This small island is a bit off the usual Venetian path, but it’s worth seeing. Its Santa Maria Assunta church houses impressive mosaics, its bell tower offers great surrounding views—and it’s home to Locanda Cipriani, a well-regarded restaurant and hotel that played host to writing legend Ernest Hemingway.

Just 40 minutes from Venice, Burano is one of the most characteristic islands of the lagoon. Famous for its colorful houses, lace making and local fish cuisine

Divided into nine islets crossed by a wide canal, Murano is the island of glass blowing. A long and still-thriving tradition, this magic art has involved whole generations of Murano residents. The Museum of Glass is a must for anyone wishing to bone up on the art of glass-making in Venice.

San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the Venetian Lagoon which has been home to the monastery of the Mekhitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation, since 1717. It is one of the two primary centers of the congregation, along with the monastery in Vienna.

Lio Piccolo is a special location, where the typical lagoon environment, made up of sandbanks, canals and fishing valleys, blends with the ancient origins of the village, giving life to a unique ecosystem and making it ideal for an excursion away from the mass tourism.

Piazza San Marco is in the heart of Venice. It is 590 ft (180 m) long and 230 ft (70 m) wide, and is the only “piazza” in Venice, since the rest of the squares are called “piazzales” or “campos”. It was established during the ninth century, but adopted its current size and form in 1177, and was paved one hundred years later. The Piazza San Marco is one of the most beautiful in the world. Napoleon called it “the world’s most beautiful drawing room”.