Torcello, the republic's original island settlement, was largely abandoned due to malaria and now counts only around 14 permanent residents. Its mosaic-clad Byzantine church, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, is Venice's oldest.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.87 MILES
With a profusion of domes and more than 8000 sq metres of luminous mosaics, Venice's cathedral is unforgettable. It was founded in the 9th century to…
5.89 MILES
Holding pride of place on the waterfront, this pretty Gothic confection may be an unlikely setting for the political and administrative seat of a great…
26.9 MILES
Padua's version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italy's great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto…
6.41 MILES
Venice's historic gallery traces the development of Venetian art from the 14th to 19th centuries, with works by all of the city's artistic superstars. The…
5.79 MILES
In medieval times this part of Cannaregio housed a getto (foundry), but it was as the designated Jewish quarter from the 16th to 19th centuries that the…
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
6.22 MILES
Baldassare Longhena's magnificent basilica is prominently positioned near the entrance to the Grand Canal, its white stones, exuberant statuary and high…
6.36 MILES
Baroque dreams come true at this Baldassare Longhena–designed Grand Canal palazzo (mansion), where a marble staircase leads to a vast gilded ballroom and…
6.32 MILES
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home,…
Nearby Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands attractions
1. Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Life choices are presented in no uncertain terms in the dazzling mosaics of the Assumption Basilica. Look ahead to a golden afterlife amid saints and a…
0.03 MILES
Literally overshadowed by Torcello's famous basilica, to which it's connected by a colonnaded walkway, this interesting round Byzantine-style church dates…
0.04 MILES
This 5th-century marble throne is said to have been used by Attila the Hun when his horde swept south, terrorising the Roman city of Altino. In fact, the…
0.05 MILES
Occupying two buildings across the square from the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, this museum is dedicated to Torcello’s venerable history. The main…
0.88 MILES
Burano, with its cheery pastel-coloured houses, is renowned for its handmade lace, which once graced the decolletage and ruffs of European aristocracy…
0.94 MILES
Burano's Lace Museum tells the story of a craft that cut across social boundaries, endured for centuries and evoked the epitome of sophistication reached…
0.97 MILES
Sixteenth-century St Martin's Church, with its worryingly wonky 53m-high campanile (bell tower), is worth a peek for Giambattista Tiepolo’s 1725 La…
1.19 MILES
Mazzorbo's late 13th-century Romanesque St Catherine's Church is the only one of the island's 10 medieval churches to survive. Call in to see its wooden…