Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
- Rialto Neighborhood
- St. Mark's Square
- Campo San Giovanni e Paolo
- Campo Santa Maria Formosa
Photos & Highlights
- Experience an exploration on how Venetian architecture has evolved from antiquity to today, along with the key influence of Carlo Scarpa
- Led by an architectural history expert
Select a date
Tour Description
Venice's architecture is unlike that of anywhere else in the world—owing, of course, to its natural context. Everything is built on stilts in the middle of a lagoon. In this Venice architecture tour we'll join a local architect or historian for an in-depth look at how Venetian architecture has evolved from antiquity to today, applying a critical eye to how the city has developed from such implausible origins. This is an excellent walking tour of Venice not only for people with an interest in architecture, but also for generalists looking to more fully comprehend the city.
Venice Architecture Tour
We'll begin our tour in Piazza San Marco, the political seat of Venice, with a discussion of the first settlement in the Venetian lagoon and the subsequent rise to power of the Venetian Republic. We will spend our time dissecting the form and function of these immense structures and their importance in glorifying the Venetian Republic to the outside world. We will then meander toward Campo San Zaccaria, where we will have the chance to discuss the mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles of this unusual church complex. Next on our tour is Campo Santa Maria Formosa, where we'll learn about the role of public and private spaces in historic Venice and see the modern interventions of Carlo Scarpa on the 16th century Palazzo Querini-Stampalia. We will also fit in a visit to Campo San Giovanni e Paolo to admire the Gothic church and stop for a coffee or gelato.
Walking Tour of Venice
We will then make our way toward the Rialto to explore architecture in the historic commercial and trade district, from the surrounding former merchant quarters to the bridge itself. For a significant part of the city's history, this was the only bridge across the Grand Canal, the current structure being the third incarnation.
Take Aways
By the end of our time together, we will not only have marveled at the opulence of Venetian architecture but will have developed a deeper appreciation for the forces that have shaped the nature of the city, as well as the feats of engineering necessary to sustain these structures for hundreds of years.
For those looking to dig deeper into the technical challenges of keeping Venice afloat, see our Ecology of Venice Tour.
Experts
Where You'll Start
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161 Reviews
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Matteo was outstanding. He has a thorough knowledge of Venice architecture and does a fabulous job of explaining it. When we were booking the tour, I asked for some very specific topics and your customer service said you could not find an expert to answer all my questions. We agreed to take the regular Venice architecture walking tour and it more than met the information I was looking for. Matteo was able to answer all my questions on John Ruskin and his impact on architecture as well as present a very clear chronological description of the various architectural styles in Venice. I will make use of the information from Matteo on my tours here in Chicago as a docent with the Chicago Architecture Foundation and I will prepare information for my fellow docents to help them interpret the neo-Venetian gothic building on our tours here.
In addition to satisfying all my technical questions, Matteo was able to tell a story that appealed to my husband's much more general interests. I will be recommending Context Travel generally and Matteo specifically to all my docent friends in Chicago. Thank you for a wonderful tour, the highlight of our visit to Venice.
Jill
Reviewed on:
Apr 22, 2016
The walk eas well structured and we saw parts of venice we hadn't seen before, like arsenale. Matteo was excellent. We would do tour of arsenale if offered. We go to venice every few years and look for different things to see
Vicki
Reviewed on:
Mar 21, 2016
Monica (our docent) had great depth of knowledge of Venice history and art. She was a delight to learn from.
Ken
Reviewed on:
Nov 4, 2015
