Your private guide will be waiting for you upon exiting the ship and will accompany you the entire day as you discover Venice. You’ll begin with, naturally, a boat ride from your cruise ship through the Grand Canal, where you will learn about the palaces, warehouses, churches, and gardens that line this most unique street of the world. At St. Mark’s Square you will disembark to visit its great Basilica, rich with marble and mosaics; the Doge’s palace, a fourteenth century edifice from whence the rulers of the Venetian republic exerted control over the surrounding area; and the famous Bridge of Sighs, which convicts traversed to reach the prison on its other end. On your way to lunch at a selected restaurant (not included), you will enjoy a private gondola ride as you glide through Venice’s unbelievable maze of canals. Your tour will continue after lunch with a walk through narrow streets (calli) and small squares (campi) to the renowned La Fenice Theatre and from there to the gothic church of Frari (Franciscan friars), with paintings by Bellini and Tiziano and sculptures by Canova. The Rialto bridge and its market offer a perfect opportunity to bid farewell to this most unusual of metropolises. You’ll return to the ship on a private boat in time for departure.