Venice is renowned for its canals, gondolas, and iconic landmarks like St. Mark’s Basilica and the Rialto Bridge. However, there’s more to Venice than meets the eye, especially if you’re willing to explore off the beaten path. Here are the most unique things to do in Venice, Italy. These are handpicked experiences that will allow you to see a different side of this enchanting city.
1. Discover the Quirky Libreria Acqua Alta
Tucked away from the crowds in a quiet yet very central area of Venice and opening to the canal in the back, Libreria Acqua Alta is an incredible find for book lovers. This bookstore is like an old bookinist’s attic – quirky, full of rare books in different languages, where you can even spot a cat or two sleeping among the books or wandering around. You might have already guessed that this bookstore is unlike any other. Instead of traditional bookshelves, you’ll find books piled on tables, and chairs, inside a bathtub, in a canoe, and even inside a real full-sized gondola positioned at the center of the the store! This unusual setup is not simply a fruit of the owners’ imagination, It’s also a creative solution to the frequent floods (acqua alta) that beset Venice. The bookstore also has the world-famous “book staircase” made entirely of old, damaged books. You can go to the top of the staircase for a lovely view of the canal and a nice perspective of the entire store behind you. Libreria Acqua Alta is a delightful place to wonder, dream, or just ponder the uniqueness of Venice.
2. Visit the Eery Crypt of San Zaccaria
If you have already visited the most famous churches of Venice such as Basilica di San Marco, Santa Maria della Salute, and Frari, it’s time to focus on some of the lesser-known but very interesting churches. Such is the Church of San Zaccaria, located in Castello sestiere (district in Venetian dialect) just a short walk from St. Mark’s Square. Built to house the holy relics of St. Zaccaria, the father of St. John the Baptist, this church has a beautiful facade and a stunning interior, with art masterpieces such as Giovanni Bellini’s monumental altarpiece and frescoes by Andrea del Castagno.
However, the most interesting area of this church is arguably its hidden secret – the crypt located underneath. Like many basement areas in Venice, the crypt is permanently flooded with canal water, but interestingly, it is still open to visitors. The water on the floor acts as a reflection pool, creating an eery feeling and immersing the visitor in centuries of Venice’s history and architecture. The reflections of the symmetrically placed pillars and in the water make for a beautiful impression and make you reflect on Venice’s constant battle with the sea.
3. Watch the Gondola craftsmen at the Squero di San Trovaso
Venice’s gondolas are famous worldwide and are beloved by tourists for their beauty, elegance, and symbolism. A gondola is an instant symbol of Venice, and a must-try when you are visiting this stunning city on the water. Tourists love to ride in gondolas but few of them know where and how these unique boats are made. For a really interesting off-the-beaten-track experience, visit the Squero di San Trovaso, one of the oldest and last remaining squeri (gondola workshops) in Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice.
This workshop has been operating since the 17th century and is the only one that remains open. While not as big and bustling as it was in the days when gondolas were the only mode of transportation in Venice, this family-run operation is still actively working today, The expert workers repair gondolas using traditional methods passed down through generations. While guided tours are not typically available, you can ask your tour guide to bring you there if they are local and your tour is small or private. If you can’t arrange that, you can still watch the craftsmen at work from across a narrow canal. Seeing these artisans work their magic bringing to life sleek black gondolas helps you imagine Venice of the past and appreciate its unique traditions and crafts.
4. Savor a Ciccetti Crawl Through Venice’s Wine Bars
Many visitors to Venice dine at picturesque but often inauthentic canal-side tourist establishments or savor gourmet meals at Venice’s haute cuisine restaurants. However, Venice’s little baccari or Venetian traditional neighborhood bars offer tasty, cheap, and authentic cicchetti (small open-face sandwiches, seafood snacks, or charcuterie and cheese assortments similar to tapas). More than a way to snack, cicchetti is an experience, and some tourist guides even offer “cicchetti crawls” sampling wines and the fare at multiple bacari, akin to bar hopping.
Each bacaro has its history, character, and a crowd of loyal customers. Many are very small inside, located in hidden alleys or along backside canals. In warmer months crowds spill over onto the embankments or sit on canal stairs drinking wine, eating cicchetti and chatting with some of the best views in the world. Some of the best and most popular bacari include Al Bottegon close to Squero di san Trovaso in Dorsoduro, Cantina Do Mori, one of the oldest wine bars in Venice, and All’Arco, a tiny bar close to Rialto Bridge, which always has a line at the front thanks to its consistently delicious cicchetti.
Next time you are in Venice, go on a cicchetti crawl (we suggest going on your own, a tour would detract from the authenticity of this experience) of Venice’s bacari, sampling unique Venetian delicacies such as sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines), baccalà mantecato (creamed codfish), and small polpette (meatballs).
