Top 5 places to explore in Venice

The city is located in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands. All the islands are separated by canals and are linked by bridges.Venice is famous for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks.Today, there are numerous attractions such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco.Venice is also known as ‘City of Water', ‘City of Masks', ‘City of Bridges', ‘The Floating City' and ‘City of Canals'. Italian journalist, writer and politician, Luigi Barzini, described it in The New York Times as ‘undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man'.Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.It is one of the most interesting and lovely places in the world. A visit to this Italian city is like walking into a painting.Lido di VeneziaThe Lido di Venezia is a very popular international luxury destination. It attracts thousands of actors, critics, celebrities, and mainly people in the cinematic industry.The Lido is home to the Grand Hotel des Bains, the Venice Casino and the Grand Hotel Excelsior. Alberoni at the southern end is home to the golf course.At least half the Adriatic side of the island is a sandy beach.The heart of Lido is the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, a wide street approximately 700 metre long that leads from the lagoon and vaporetto (water bus) stop on one side across to the sea on the other. It houses hotels, shops, and tourist-centric restaurants.The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.St Mark's BasilicaThe cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice is officially known in Italian as the Basilica Cattedrale Patriarcale di San Marco and commonly known as Saint Mark's Basilica.It is one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture in the world.It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture.For its opulent design, gold ground mosaics and its status as a symbol of Venetian wealth and power, the building has been known by the nickname Chiesa d'Oro (Church of gold).The overall impression of the interior with a dazzling display of gold ground mosaics on all ceilings and upper walls attract visitors.Grand CanalThe Grand Canal is a canal in Venice. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors, sweeping through the city.It makes a large reverse ‘S' shape through the central districts of the province. It is 3,800 metre long, 30–90 metre wide with an average depth of 5 meters (16.5 ft).Public transport is provided by water buses and private water taxis, and many tourists explore the canal by gondola.The best way to view the magnificent buildings along the Grand Canal is to travel by water bus from one end to the other. Tourists flock here to take advantage of a romantic gondola ride along the waterway.Travelling by water bus here is an especially memorable way to experience the Canal Grande.Piazza San MarcoPiazza San Marco is the principal public square in Venice where it is commonly referred as ‘the Piazza' (la Piazza). It is also one of the most beautiful squares in the world, a real marble salon.Except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma, all other urban spaces in the city are called ‘campi' (fields).The Piazzetta is an extension of the Piazza. The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice.A remark usually attributed to Napoleon calls the Piazza San Marco ‘the drawing room of Europe'.The Piazza San Marco is considered the city's main symbol and tourist attraction.Campanile – bird's-eye view of VeniceCampanile is the city's tallest building. It is almost 99 metre (325ft) tall.It was originally built between 888 and 912.Its present appearance, with the stone spire and the gilded angel on top, dates from 1514. In July 1902 it collapsed.The structure was rebuilt exactly as it was and where it was.The Campanile served both as a watchtower and a bell tower.The view from here is superb, taking in the Lido, the whole lagoon and the Dolomites in the distance.The view of the lagoon from the top of the campanile was memorably described by Ruskin: 'Far as the eye can reach, a waste of wild sea moor, of a lurid ashen grey.'