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Italy

Independent Venice: Art, Culture and Canals

Program No. 23230RJ
Discover the timeless beauty, architectural grandeur, world-class cuisine and unparalleled cultural legacy of Venice with local experts and plenty of time on your own.

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Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Apr 20 - Apr 27, 2024
Starting at
3,149
May 11 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
3,149
Jun 1 - Jun 8, 2024
Starting at
3,149
Sep 14 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
3,149
Oct 5 - Oct 12, 2024
Starting at
3,149
Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
3,149
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Apr 20 - Apr 27, 2024
Starting at
3,989
May 11 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Jun 1 - Jun 8, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Filling Fast!
Sep 14 - Sep 21, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Filling Fast!
Oct 5 - Oct 12, 2024
Starting at
3,989
Filling Fast!
Oct 26 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
3,989

At a Glance

Experience "la bea vita" (the beautiful life) in Venice as you learn from our Study Leader and then independently discover the parts of the city that are calling to you most — whether the gorgeous marbled architecture reflected in its winding canals or the narrow backstreets where daily life unfolds. Immerse yourself in the Italian culture by tasting the fresh flavors of the sea at quaint trattorie and learning about Venetian crafts from local artisans. With the help of your Study Leader and plenty of time on your own, study the spectacular artists, architects, and musicians that contributed (and continue to add to) Venice’s unmatched beauty.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to three miles a day. Extended standing during site visits with limited or no public seating. Uneven terrain, limited public handrails, unavoidable stairs, marble and terracotta flooring, cobblestones. Elevator use is limited or restricted in historic sites. Venice's canal bridges have ramps or stairs with handrails. Expect crowded conditions in pedestrian centers and museums. Program-related travel and transfers will be via vaporetto and water taxi. Sheltered waiting areas may not be available at docks. The extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.
Independent City Discoveries
Independent City Discoveries
Learn with a Group Leader and enjoy educational programming while also getting substantial independent time to explore on your own. Most Independent City Discoveries include lectures, self-guided excursions and passes for public transit and museums.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Experience the St. Mark’s Basilica at night, when its beauty can be experienced without crowds.
  • Revel in a Vivaldi concert performed on priceless original instruments by a chamber music ensemble.
  • Gain a deeper understanding of traditional Venetian crafts – including Carnival masks – with the author of "Venice Master Artisans," Cristina Gregorin.
Featured Expert
All Experts
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Cristina Gregorin
Cristina Gregorin has a PhD in German studies and earned her degree in history, art history, and languages from the University of Trieste. She has lived and worked in Venice for many decades. As an excursion expert, she prefers to offer a multifaceted experience of Venice that includes traditions and habits of the past and present, and the juxtaposition of the historical and contemporary aspects of the city. Cristina is the author of “Venice Master Artisans,” a book focusing on Venetian arts and crafts.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Cristina Gregorin
Cristina Gregorin View biography
Cristina Gregorin has a PhD in German studies and earned her degree in history, art history, and languages from the University of Trieste. She has lived and worked in Venice for many decades. As an excursion expert, she prefers to offer a multifaceted experience of Venice that includes traditions and habits of the past and present, and the juxtaposition of the historical and contemporary aspects of the city. Cristina is the author of “Venice Master Artisans,” a book focusing on Venetian arts and crafts.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The World of Venice
by Jan Morris
From Barnes and Noble website: "A fascinating exploration of the history, sights, seasons, arts, food, and people of an incomparable city. “A highly intelligent portrait of an eccentric city, written in powerful prose and enlivened by many curious mosaics of information...a beautiful book to read and to possess” (The Observer)."
Eyewitness Guide Venice & the Veneto
by Eyewitness Guides
Features color photography, dozens of excellent maps (including a pullout map) and a synopsis of the region's attractions.
Watermark
by Joseph Brodsky
A metaphysical, metaphorical meditation on Venice by poet Joseph Brodsky. His ruminations take the form of 48 short chapters, each prompted by an idea, memory or scene associated with his much loved city.
The City of Falling Angels
by John Berendt
from Barnes and Noble website: "The author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil returns after more than a decade to give us an intimate look at the "magic, mystery, and decadence" of the city of Venice and its inhabitants."
Art and Life in Renaissance Venice
by Patricia Brown
This compact volume evokes the spirit of Renaissance Venice with authoritative essays and 120 full-color illustrations.
Venice: The Biography of a City
by Christopher Hibbert
Synopsis from Amazon.com: "This novel guidebook to the famous Italian city combines a personal narrative with historical and social information, and includes a comprehensive gazeteer of every building mentioned in the text and every monument and work of art of importance in Venice. Christopher Hibbert is the author of many works of history and biography, including "The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici" and guidebooks to Florence and Rome."
My Venice and Other Essays
by Donna Leon
A collection of 50 of Leon's funny, charming, passionate and insightful essays, ranging from battles over garbage in the canals to the troubles with restoring Venetian real estate.
Venice from the Ground Up
by James H. S. McGregor
A walking tour, history and celebration, this masterly, personal guide to Venice includes a short account of McGregor's favorite sites, 10 maps and suggested walks (and boat rides).
Death at La Fenice
by Donna Leon
The first of the tremendously good Guido Brunetti mysteries, all set in the author's beloved Venice, in which a famous conductor is found dead at the celebrated La Fenice theater.
The Italians
by John Hooper
From Amazon: A vivid and surprising portrait of the Italian people from an admired foreign correspondent.
The Perfect House, A Journey with Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio
by Witold Rybczynski
A professor of urban studies and popular author, Rybczynski is an enlightening guide to Palladio and his influence in Italy and abroad.
Venice, A Literary Guide for Travellers
by Marie-jose Gransard
From local authors to classic writers like Dickens, Byron, Kafka, Poe, Rousseau, Thomas Mann, John Ruskin and Ezra Pound, this literary survey reveals Venice's multifaceted personality through literature.
Venice is a Fish
by Tiziano Scarpa
The hugely popular Venetian novelist, poet and playwright makes his English-language debut with these marvelously digressive essays on the many moods and pleasures of La Serenissima.
The Genius of Venice, Piazza San Marco and the Making of the Republic
by Dial Parrott
With 112 color illustrations and four maps, the Genius of Venice presents the magnificent buildings of the celebrated piazza as, in the words of John Ruskin, the "living books of history" in this handsome cultural history.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.