The best kept secret when it is high tourist season is to go out and walk the city at 6am. I know it is ***hard***, you're on vacation and the last thing you want to do is wake up early. But it is the most unforgettable thing to do. Why? It is extremely romantic. It is quiet. It is empty. You see the locals starting their day. The businesses preparing for the day. Deliveries being made by boat. Then duck into cafe and share a latte or coffee. It is truly a memorable experience and worth the extra effort.
Yes, getting up early to walk through the streets of Venice is truly magical, but don't tell too many people about it, otherwise it won't be so quiet anymore!!! ;-) (just kidding of course)
Dancing in St. Marks Square at 6:00 am with the Love of your life is the most romantic thing to do in Venice. Better then a Gondola.
Lots of visitors just stick to Piazza San Marco with the Doge's Palace and the Basilica or dash over to Dorsoduro to take in the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art. If they are feeling adventurous they might even venture out to Murano to see the glassblowers at work. But there is a lot more to be seen off the beaten path. Two "expeditions" to enjoy are firstly to the far west of Dorsoduro, down by the docks, where there are three interesting churches - San Sebastiano, nothing much to look at outside, but glorious within as Paolo Veronese covered the inside of his parish church with fine paintings in the second half of the 16th century. The recently renovated Sacristy contains some of Veronese's earliest works in Venice , dating from 1555. Close by is the church of Angelo Raffaele in the Campo of the same name with some fine paintings including exquisite paintings on the organ loft by the Guardi family. Just a little closer to the docks is San Nicolo del Mendicoli, a lovely example of the Veneto-Byzantine style of architecture given a very thorough restoration by the Venice in Peril Fund in the early 1970s.
The other expedition is to the north east of Venice to San Francesco della Vigna in Castello. A fine building with a facade by Andrea Palladio, it contains in the Giustiniani Chapel one of the best collecitons of sculptures in the city by Pietro Lombardo and others. In the nave are several excellent paintings by Paolo Veronese, Giovanni Bellini and others. This church deserves more visitors than it actually receives.
