There is a glorious City in the Sea.
The Sea is in the broad, the narrow streets,
Ebbing and flowing; and the salt sea-weed
Clings to the marble of her palaces.
No track of men, no footsteps to and fro,
Lead to her gates. The path lies o’er the Sea,
Invisible; and from the land we went,
As to a floating City — steering in,
And gliding up her streets as in a dream,
So smoothly, silently — by many a dome,
Mosque-like, and many a stately portico,
The statues ranged along an azure sky;
By many a pile in more than Eastern pride,
Of old the residence of merchant-kings;
The fronts of some, though Time had shattered them,
Still glowing with the richest hues of art,
As though the wealth within them had run o’er.

So wrote nineteenth-century poet Samuel Rogers in ‘Venice’, and his words have as much resonance today as they did then for those who look – really look – at Venice.

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, ‘There are no facts, only interpretations.’ A visitor to Venice is not there to be told what the city is, but to experience it and form his or her own interpretation. And because Venice is a multi-faceted city, only by viewing it from different angles can one really get a true sense of its form and nature.

Amid the throngs

Head to St Mark’s Square. Look up at the awe-inspiring architecture of St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace and the clock tower, and you see why this space is the very heart of Venice. Look around at the melting pot of people surrounding you, and you understand how Napoleon came to call the piazza the ‘drawing room of Europe’.

From up high

The Campanile is the tallest building in the city, and at the top you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the lagoon and the buildings of the city. But the tower is immensely popular with tourists, and in fact the view from the bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio on San Giorgio Maggiore island, is equally stunning. Alternatively, treat yourself to a cocktail in the Skyline Bar at the Molino Stucky Hilton hotel.

From the water

Take a vaporetto ride along the Grand Canal for a close-up view of beautiful palaces, or opt for a more sedate, romantic drift along the waterways in a gondola.

From within

The city is so much more than what one can see outside: it is not a collection of ornate and lavish surfaces, but buildings containing hearts and souls. Any visitor to Venice, then, must cross the threshold from without to within.  Explore the interior of St Mark’s Basilica, marvelling at the stunning gold mosaics, and be moved by the works of Venetian masters Bellini, Tintoretto and Titian at the Accademia Gallery.