Venice is famous for its canals and palaces, yet beyond its beauty lies a city shaped by passion, creativity, and hidden lives. On this 1.5-hour walking tour, you will discover the intimate stories that reveal a more secret side of La Serenissima.
The tour begins at the Accademia Bridge, where a painting by Canaletto sets the scene of 18th-century Venice and introduces the social and cultural world behind the city’s splendour. Continuing to Campo San Samuele, the focus turns to the theatre as a meeting place of ambition, emotion, and social mobility, with Giacomo Casanova appearing as part of a broader theatrical and cultural landscape.
Passing through Sant’Angelo and Campo Santo Stefano, the narrative shifts to Venetian women—actresses, musicians, courtesans—and to Antonio Vivaldi, whose work with the Ospedali reveals how music offered women visibility and independence.
The route then reaches the home of Mariano Fortuny, reflecting Venice’s lasting role as a city of artistic experimentation and emotional ties. Nearby, hidden architectural traces open a window onto the invisible Venice of secret passages, night encounters, and discreet movements through the city.
Here, the storey of Veronica Franco takes centre stage: not only as an honest courtesan, but as a poet and intellectual whose words on love, desire, and female dignity still resonate today.
The tour ends at the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal, in front of the plaque honouring Elena Caterina Cornaro, the first woman in history to earn a university degree.
This walk is an invitation to explore Venice beyond appearances—where art, passion, and intellect have always flowed just beneath the surface.
