This place is a gem. Ask to see the tiny books. They even have book earrings!! Smaller than an…read moreinch!!! Multi-signature hard bound books with marbled paper covers. I bought eight. So easy to carry home and they will make great gifts or Christmas ornaments. Everything in the shop is covered in marbled paper.

I stumbled onto Il Pavone during my many bouts of getting lost in beautiful Venezia. It was 10…read moremins before closing time, but the gracious owner gave me his full attention and answered all my questions. I initially entered the store because I was curious, but quickly was taken in by the beautiful stamps available. I ended up getting several and now that I'm back in California, I look at these items with affection (and longing to return to Venezia). They are a tangible and useful souvenir of not only my first of many visits to this grand city, but also of this quaint and charming shop. P.S. I should have purchased a couple of pre-inked stamp pads. I haven't found a suitable on that really shows off the designs here in the U.S.

Although smaller and more unassuming than its sister shop in Firenze, this particular Il Papiro…read moreretains the same charm and remarkable craftsmanship in each of the cards they sell. None of these cards are cheap, but once you touch one, you know through the texture as well as the colors used and made in store that these costs definitely cost a lot of time to make - you are definitely not holding something that is mass produced. Although I wish they had more of a variety of cards that were themed to the city of Venice, many of the other designs were cute or elegant and all well thought out. In addition, you can also purchase customized wax seals as well. Although Venice is a maze, if you happen to run into this shop, try to stop and check it out!

I'm obsessed with every thing about Peggy Guggenheim & the area of Dorsoduro that surrounds the…read moreCollection. Just a delightful home on the Grand Canal, small & intimate with such diversity that the moment we left I was already craving a revisit. Beautiful garden memorial to Peggy & her beloved dogs. "Peggy's ashes are buried her beloved pooches are also with her. This is the only case in the world where the creator of a museum is buried inside" The courtyard is peaceful and allows for a few areas to reflect before or after visiting the collection inside. Of course, the delight is the canal entrance to the terrace showcasing the bronze Marino Marini "Angel of the City" statue of a rider on a horse with outstretched hands and an erect phallus that is said to once upon a time be detachable to prevent the nuns who were passing by from seeing it. Eventually stolen enough times that it was soldered in place. What a place !! What an island !

Mega over-crowded! We bought tickets online because it may "sell out". I don't think they would…read moreever sell out-seems packing hundreds of people into very small rooms and hallways was just fine. Large student groups of uninterested kids and bougie aficionados with no self-awareness abound. Not sure if the art or people watching was more insufferable. We spent about 20 min inside before we bailed. Also, 90% of the art looks like what second graders produce and parents would hang on a fridge. Want to see art? Walk thru any of the art galleries with photography and oil paintings for sale-far better plan. Not sure how this gets nearly 5 stars. During the very busy season this place must be even more insane. How about limit the crowds, especially for those with the foresight to pre-purchase tickets to avoid what we experienced.

Our hotel offered us a free water taxi ride at our convenience to the glass center. Obviously, it's…read morea tourist trap. But it is also a truly venetian experience. The glassworks are extraordinary. You see the pieces being created in real time and then you wander the store. There's no hard sell but, hey, you just got a free ride and a lovely show. On a personal note, I fell in love with a piece. It's the most beautiful art I've ever purchased. Any subsequent questions or help I've needed, they've been extremely responsive. Even had I not found anything I loved, I would have bought something small and found it well worth the price of adventure.

Murano glass is most definitely art. You can buy anything from chandeliers to little glass…read moretrinkets. I have a couple unique drinking glasses that no one will ever touch! I also have the most adorable kissing fish trinket. It's one of my favorites. This is most definitely a must stop while in Venice.

I love Burano! In turn, I love my unique piece of art from La Buranella. It's my own little piece…read moreof Italy! As you get off the boat in Burano, La Buranella is one of the first places you come across. We walked in to see a father and son painting scenes of Burano, surrounding Murano glass that is placed just so in order to make up the Burano buildings and landscape. We were instantly intrigued, but continued on our way to the town. After perusing the shops and streets of Burano, we found ourselves back in La Buranella. The paintings that the men were originally working on were now dry. We decided that this would be a perfect souvenir to remember our first European vacation by. I look at it daily!

