Venice's only Gothic church. It is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It is simply called "I…read moreFrari" as it was built by the brothers (frati) of the Franciscan order. LOCATION: In the San Polo sestiere but I remember just stumbling onto it while walking the island from my hotel in Dorsoduro to the train station on the opposite side of the island. ADMISSION: €3 Modest dress requested. I'm an atheist but as Christianity was highly influential in shaping European history I visit churches with the intent of understanding the history (and sometimes) art in shaping a region's cultural identity. As the Frari is not in San Marco, Rialto or any other major Venetian landmark I would've easily missed this church if not for Rick Steves' audioguide (http://podcasts.ricksteves.com/walkingtours/FrariChurch.mp3). His reasoning is that offers an opportunity to experience art in-situ (right where it was designed to be seen) as opposed to hanging in a museum. The audioguide explains the major art pieces in detail way better than I ever can. Here's a summary of the major pieces inside the church. - Titian's Assumption of Mary. This is considered to be Titian's magnum opus and his first major commission from a church. It's located behind the main altar. Its depiction of Mary was revolutionary for its time as she is seen as triumphant and depicted in soft and warm colors. - Titian's Madonna of Ca' Pesaro. What's significant is that this broke Renaissance tradition by depicting Mary and Jesus off-center and interacting with the commonfolk. - Giovanni Bellini's Madonna and Child aka the Frari Triptych. - Tombs of Titian and Canova. Titian had his tomb decorated with a relief of his most famous painting. On the other side Canova's cenotaph (Venice's most famous sculptor) is pyramid-shaped and was once meant for Titian, but when the church used the present design his pupils repurposed it for their master instead. It's a cenotaph because he isn't buried here but an urn contains his heart. Once you're done exploring the church the surrounding area is quieter than San Marco or Rialto. It makes for a good lunch/dinner spot and the prices are more reasonable.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (aka Frari Church) was one of my favorite attractions in Venice…read more The church is beautiful, there were no lines to wait in, and the cost was only 3 Euros per person. Frari church has many beautiful Venetian sculptures. The main highlight at this church is Titian's Assumption over the main alter. We downloaded Rick Steves' free audio tour onto to our iPods and it really added to the experience since our knowledge on Venetian art and Frari Church were minimal. You can download the free audio tour at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/italy-audio-tours/id272230438 After you visit the church I recommend checking out the Dorsoduro neighborhood along the Grand Canal and buying a cone of gelato!

Call us immature but we loved this fountain because we started calling Bologna the city of boobies…read moreafter visiting it. I wish I spoke Italian so I could say it in a more romantic way, like the other nicknames for this city. And hey, we weren't the only ones because what supported our claim that we saw plenty of magnets and souvenirs decorated in this fashion. But more seriously, this fountain is lovely. The area has places to sit and enjoy people watching or having a snack. The rest of the piazza has great views and places to eat, drink and shop.

The fountain in the center of Bologna's main square was completed in 1565. The over-life-size…read morebronze figure of the god Neptune was completed & fixed in place around 1566. I appreciated the water fountain in front; the free water was icy cold @ delicious. The fountain & sculpture are iconic symbols Bologna & references to them can be found in many symbols, commercials and logos. Neptune is stretching his left hand in a lordly gesture, appearing to be aiming to placate the waves. His posture symbolic of the power of the Pope as Neptune was the master of the seas, the Pope was the master of Bologna and of the world.

The Bridge of Sighs, Ponte dei Sospiri in Italian, is a bridge in Venice, which is made of white…read morelimestone, has windows with stone bars and connects the new prison to the interrogation rooms. It's one of the most famous bridges in Venice, so expect tourists and crowds. I suggest you come here early during the day if you want to take photos without much interruption.

