Everyone knows about the exceptional mosaics at St Mark’s cathedral in Venice, however, there are still a few tricks to visiting that can really make your visit more enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Apse Dome, St Mark's Cathedral, Venice, Italy

What time to visit. Try to visit from 11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM. During this time, the church turns on all of the interior lights, making for excellent viewing of the mosaics. If you go at any other time of day, the natural light is insufficient to allow for proper viewing and the church’s appearance is very dark. Continue reading

Everyone knows about the exceptional mosaics at St Mark’s cathedral in Venice, however, there are still a few tricks to visiting that can really make your visit more enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Apse Dome, St Mark's Cathedral, Venice, Italy

What time to visit. Try to visit from 11:30 AM TO 12:30 PM. During this time, the church turns on all of the interior lights, making for excellent viewing of the mosaics. If you go at any other time of day, the natural light is insufficient to allow for proper viewing and the church’s appearance is very dark. Continue reading

Venice is one of the most architecturally rich, varied, and exceptionally well-preserved cities in the world, but given the high number of tourists visiting the city every day, the restaurants in Venice can really be hit-or-miss. Nevertheless,the best restaurants in Venice offer up some of the best food in Italy.

To help you have the best culinary experience in Venice, we have included a few of our favorite Venetian foods, local wines from the Veneto, and of course, a list of our favorite restaurants.

Top Local Foods to Order in Venice

Seafood is definitely the way to go in Venice. We have pulled out some of our favorite local foods that are typically Venetian. For more tips on the local cuisine, check out our Italian food guide.

• Seppie (cuttlefish, which is basically squid, but a little larger, and with darker ink).
• Cappelunghe (razor shell clams).
• Canestrelli (Venetian scallops).
• Moeche (tiny soft shell crabs, usually fried). Continue reading

After spending the day taking in Venice’s beautiful architecture, relax with the locals in a small, quiet, campo and enjoy an aperitivo of cichetti and ombre.

Cichetti (chi-KEHT-tee) are the bite-sized “Italian” brethren of tapas (basically, just small snacks) and ombre (OHM-bray) are small glasses of wine (ombre translates as “shadow”, apparently where the Venetians traditionally drank the wine). Continue reading