Car Rental Munich Airport - Italy - Tour of Venice venice,

The canals of Venice divide the city into many manageable chunks and turn what might otherwise be a narrow dark alleyway into a luminous border down which float shiny black gondolas full of camera- wielding tourists. But even that curves like a snake so that new vistas are continually revealed, the city's high street, there are no long roads in Venice unless you count the Canal Grande. Venice is also a city of squares (campI) which means that buildings are displayed to best effect in a series of leafy outdoor "rooms" that crop up one after the other, however. Palaces are crammed against each other and churches appear around every corner. What makes Venice even more remarkable is just how many of these buildings there are. Renaissance and the baroque, all six sestiere of the city contain palaces and churches in the three most impressive styles Europe has produced: Gothic. Venice is the greatest architectural repository in the world.

Its citizens remain in their hearts a truly independent people. Even the scruffiest campus is still distinctly and proudly Venetian, nowadays. It was always stylish even if it wasn't always beautiful. Sex and intrigue, a city-state addicted to gambling, venice became a byword for decadence, as it declined. It had the most powerful navy in the world and a virtual monopoly on European trade with the Orient, at its zenith. It had an elected head of state (il Doge) and an insatiable appetite for both making money and then spending it on ostentatious decoration. It was the first great republic since Rome. The city of Venice occupies a special place in history.

But one jam-packed with amazing treasures, venice is a maze. And even longer to work out how to get from one place to another on foot, you could easily visit ten times before you see all that is to be seen. Venice offers far more than one trip can achieve, for the traveller. But because she was not from Venice, not so much because she was a woman, there was an outcry among the other intensely chauvinistic gondolieri. Recently Venice's first female gondolier started working for a hotel. The people speak their own version of Italian and they resent interference from the mainland. But the mindset of Venice remains entirely Venetian. In 1815 their city was handed over to Austria and in 1866 they were absorbed into the new kingdom of Italy, this ancient Republic was dissolved by Napoleon, in 1797.

The way Venetians do, drink or enjoy a long meal, whether you want to snack, at every stage of the day Venice will tempt you with delicious possibilities. Scuole and museums, palazzi, use the public transport system to hop between islands in the lagoon or work your way through a personal must-see list of churches, decide to explore everything there is to see in one area, then the real fun begins as you follow a route. The view across the Basin of San Marco to San Giorgio and a trip to Caffe Florian are all in close proximity to each other, the Ducal Palace, the Campanile, the Basilica, piazza San Marco. Certain essentials can be covered in a day, fortunately.

But you may want to buy a carnival mask from a stall on the Riva for the thrill of having done so, the better the price, the further from the main thoroughfares. Much the same rule applies to shopping. Of being something really special, to be found in very few places, the legendary Harry's Bar is small and expensive but it has that certain quality. It would be a crime not to have coffee in Piazza San Marco at least once and the view along the over- priced Riva del Vin is worth the mark-up. You will find that certain views are worth the extra euros, that said. Avoid eating or drinking anywhere along the main shopping thoroughfares (the Mercerie) and be aware that if you choose anywhere picturesque to eat that you'll be paying for the view. Avoid restaurants where waiters invite you in. Simple rules will help you enjoy this part of your visit more. This is a city that appreciates the good things of life.

One that has been drawing tourists since the Middle Ages and one of the few cities in the world that genuinely deserves to be called unique, you will find a city that is unforgettable, whenever you go. So think about visiting Venice out of season, summer is also crowded and prices go up during the International Film Festival and the Biennale. But the city in February is inevitably crowded and over-priced, this city-wide party is a gorgeous re-creation of 18th- century Venice that should certainly be experienced once. Carnival (Carnevale) is one of the high points of the Venetian year.