There is an old Venetian legend which says ... If two lovers…read more... kiss ... in a gondola ... under the Bridge of Sighs ... at sunset ... when the bells of the Campanile toll ... they will love each other ... forever ... The legend is true. Smooching while gently gliding on Rio di Palazzo under Ponte dei Sospiri (with a furtive glance from your gondoliero) is the most "romantic" way to experience this very popular tourist attraction near Canal Grande behind Palazzo Ducale. The other two ways to enjoy Venice photo spot #4 (or #2063 depending on which way your walking) aren't nearly as amorous. The "easiest" experience is to join the throngs of tourists crowded onto the Ponte della Paglia stone bridge (built in 1847 near Piazza San Marco) to get the same pic as every other single person that has visited Venice since 1848. It's a local custom (which may be an actual law) that you MUST take a picture of Ponte dei Sopiri from this view point. The most "educational" way to visit the Bridge of Sighs is the old-fashioned way ... like prisoners (such as the infamous Casanova) ... did since 1603 when being led from the interrogation rooms of Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace) to the Prigioni Nuove (New Prison). Take the self-guided tour of the palace to explore within the covered bridge. Inside, you can peek from the small windows carved into the ornamental Istrian limestone while learning more about why the bridge earned it's title as the "last view of Venice" ... causing prisoners to *sigh* on their way to the famously-cold, wet, and windowless jail. Why the sigh? Oh, it's this bridge. If you're already at Ponte dei Sospiri, why not take some (obligatory) pics? Whether they are the most romantic, easiest, or educational is forever entirely up to you.

We've been in Venice several times. Always a joy. But somehow we've never made it to Burano. So…read morethis time we did. Had a weekly pass for the Vaporetto and took the No.12 from Fondamenta Nove in Venice. The trip took around 40min. And even on a weekday in April the Vaporetto was completely packed. But Burano is popular for good reason, it's an insanely pretty place! The Vaporetto will stop at the northern part of the small island. And it is indeed small. You can explore it easy in a few hours. It's very walkable - and most parts are even fit for wheelchairs and strollers (special bridges for these). From here you best get to the Fondamenta Assassini and Mauro. That will take you Vial Baldassare Galupp, the main drag here in Burano with countless shops, cafés and restaurants. And the famous buidlings in all colors (not just on this street of course). Soon you will reach the main Piazza with the lovely Chiesa di San Martino. Its tower is pretty tilted/leaning. You can see it clearly from further away west. From there you can head to the Fondamenta Cao di Rio - a more quite walk along along the canal. We did just that and then walked along the also pretty quiet Fondamenta della Peschera in the south. That will bring you back to the Fondamenta Cavanella and then Fondamenta Mauro where you came in first. It's a nice little round-trip. Of course there's more to explore. But this covers the most important and famous parts. There's also good food. Many good option. Cicchetti of course. But we've felt like a real meal and had lunch at the Osteria Cicchetteria da Gigetto. Excellent fried seafood and wonderful pasta. Nicely located at a more quiet canal. It's a really lovely place, this small island. The colors are amazing, we were lucky to get a picture-perfect blue skied day. And the colors were really glowing. It's definitely a must-do at least once. The ride there isn't that much fun, but definitely worth it.

What a treat! Watching an authentic woman who has had the tradition of lace making passed down to…read moreher was an honor to witness! Looking around the island during my visit was special and hearing about the tradition of painting the houses in colors that stand out because the men who are fisherman need to see their house distinct from others in the foggy weather! True or False...Burano benefits by having beautiful homes that tourists find unique! We had lunch while On the island and the food was fresh and tasty... If in Venice..only 30 mins or so distance..you can catch a public water bus and I would say it is worth it!

Fountains map at venicetapwater.org, always updated and complete. For a plasticfree Venice trip. I…read moredrink water wisely!!! No more plastic in town. Play your part and drink Venice Tap Water

On a particularly hot day while walking around Venice, the stores ran out of bottled water. Where…read moreto find water? The storekeeper gestured towards the courtyard, "Fountain". We saw the fountain. Water ran out of it continuously from a lion's mouth. It looked like it was built a century ago. Or longer (see photo). Is this water drinkable? We consulted the WWW: Yes, water from Venice fountains is potable. At Piazzale Roma, visitors were given an empty bottle and a map of the 122 drinking fountains across Venice to fill/refill the bottle [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/04/water.italy]. The water was refreshing and tasted great. Ever since that day, we cheered up heat-exhausted and lost tourists in Venice by pointing out the nearby fountain to rehydrate and by giving them directions.

