Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore
Begun in 1565 and completed in 1610, this dazzling Benedictine abbey church owes more to ancient Roman temples than the bombastic baroque of Palladio's…
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
The most evocative of Venice's southern islands are tiny specks capped with monasteries such as San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and (especially) San Giorgio Maggiore, its gracious Palladio church forming the essential backdrop for dreamy lagoon views. The much larger crescent of Giudecca has its own Palladian masterpieces and is a fascinating mash-up of luxury hotels, workaday apartments, the remnants of industry and a still-functioning women's prison. Lido is Venice's 12km beach escape, its A-list film festival a hangover from its days as one of Europe's most glamorous resorts.
Explore Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
- Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore
Begun in 1565 and completed in 1610, this dazzling Benedictine abbey church owes more to ancient Roman temples than the bombastic baroque of Palladio's…
- Fondazione Giorgio Cini
In 1951, industrialist and art patron Vittorio Cini – a survivor of Dachau – acquired the monastery of San Giorgio and restored it in memory of his son,…
- Le Stanze del Vetro
Once part of a boarding school, 'The Glass Rooms' are now home to a constant flow of temporary exhibitions, all of them based on glass. Often the displays…
- MMonastero di San Lazzaro degli Armeni
Tours of this historic island monastery are usually conducted by its multilingual Armenian monks, who amply demonstrate the institution’s reputation for…
- CChiesa del Santissimo Redentore
Built to celebrate the city’s deliverance from the Black Death, Palladio's Il Redentore was completed under Antonio da Ponte (of Rialto Bridge fame) in…
- CCasa dei Tre Oci
Acquired by the Fondazione di Venezia in 2000, the fanciful neo-Gothic 'House of Three Eyes' was built in 1913 by artist and photographer Mario de Maria,…
- Galleria Michela Rizzo
Tucked away in an old industrial complex, this fascinating contemporary-art gallery has long championed local artists, such as Mariateresa Sartori, but it…
- Spiaggia di San Nicolò
Situated at the northeastern end of the Lido, this wide, sandy beach is arguably the island's best. It's popular with Venetian families and there are…
- PPalazzo del Cinema
Eugenio Miozzi’s angular, Rationalist ‘Palace of Cinema’ was in keeping with the ambitious modernism of the early 1930s, when business tycoon and Fascist…
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands.
See
Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore
Begun in 1565 and completed in 1610, this dazzling Benedictine abbey church owes more to ancient Roman temples than the bombastic baroque of Palladio's…
See
Fondazione Giorgio Cini
In 1951, industrialist and art patron Vittorio Cini – a survivor of Dachau – acquired the monastery of San Giorgio and restored it in memory of his son,…
See
Le Stanze del Vetro
Once part of a boarding school, 'The Glass Rooms' are now home to a constant flow of temporary exhibitions, all of them based on glass. Often the displays…
See
Monastero di San Lazzaro degli Armeni
Tours of this historic island monastery are usually conducted by its multilingual Armenian monks, who amply demonstrate the institution’s reputation for…
See
Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore
Built to celebrate the city’s deliverance from the Black Death, Palladio's Il Redentore was completed under Antonio da Ponte (of Rialto Bridge fame) in…
See
Casa dei Tre Oci
Acquired by the Fondazione di Venezia in 2000, the fanciful neo-Gothic 'House of Three Eyes' was built in 1913 by artist and photographer Mario de Maria,…
See
Galleria Michela Rizzo
Tucked away in an old industrial complex, this fascinating contemporary-art gallery has long championed local artists, such as Mariateresa Sartori, but it…
See
Spiaggia di San Nicolò
Situated at the northeastern end of the Lido, this wide, sandy beach is arguably the island's best. It's popular with Venetian families and there are…
See
Palazzo del Cinema
Eugenio Miozzi’s angular, Rationalist ‘Palace of Cinema’ was in keeping with the ambitious modernism of the early 1930s, when business tycoon and Fascist…
Guidebooks
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