10 Pictures you need to take in Venice

+ the people who can tell you where to take them

A very long time ago I wrote a post on my blog about some of my favorite things to take pictures of in Rome.

I still take pictures of my coffee and my plate of pasta but here in Venice there is no Colosseum outside my door or a cute Fiat Cinquecento parked next to a fountain. What do I have multiples of on my Venetian cameral roll? Here are 10 of the places and things that I always take a picture of.

This is not a list of where the best spots to take pictures in Venice are. What I will do is tell you about the best people who can take you to them. If you want to see everyday life in Venice featuring all of this and more, make sure you are following me on Instagram.

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10 Pictures you need to take in Venice.

Gondolas and Gondoliers

The gondola and gondoliers are probably the most iconic and most cliche image of Venice. They are also super special and photogenic. I can’t stop myself. I love them rowing in the fog, I love them on their phones, I love a gaggle of them waiting at their stazi for a fare. I even painted my bedroom to look like the floor of a gondola.

Boats

We don’t have cars or bikes or motorinos here but we do have boats. My favorite boat is the garbage boat. I also love the ferry boat that takes cars between Tronchetto and Lido. It is particularly lovely at night when the light filters through the multi levels of windows. Water taxis are nice too. The vaporetto is our public bus. They chug up and down the grand canal and take you out in the lagoon to Murano and Burano. Our DHL and Amazon packages (and groceries and wine and construction materials) all come into Venice on long flat Mototopos. If you walk along the Zattere or the Fondamente Nove you might catch people rowing a Mascareta or Sampierotto. I am not wild about my summer sunset apertivo view being blocked by a superyacht when they anchor along the Riva or the Zattere in the summer.

Bridges

Bridges are our part of our streets (and not a place to sit and rest or eat your lunch.) One of my 2024 goals has been to cross every one of the 435 public bridges in Venice. I am working on a guide and map for you to some of the most famous and interesting ones.

Spritz

The spritz is the drink that is most associated with Venice. The splash of red Select or orange Aperol with a canal in the backround makes for a great photograph and a delicious break.

Gillian Knows Best Guide to Venice in 10 Spritzes

Floors

There are just so many beautiful floors in Venice. My favorites are a haphazard mix of different kinds of terrazzo and the salt damaged squares of pink Verona marble in many ground floor entrances. Look down for intricate designs of colored marble in almost any church or palazzo. You could spend an hour inside the Basilica San Marco before you even look up at the glittering gold mosaics on the ceiling. I have plans for my downstairs cortile to use the same herringbone brickwork pattern that you see in some of the outside spaces in the Doges Palace.

Laundry

I live on one of the most photographed streets in Venice. I have actually brushed my hair and put on lipstick before leaning out of my window to hang my sheets on the line when I hear lots of Spanish and German and English being spoken downstairs.

The view from the train station

Do I really need to explain this one? Even if I am not getting on a train and I find myself in this part of town, I take a picture.

Sunsets

We have some epic sunsets here. I usually watch from the Riva dei sette Martiri or even better from the vaporetto coming back to Venice after a day at the beach on Lido. Make a note in your calendar of what time the sun sets in Venice during your visit.

Lamposts

Venetians might actually see the world through rose colored glasses. The glass on our lampposts is a gorgeous shade of pink that often is the same shade the sky turns as the sun is setting. There has been some form of public lighting in Venice since 1128. The glass in the almost 3000 ferài that you see today gets its distinctive color from the addition of manganese to the secret mix of sand and iron that the artisans on Murano use.

In 1732 the Council of Ten decided that the whole of Venice should be illuminated, ordered the installation of the first 843 “ferài” (lanterns) in the Merceri and San Marco areas. Venezia 1600

Lagoon

Get out of the city and explore the lagoon with my pal Adair. She will organize one of those gorgeous mahogany Venice taxi boats and show you parts of Venice that are often overlooked or unknown to visitors. Learn about the barene, the islands in the lagoon made up of sediment and plants some of which are only visible at low tide. Birdwatchers may spot an egret or tern. You will also cruise the canals in Venice, which is an entirely different way to experience the city.

Gillian Knows Best Guide to the Lagoon islands of Venice

Photography tours in Venice

Now you have an outline of what to look for, here are the people who can help you to capture some of the bewitching beauty of Venice. Nicoletta Fornaro has four curated itineraries to choose from. Marco Secchi leads private walks and multi-day workshops. Book a walk with me and I promise to show you some of my favorite secret spots.

Where to see photography exhibits in Venice

There is always an interesting exhibit at Le Stanze della Fotografia on the island of San Giorgio. The Ikona Photo Gallery in the Ghetto is a gallery and the headquarters of a photography school. The Venice Photo Lab is an annual festival for young photographers.