Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367. Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area (population 1,600,000). The city historically was an independent nation. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light". Luigi Barzini, writing in The New York Times, described it as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man"

The city stretches across 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. The population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 62,000 in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazione of Mestre and Marghera; and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon.

The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century.

When visiting Venice, the experts at Italy 4 Real recommend the following sites:

• Basilica di San Marco (The Golden Church) – Byzantine in style, this cathedral was built mostly during the 11th century in honor of St. Mark, Venice’s patron saint. The huge interior is gilded with Byzantine mosaics that cover nearly every inch of the walls and ceiling. Don’t miss the church's greatest treasure, the stunning altarpiece known as the Pala d'Oro (Golden Altarpiece). This Gothic masterpiece is encrusted with nearly 2,000 precious gems and 255 enameled panels. It is believed to have been created as early as the 10th century, and embellished by master Venetian and Byzantine artisans between the 12th and 14th centuries.
• Galleria dell’Accademia – So many treasures of Venetian painting are housed in this museum that the true art lover will find a journey through its rooms to be absolutely awe-inspiring. Though there isn’t one particular “famous” piece in this gallery, all the Venetian painters are highlighted, including Bellini, Tintoretto, Titian, Longhi, and Piazzetta.
• Palazzo Ducale and Ponte dei Sospiri (Ducal Palace and Bridge of Sighs) – The long time residence of the Doges (dukes that were elected for life) during their 1000 year reign, The Palazzo Ducale is literally a palace of treasures, with rooms decorated by the finest Venetian artists. This pink and white-marble Gothic-Renaissance palace is one of Italy’s greatest and most visited civic structures. Make sure to visit the Bridge of Sighs, accessed from the Great Council Hall, and connecting the palace to the prison. The bridge was so named by European poets who imagined prisoners sighing their last breath of resignation there before being led to the prison, where they would most surely be executed.
• The Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Assembled by American expatriate Peggy Guggenheim, this museum houses one of the best collections of modern art worldwide. The collection focuses especially on Cubism, Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, and European Abstraction. The 18th century palace used for this gallery is located directly on the Grand Canal and visitors will enjoy the works of such modern artists as Picasso, Ernst, and Pollock.

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