Soak in the wealth of history
Founded by refugees from the collapsing Roman Empire in the fifth century CE, Venice is a history buff’s dream. It’s worth a trip just to see the 11th-century St Mark’s Basilica, the interior of which features 4,200sqm (45,200sqft) of gold mosaics and an altarpiece inlaid with almost 2,000 precious stones. Take a gondola or traghetti ride down the 3.8km (2.4 mile)-long Grand Canal to admire the Venetian gothic and renaissance facades of the city’s grandest palazzos.