. From the early morning hours on Tuesday through Saturday, fruit and vegetable vendors set up from the Rialto Bridge and westward. The market also affords you the opportunity to sample local delicacies such as moleche, or soft-shell crabs; baccala montecato, or stockfish with olive oil, parsley and garlic; and pasta e fagioli with rice and peas. Most stalls shut down by 1pm.

A favorite quick getaway for locals is the surrounding Euganean Hills. There is a regional park, but the main attraction is the vineyards. Some of the families have been making wine here for generations. Try Ca’ Bianca, Bacco e Arianna and Azienda Vitivinicola Colle Mattara, or sign up for a chauffeured tour of the region’s wineries.

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