Like Florence, there is always more to see in Venice. Highlights include: the impressive church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the Dominican equivalent to the Frari; the Museo Fortuny with its beautiful silk dresses; and views from the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Often overlooked, the lagoon islands contain some jewels. These include a Romanesque-Gothic church on Mazzorbo, Palladio’s great church of Il Redentore on Giudecca, a Byzantine cathedral on Torcello, the picturesque houses of Burano, an island noted for its lace-making, Visit Murano and its glass museum housed in a large palazzo. And see a Bellini in a small church.