This square is almost like a hub to all of the best sightseeing in Bologna. It's the central…read moresquare where a lot of the interesting sights are located. While we were there, they were setting up for some sort of viewing with a huge screen and plenty of seats. I didn't look up what it was for but I assume that because this square is so large and central, they do this sort of thing all of the time. We visited the fountain, the church and the shops and restaurants branching off from this square and we also took the San Luca express from here. Great way to landmark yourself in the city.

Other Yelp reviewers have covered many of the major points regarding location and this square's…read morecentrality to all the major site seeing attractions nearby. I'll add a few notes on some of the notable places to visit in and around this piazza: - Palazzo Re Enzo in April 2024 wasn't open to the public for general viewing, inside are mainly government offices. - Biblioteca Salaborsa: cool library building for history and architecture fans. Aside from the impressive details of the current building. Roman ruins are visible from main library floor and visitable underneath the library. See my separate review for this! - Biblioteca Communale and the Two Towers (Asinelli Tower and Garisenda Tower--not to be confused with LOTR) are about a 5 minute walk from this square. Towards the south for the historical library with a historic anatomical studies operating room, and directly east for the towers. - Signorvino: decent spot to people watch, enjoy some wine and a light meal or charcuterie while taking in the view of the piazza. Indoor and outdoor seating available. - Fontana del Nettuno: ask the locals about the legend around the sea god's sculpture...walk around it to view at different angles...maybe not appropriate for kiddies. - Cinema Modernissimo: recently renovated (end 2023) old school movie theater from 1915 that's underground and on the block next to the piazza. They play Italian classics, and both old and modern movies, tickets starting at €6 and some movies with free entry. All showings book up very quickly, so move fast--as of end June all paid shows were booked up thru end November. Hope anyone reading this enjoys their time in Bologna as much as I did!

Situated in Piazza Maggiore the imposing front face of the basilica stands out immediately, its…read morehalf-brick, half-finished white and red marble lower half stark in contrast. The finished face of the cathedral is sparsely adorned compared to similar church buildings of the same period. Inside the soaring cream-colored vaulted ceilings also contrast with the terra-cotta column and archway edges, another reflection of the white and red colors of the city. The main apse ceiling appears modest and undecorated, though a few of the smaller chapel ceilings exemplify the colorful murals that may have been intended for the total ceiling once finished. Interestingly enough when looking up some history this basilica was meant to serve as a more of a civil center rather than purely religious building. Entry is free (donations suggested) and no advance reservation is needed. When I came by on a Tuesday afternoon in April the church was finishing up a service, all the while allowing passersby to enter and visit, of course asking to maintain a respectful silence. Parishioners lit candles and prayed in front of the local patron saint as well as at individual chapels. Intriguing to get a glimpse into how different cultures interact in places of worship.

The Italian Gothic basilica is dedicated to Saint Petronius, who was the bishop of Bologna in the…read more5th century. A life size statue of him is in the basilica. It was built in 1390 and its main facade is still unfinished. The building was transferred from the city to the diocese in 1929 and was consecrated in 1954. 28,000 people can fit inside, it is enormous. The altar contains a 15th-century wooden crucifix. At the back, a fresco of the Madonna and cartoons. The ornate ciborium of the main altar was built in 1547. The 15th century wooden choir was completed by Agostino de 'Marchi. The vaulting and decoration of the central nave is by Girolamo Rainaldi, who completed it in 1646. The nave contains twenty-two side chapels each more ornate than the next. In 2002 five Al Quads terrorists were arrested, they were planning to blow up the basilica. They were angry a fresco depicts Mohammed in hell being devoured by demons.