Venice
With sumptuous palaces and romantic waterways, Venice is straight out of an 18th-century Canaletto masterpiece. No matter how many times you have seen it in movies or on TV, the real thing is more surreal and dreamlike than you ever imagined. Its landmarks, the Basilica di San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale are exotic melanges of Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance styles. It is full of secrets, ineffably romantic, and - at times - given over entirely to pleasure. You must walk everywhere in Venice; and where you cannot walk, you go by water.
Explore Piazza San Marco, stroll across the Rialto Bridge, get lost in the endless canals, admire the Basilica Santa Maria della Salute, visit the San Giorgio dei Greci, walk around the Jewish Ghetto, learn about Venice's musical history, tour Venice's unique architecture at Campo Santa Maria Formosa, celebrate one of Venice's many festivals, go window shopping, and so much more!
