Villa Albrizzi (sleeps 15-20) La Bencontenta (12 or 14+1) Villa Emo Capodilista (12) CasaBrando (12) Villa Elena (10+2) Palazzo Albrizzi (10) Corte Coppo (7+1) La Terrazza Venezia (5+2)

Palazzo Ca’Rezzonico #2 (6) La Barchessa (6) Casa Del Prete (4+1) Palazzo Ca’Rezzonico #1 (2) Rialto Mercato (2) Apartment Castello (2) San Polo (2)

When you travel to Venice, Piazza San Marco is a "must see" destination

The magical city of Venice is unique and well deserving of a vacation visit. Italian Vacation Villas offers weekly rental apartments in the heart of Venice central to many major sightseeing attractions. We also offer villas, farmhouses and apartments in the countryside surrounding Venice.

Venice is located about 2.5 miles from the mainland of Italy on 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon and contains a wealth of important art and architecture. The city is connected to the mainland by road and railroad directly to Mestre and Porto Marghera. Within Venice there are more than 150 canals and 400 bridges that criss-cross the city, and the water serves as the major transportation link. A network of water ferries, vaporetti, ply the canals and the lagoon to deliver people and goods from one part of the city to the other. There are outlying islands such as Burano, Murano, and the Lido which also fall under the administration of the city.

People from the Venetian countryside who fled the Barbarian invasions probably founded Venice sometime in the fifth and sixth centuries. Over the centuries, its inhabitants developed the Republic of Venice into an important trading center and Mediterranean power. It gradually acquired territory in Greece, Turkey and territory on the Italian mainland, and by the fifteenth century had reached the height of its power. By the end of the 18th century, the Republic had lost its independence, and after being annexed to Austria it was finally reunited with the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

	Reflections of life in Venice

All of this dynamic history is reflected in the architecture and art of Venice. There are major monuments, churches or sights which make it one of the most famous places in the world. Images of the Piazza San Marco, the Basilica of San Marco with its Byzantine mosaics, the many Gothic-Venetian buildings on the water such as the Ca d’Oro, the churches housing works of art by noted Italian artists, and the modern art collection at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum are only a few of the many reasons why this is such a popular city. On the island of Murano, the centuries-old tradition of glass blowing continues, as does lace making on the island of Burano.

Street musicians enliven Venice's alleyways and canals

The area of the Veneto on the mainland is also worth exploring, and the towns outside of Venice can be used as a base to do this. The Veneto includes important cities of Italy that have major architectural and cultural offerings. The famous architect Andrea Palladio lived and worked extensively in this area in the 16th century, and a number of his villas and other works can be visited, especially in the city of Vicenza. In the city of Padua, one finds the early 14th century Scrovegni Chapel with famous frescoes by Giotto and the 14th century Basilica di Sant’Antonio. Verona has important Roman ruins and the Civic Museum of Art devoted to Verona’s painter.