5. Experience the Art of Murano Glass
While Murano, an island near Venice, is on many tourist maps thanks to its famed glass-making heritage, not many people go beyond its main shopping streets- Fondamenta dei Vetrai, Fondamenta Antonio Colleoni and Riva Longa. Meanwhile, it is worth exploring beyond these main areas for a more rewarding experience. To see the craftsmanship of Murano glass, seek out the small family-owned stores which often incorporate small workshops with masters actively working on crafting the very pieces you see on the shelves. There are also some factories that offer private or affiliated tours and demonstrations. We do not recommend taking those because often you would be taken to a showroom and pushed to buy pieces at prices far above market.
Instead, explore the island by yourself, stop in multiple stores, check and compare the pieces and prices, and chat with the owners to get additional information about the craftsmen, techniques, and options. Murano, while fascinating, is not the only place to find great Murano Glass pieces at competitive prices. You can also visit small shops in Venice’s quieter neighborhoods away from Piazza San Marco and Rialto, where artists are reaching beyond the limits of traditional glassmaking. By seeing the Murano glass-makers at work, you will gain a deeper appreciation of their craft and understand how the art of Murano Glass fits into the unique canvas of the Venetian experience.
Seeking More Unique Experiences in Venice?
Venice is a city that rewards adventurous travelers ready to dive into the unknown, get lost, and discover interesting experiences beyond the beaten track. When you see Acqua Alta bookstore set up to survive frequent floods, visit a hidden San Zaccaria church crypt with flooded floors, watch the craftsmen at the San Trovaso gondola workshop, meet Murano Glass artisans and shopkeepers, and go on a picturesque and delightful wine and cicchetti crawl, you will know that Venice is more than an open-air museum but a living breathing city waiting to be discovered.
For more unique experiences, read our blog to learn about various glass makers and their factories, watch Venetians celebrate their unique holidays, and visit out-of-the-way museums and churches where more than a millennia of Venetian history comes to life.
Well-known among locals and tourists alike for its exceptionally fresh seafood, Corte Sconta is a reliable choice for quintessential Venetian dining – relaxed, authentic, and always anchored in the seasonal fresh sea-to-table ingredients. Every early morning when the seafood market opens the cooks personally select the best catch and create the menu based on the freshest most flavorful seafood of the day. The seating and decor inside is no-frills, but the highlight of this restaurant is a vine-covered hidden courtyard (which gave it its name). The courtyard is a wonderful place to eat and enjoy when the weather is nice.
Situated in Castello district not too far from Piazza San Marco, Al Mascaron is a no-frills traditional Venetian Osteria, which for over 30 years has been a favorite place of local workers and fishermen. Al Mascaron’s symbol is a scary mask hanging above its door, and the osteria is so called thanks to the scary faces that were sculpted on the doors of the neighboring church to ward off evil spirits. Venetians have been gathering here to spend time in good company, drink lovely local wines, and have hearty meals of local specialties such as sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines), polenta, baccalà mantecato (creamed cod), linguini al nero di seppia (linguini in squid ink sauce), and many other traditional Venetian dishes. The decor is simple, rustic yet cozy, with wooden tables and chairs, and walls covered with Venetian-themed drawings of local and international artists. Al Mascaron tends to be busy, especially during the tourist season, yet oftentimes you can still get a table after a short wait, especially for early lunch or late dinner.
Another gem in Castello district, this restaurant has a wonderfully romantic atmosphere and quiet candlelit elegance and features a canal view. The restaurant is situated in an ancient seven-hundred-year-old building and has been a favorite place for Venetians and tourists alike for over 60 years. When you arrive, you’ll be served a glass of fine local Prosecco, and will be able to choose from a good selection of traditional Venetian dishes, which are always fresh, flavorful, and authentic. The best-kept secret of this restaurant is a table for two that stands in the large window, which fully opens to the canal. If you are lucky enough to get that table, you will be literally seating a foot above the water, with an unobstructed view of two bridges, and amazing people-watching with all of Venice passing or floating by you.
Continuing a culinary tour of Venetian sestiere Castello, CoVino is one of the top choices in Venice for fresh and flavorful Italian cuisine creatively prepared and artfully presented. The menu is a 3-course prefix. There is a choice of several dishes for each course, which are crafted from only the best ingredients sourced from small Italian farms. The wine list is exceptionally good, featuring many unique selections from small vineyards, and even some great organic wines. It’s a tiny place with only a few tables, and the dishes are prepared right next to you, with the most appetizing gourmet smells filling the air. CoVino is the embodiment of the “slow food” concept, with only two seatings each evening. This is a must-try restaurant, but reservations are essential and should be made at least a week in advance.