I'm the sort of traveler who wants to take a piece of the trip home. I want to be transported back…read moreto that magical place I visited. So, my souvenir of choice is usually art. With a glance, I'm back - the sounds, the sights, the smells. When I was in Burano (one of the small islands around Venice - another is Murano) last May, it was pouring rain. But that didn't stop it from being one of the highlights of my trip. This little island is full of winding streets, picturesque footbridges, and brightly colored houses with brightly colored skiffs to go with them. We had less than 2 hours to explore Burano as we had to catch the last vaporetto back for the night. As we were heading back to the vaporetto stop, I was desperately looking for that perfect item to take home with me. Yes, I tried their delicious pastries and I bought a handmade lace shawl for my mom, but I needed something special. On the right side of the street, facing the vaporetto stop, there was a tiny shop - La Buranella! We stepped out of the rain and it was like stepping into a painting. Vibrant colors on the walls and the art instantly lifted my spirits. I almost couldn't decide - because Giuliano (the artist) is so talented and really captures the feeling of Burano in all of his work. But I decided on one that combined the colorful houses, the picturesque footbridges, and the little boats into one perfect picture. If you're on Burano, I highly recommend you stop by La Buranella to see Guiliano's work and to pick up a few reminders of your own trip!

It's so sad that such a huge amount of the glass sold on Murano isn't really even made there. If…read moreyou want to see the very highest quality contemporary Murano art glass, don't buy it on Murano (which is still a quaint place to window shop, stroll and dine). Instead, come to this gallery back in the heart of Venice which is full of stunning pieces of handcrafted and signed contemporary glass. If you are lucky enough to secure an appointment for a private tour of their Murano facility (no retail sales there), it is truly an artisan glass museum! BTW be prepared, the prices at this gallery are comparatively high, but the quality of design and execution is amazing.

We came here with a tour and had a quick sit down to watch a glass blower make a piece of art. He…read morewas able to make a simple piece within 5 minutes. Then dumped it back into the fire. So sad. After that, we went to a room to learn about the different pieces they make and were offered to purchase. 6 glasses were $400 Euros. Expensive prices. Many rooms with pieces that are amazing. Some had dust on them, but with the prices listed that doesn't surprise me. Some pieces were close to 40,000 Euros.

The Venice Biennale is nothing less than the Olympics of the art world. It is amazing on all…read morelevels. If you love art it is a must on your list to visit. The 2024 Biennale ("Foreigners Everywhere") was beautiful and amazing. Looking forward to 2026!

I'd been wanting to come here to Venice and the Biennale for years and than lo and behold my dream…read morecame true. I was here for opera and it coincided with the Biennale. It's massive and engaging exhibition of nations and their artists. One artist per pavilion makes it an extraordinary high risk bet for drawing crowds over a period of some months but it works. What can o add to what everyone knows is the event for art way beyond any other except the Paris one... I'll be back and spend more time like two weeks!

Start off by saying most of the art and exhibits were pretty cool not all of it was to my taste,…read morebut I'm sure somebody liked some of it. One star rating is because one of the art babysitter at one of the exhibits decided it was appropriate to scream at me from only 3 m away. Because I stuck my head through a hole in the blinds to look out the window. The hole was already there, and I was not touching the art. And frankly, the view through the hole of Venice was much better than any of the shitty modern art they had on display. Most of the art babysitters use their indoor voices, but this one was inappropriate yelled at the top of her lungs. For some reason, she wasn't wearing the normal babysitter outfit that the rest of the babysitters, wear. And then took it upon herself to follow me throughout the installation standing only 1 m behind me breathing down my neck. Until I went to the next exhibit, quite annoying and inappropriate. The rest of the art babysitters behaved appropriate. I hope you train your art babysitters better in the future. And maybe explains why there was only a handful of people at this museum to begin with if everybody gets rubbed the wrong way when walking through the exhibits.

I have to admit that I only visited this museum in order to see Gustav Klimt's Judith II. To say…read morethe least, the painting is magnificent! It was worth ten times the price of the ticket, the time and the effort of finding this museum, and the dragging of your family across Venice to get a glimpse of Klimt's masterpiece. In general however, the museum offers a very limited collection of modern artworks. Of note are Chagall, Miró, Kandinsky, Bonnard, and omnipresent sculptures of Rodin. I can't give the museum fewer than 4 stars - the pleasure of seeing Judith would make it blasphemous!