VeniceScapes Walking Tours - Venice for Visitors

VeniceScapes - Venice Italy - walking tours

LEFT: Michael Broderick, founder and executive director of Venicescapes, researches and leads private walking tours of Venice.

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Guided sightseeing tours often represent the worst side of mass tourism. Thirty or 40 bored travelers, many of whom would rather be shopping or sitting in a sidewalk café, are led on a forced march behind a tour guide armed with a pennant or umbrella. Those in the front are treated to a canned lecture, while those in the back are unable to hear a word.

Sound familiar? If you dislike being herded and aren't phased by three-digit tour prices, the private walking itineraries offered by Venicescapes are an alternative worth considering.

Venicescapes itineraries are designed for individuals, families, and small groups. Each tour normally has a limit of six travelers, although that number may occasionally be stretched by one or two. Participants explore Venice on foot while learning about the historical and cultural context of the city's neighborhoods and monuments.

Five mix-and-match itineraries

Venicescapes offers a variety of itineraries that can be booked at random or scheduled as a package over several days. Topics include:

Story of a Mercantile Empire, a 5½-hour "wild rampage through the history of the world's greatest trading nation." The price includes a leather-bound VeniceScapes reference guide with architectural descriptions, full-color historical maps, and a timeline.

A City of Nations, which explores the "the tiny worlds created by the many ethnic groups that populated the Mediaeval and Renaissance city"--including the Jews who lived in Europe's first ghetto.

The Splendors of Piety, a six-hour introduction to Venice's great churches and religious art. If you're short on time, you can request a shorter (and less expensive) four-hour tour..

A Most Serene Republic, where you'll learn about an ingenious political system that was centuries ahead of its time.

Crimes of State, an intriguing view of justice and espionage in the Venetian Republic. (Q. What was the Renaissance poison of choice? A. Something you'd never guess, and which would make a great murder weapon in a mystery novel.)

Venicescapes' prices aren't cheap, but they're within the range of affordability for travelers who stay at four- or five-star hotels and dine at Harry's Bar. Expect to pay US $125 to $275 for two people, plus incidental transportation charges and admission fees. Additional participants are charged US $25 each. Because Venicescapes is registered as a not-for-profit cultural association, there's also a yearly membership fee of US $20 per person that is deducted from the cost of the first itinerary.

For more information, including detailed descriptions of the five walking itineraries and acceptable forms of payment, visit the official Venicescapes Web site.