Situated in a lively Venetian district of Cannaregio, Algiubagio exists in the same place since the 1950’s, when it was just a simple small neighborhood trattoria. Today the space is larger, brighter, and more sophisticated, with the atmosphere of elegance highlighted by beautiful Murano Glass Chandeliers. The menu has choices for all tastes, from fish and seafood to meat and vegetarian dishes, and cooking is a mix of traditional and contemporary influences. The restaurant is located on Fondamente Nove, the northern side of Venice, facing the Lagoon and the islands of San Michele and Murano. The bonus is a large wooden terrace above the water, where you can dine in warm weather and enjoy gorgeous views and fresh wind from the Lagoon. Even on colder days, you can often still sit on the terrace warmed up with the special heating lamps and reflect on the eternal beauty of Venice.
Al Bottegon is not a restaurant but it’s a Venetian staple that cannot be missed. It’s an “Enoteca”, which means a wine bar. Here is Dorsorduro district across the Grand Canal from the hustle and bustle of Piazza San Marco life is more slow and authentic, and the locals often stop for a glass wine and cichetti and a chat on their way home from work or during an evening stroll. Along the walls of the long narrow room are bottles of wine stocked on floor-to-ceiling shelves. Here you can find wines from every region of Italy, very cheap and extremely expensive, very well-known and really rare, from all grape varieties and for all tastes. However, Al Bottegon is not merely a wine shop. Besides the wine, it serves a wide variety of Venetian cicchetti, or tiny open-faced sandwiches with Venetian and Italian delicacies, from fish and seafood to vegetables, cheeses, smoked and air-dried meats (“salumi”), and many other inventive and delicious options. The atmosphere is convivial and cheery. Patrons young and old from all walks of life typically stand inside with a glass of wine in hand or spill out into the street next to canal Rio San Trovaso to get fresh air and canal-view – a completely authentic Venetian experience.
A go-to place for those in the know on Murano island, Busa Alla Torre is a gem of a restaurant known as much for its wonderful cuisine, as for its owner, Gabriele or, affectinately, Lele. A big personality with a warm welcoming smile, Lele is omnipresent in his restaurant and likes to chat with the patrons while making sure that everybody is having a great time. Busa alla Torre is so called for its location on Campo Santo Stefano next to the famous Clock Tower or Torre del Orologio with the much-photographed huge blue Murano Glass comet at its foot. The restaurant is simple inside but its cuisine is sophisticated and refined, inspired by Lele’s love of gourmet Venetian food based on local fresh ingredients and seafood specialties from the Venetian Lagoon. A special draw is the piazza seating next to the Torre del Orologio and with a view of the canal, which the restaurant offers on warm days. Here you can have a wonderful light or hearty meal, stay for as long as you want, and watch Murano’s daily life unfold in front of you.
Unlike many other restaurant choices listed here, Acqua Stanca is a newer restaurant, opened in 2012 on Murano Island, where the old and the new mixes perfectly and where those in the know increasingly go for fine authentic dining at reasonable price. Frequented by the locals and resourceful tourists alike, this restaurant has beautiful boho-chic-meats-Venetian-tradition interior design artfully combining the warm appeal of wood and exposed brick, the sophistication of Murano Glass sculptures, and the toned down luster of old Murano Glass mirrors. The food is sheer delight, inventive and beautifully presented. The choices include the seafood delicacies from the Venetian Lagoon, such as the soft-shell crab, clams, and squid, perennial Italian favorites such as Mozzarella di Buffala, artichokes, tomatoes, and other vegetables, as well as a combination of traditional and modern touches in the pasta dishes.
If your travels take you to Burano island, be sure to visit this tried-and-true local favorite. Al Gatto Nero, or “The Black Cat” has been under the same ownership since 1965 and has earned its fame by serving the freshest Adriatic fish and seafood and a wide variety of traditional Venetian and Italian appetizers, complemented with an extensive list of hand-picked wines from Veneto, Friuli, Alto Adige and many other Italian wine-growing regions. The highlights of the menu include capesante (scallops), cannolicchi (razor clams), granseola (soft shell crab), and gamberi (small shrimps) and vongole (clams). The fritto misto (mixed fried seafood) may be the best option to try all of these seafood delicacies, but the menu is full of grilled, fried, and sauteed options for every taste. The location of this restaurant is unbeatable, not far from the ferry stop and right on the canal lined with colorful houses. You can dine inside or out, the latter being the best choice for people-watching. You’ll see tourists walking by and the Buranese going about their business, or sitting on benches and chatting, just the way it has been here for hundreds of years.
