Treasure Island

Venice

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Venice is a must do on all travellers itinerarys to Italy, and no question it is a beautiful city, but only a few days are needed to get your fill.  A quick visit to St Mark's Square, and a desperate attempt to take a peek at the Bridge of Sighs are tricky tasks.  The sheer number of tour groups - students and seniors alike - makes sightseeing a real struggle.  In order to get the most of the city, be sure to wear good walking shoes and go early, or get physical and throw elbows.

Despite all of the beautiful architecture and the amazing culture on offer, the highlight of Venice really is walking along and getting lost amongst the thousands of canals.  We lucked out on our visit, it was scortching hot but the city hadn't yet started to stink so our amblings along the canals were made much more pleasant. 

Grand Canal

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For any travellers looking to get away from the crowds, you can find solace along some of the smaller canals or visit one of the other islands.  We went to Morano for an afternoon looking for real value Morano glass, and although we didn't find it, we did enjoy the less crowded and more authentic feel of the island.

I would recommend Venice to anyone who has never been to Italy before, but be sure you know what you want to do, do it and then move on to some of the more 'Italian' destinations, because Venice does not give visitors any real sense of what Italy has on offer.