The museum is hard to miss since its principal entrance is flanked by two huge anchors seized from Austrian battleships during the First World War.

The Carmelite Order arrived in Venice in 1286 with the intention of founding a confraternity dedicated to the adoration of the Virgin Mary.

The Dogana di Mare may have been splendidly ornate but in reality this grand finery was nothing more than exaggerated bluster, a transparently thin attempt to disguise the citys terminal decline.

The school is famous for its nine pictures of scenes from the lives of St. Jerome, St. Tryphone and St.George by Vittore Carpaccio, a Venetian artist of Dalmatian ancestry.

The tower is entered by a charming loggetta; the original, designed in 1549 by Jacopo Sansovino, was once used as a barracks for the Doge’s bodyguard.

The museum was founded in 1830 after Teodoro Correr donated his private art collection to the city .

The novelist Henry James knew of no other picture whose dramatic blend of compassion and brutality better depicted humanity.

The San Zaccarias greatest treasure is undoubtedly Bellinis gorgeously serene and richly coloured Madonna and Child with Saints (1505) in the north aisle.

The Torre dell Orologio is an elaborately decorated clock tower which was completed in 1499 according to a design by Mauro Coducci.

The bishop commenced work on the construction of a cathedral, the Santa Maria dell Assunta, which was then filled with splendid Byzantine treasures.

Being well of the beaten path, the Madonna dell Orto is missed by most tourists even though as the parish church of the great renaissance artist, Tintoretto, it contains some exquisite works of art.

Visitors usually remark on the brightly painted houses which create a colourful ambiance: a feature which the authorities have attempted to preserve by requiring residents to observe the municipal colour scheme when repainting their homes.

Murano is less refined than Venice; it is not an elegant tourist destination but rather a shabby industrial town with a population of approximately 8,000. However, it boasts several sights which should not be missed.

This 17th century church contains some exquisite decorative art, particularly its magnificent ceiling painted by Gian Antonio Fumiani between 1680 and 1704.

The San Sebastiano houses the most extensive collection of Veronese paintings ever assembled in a single location and has for this reason been designated as one of Venice's most important churches.

The church of San Nicolo dei Mendicoli may not be as grand or popular as many of the citys great attractions, but it is nonetheless a delightful gem hidden away in the backstreets of Venice.

The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is tucked away amidst a maze of alleys in the Canareggio district of Venice, a fair walk from the rialto vaporetti stop. It is, however, worth the effort of finding this tiny elusive church where many Venetians choose to marry

Other discoveries on display include mammoth fossils and part of the skeleton of a huge crocodile, the Sarcosuchus imperator, a carnivore over 12 metres long which weighed in excess of eight tons.

The Ca Pesaro houses numerous paintings and sculptures by such artists as Modigliani, Klimt, Chagall and Henry Moore.

The Ca Rezzonico houses a museum specialising in 18th century Venetian paintings, antiques, furniture and glassware.

The stairway is undoubtedly the most fascinating feature of this building. Indeed the locals likened its spirals to those of a snails shell (bovolo) and so the palazzo became known as the “snail house”.

The Grassi family were wealthy merchants who hailed from Bologna. In 1748 they hired the famous Venetian architect, Giorgio Massari, to design their family seat. The project took over twenty-four years to complete and Massari died six years before the final brick was laid.

Few buildings can have been so ill-fated as Venice’s famous opera house, the Fenice. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Fenice has thrice survived destruction and remains one of the worlds most prestigious operatic venues.

The Accademia houses a world famous art collection and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Venice.

The Arsenale was the naval headquarters of the Venetian Empire and the site of the first modern shipbuilding yard.

The intention was that the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal should be a magnificent mansion in the classical stye.

The Senate announced in desperation that it would dedicate a church to the Virgin Mary if the city was spared from further pestilence.

Anxious to compensate for their lack of nobility, the Labia built their family home on the banks of the Grand Canal at its junction with the Canareggio Canal and adjacent to the Campo San Geremia, thus ensuring that three of the four facades fronted a major public thoroughfare.

The Palazzo Santa Sofia is one of the most impressive mansions which borders the Grand Canal during its final approach to St.Marks Square and the heart of Venice.

The Giardini hosts an international art festival every second year which forms part of the city's cultural biennale.

The Lido, a narrow sandbar approximately 15 km long and 2 km wide, has been formed by the tidal accumulation of sand and silt and so not unsurprisingly is largely covered by sandy beaches making it a popular destination for tourists.

St.Marks Cathedral is the best known church in Venice and one of the most famous examples of Byzantine architecture in the world.

The Doges Palace was the residence of the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice.

If you travel to Venice by train, the Grand Canal starts almost immediately as you leave the station. Probably the best way to see the sights is to travel along its entire length in one of the municipal water buses known as "vaporetti".