Historic Regatta is held on the first Sunday of September every year. The Grand Canal is filled with beautifully crafted 13th-century boats and its banks are lined with thousands of spectators. Celebrations begin with a boat parade commemorating the arrival of Caterina Cornaro, wife of the King of Cyprus, who in 1489 gave up her throne in favour of Venice. Then comes the regatta itself, consisting of four separate competitions of which the most enthralling is that of the double-oared gondolas.

Venice Marathon is held annually in October starting in Stra passing through various towns before arriving at Venice’s Riva dei Sette Martiri.  There is a €15,000 in prize money.

Feast of Good Health an annual festival held in November where thousands of locals make a boat pilgrimage to the Chiesa Della Salute church, praying to the Madonna for good health. The origins of this celebration date back to 1630.

The Festival of La Salute is an annual festival held in November when thousands descend on Basilica Santa Maria della Salute to light a candle and take part in festivities commemorating the end of the 1630 plague.

Restaura held annually in December is an expo dedicated to the conservation and restoration of cultural heritage.

Christmas in the Lagoon transforms Venice’s Campo Santo Stefano into a festive village. Along with a colourful market, around 30 “virtual palaces” (miniature wooden Alpine stalls) are set up in the bustling historic square near the Accademia and Palazzo Grassi. This festival is held annually between November and December.

Capodanno Love is Venice’s huge celebration in Piazza San Marco boasting a stunning outdoor scenography. Its slogan “Come and kiss in Venice” attracts more than 70,000 people here on the night of 31 December, who kiss to welcome the new year.

The Venice Carnival held from 26 Feb – 8 Mar annually has a two-week series of processions, masquerades, traditional ceremonies, music and all-round festivities fill the canals, squares and palaces of this ancient city. The Carnival adopts a new theme each year.

Car hire in Venice is available from companies including Avis, Budget, National, Advantage, Thrifty and Sixt.

The city and the Federal Aviation Administration after 3 years of standoff have finally negotiated to the airport safety zone problem with $12 million that has dominated the city council’s agenda. Most of the estimated $12 million amount would be shelled out by the FAA with several million dollars coming from the airport’s enterprise fund.

The Airport safety zone boundaries can have an effect on the property values and insurance rates if one of the runways of the Venice airport is shifted towards the Intracoastal Waterway and adding up of a large crushable concrete bumper for preventing the aircraft overruns. And it will no longer be a safety zone for the residents in the Gulf Shores neighborhood.

The proposed plan also calls for the elimination of the golf course driving range which is in the safety zone and also plans to reconfigure two holes at the Lake Venice Golf Club.

FAA has repeatedly not agreed for the alternative thing which is to demote the airport.

The council has to approve the plan which has discarded a similar plan earlier this year. Reclassification of the airport from a C to a B is favored by the majority that would result in putting off the larger planes from using the runways.

Major car hire firms like Avis, Budget, National, Advantage, Thrifty and Sixt are located at he Venice airport offering cheap car rentals.

1)      Also known as the  ”La Dominante”, “Serenissima”, “Queen of the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Masks”, “City of Bridges”, “The Floating City”, and “City of Canals”

2)      The city is built on 117 islands connected by over 150 canals and 400 bridges.

3)      The Grand Canal slightly over 2kms long with an average depth of 4m divides Venice into two parts with San Polo, Dorsoduro and Santa Croce to the West and San Marco, Castello and Canneregio to the East.

4)      During the 20^th century artesian wells dug for water procurement caused the city to start sinking; however since the ban on digging of wells in 1960 the sinking process has slowed.

5)      It is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.

6)      The three bridges over the Grand Canal are the marble Ponte di Rialto built between 1588 and 1591, the wooden Ponte Accademia built in 1854 and the stone Ponte degli Scalzi built in 1858.

7)      The city has no sewer system as household waste just flows into the canals to be washed into the ocean twice a day by the tides.

8)      The city undergoes the influx of over 15 million tourists a year, almost over 50000 tourists a day.

9)      More than half the population of Venice is involved in the tourist trade with a majority of the living on the mainland, commuting to work by the waterways due to the high cost of living and the inconvenience of living away from the mainland.

10)   Crime is almost non-existent in Venice.

Venice has this air of romance to it. This made the place an iconic destination for lovers as there is a thrill in exploring its winding streets and famous canals. Its sophisticated galleries, palaces, and piazzas all give out romantic vibes that set lovers on the right mood. Love is truly in the Venetian air.

Special Places Are Best When Found

Visitors may come to Venice for any reasons but most agree on one thing- the city is not that big in foods and drinks. Only a few excellent restaurants and bars serve fine wine and dine. Once these places are discovered, it is on. Venice’s top of the line restaurants will make romance grow all the more. For just an ordinary bite, there is always some old style over the counter complemented by cicheti in the many bacaro.

Sweet Air of Romance

The Piazza Marco is, no doubt, hottest in the tourists’ radar. By night, crowds drink behind its pavement tables while enjoying the sweet backdrop and music that goes with it. Gondolas abound in Venice but are rather expensive. It is better to go around the city on a cheaper transport.

Tourists who love art can have plenty to see. It is everywhere, even along the streets. Lovers could romantically stroll down the streets and get lost in the hidden corners. Without a hint of a doubt, Venice is truly a perfect honeymoon getaway.

Looking for romantic places to stay is not hard to find in Venice. The city is not known to be romantic for nothing. There is always somewhere cozy for couples to rest their heads and ignite the passion.

Romantic Ride in Venice

The city of Venice is one of the most romantic places in the world as attested by its many romantic tourist couples. Runaway from the world with your lover on a car. Hiring a car will not only giver you comfort, it is especially excellent for couples to sit and talk while moving about checking out the romantic views. At a cheap price, car hire will make your date a special but inexpensive one.

There is nothing like Venice anywhere else. The city is unique in its structure. It is a maze of over 150 canals, over 409 bridges, busy squares and cobblestone streets.

When in Venice, visit these sites to have an unforgettable tour. Check out the Grand Canal where it takes its tourists to a unique view of Palaces lined up along it. No other place could top this excellent array of Palaces.

• The Rise And Fall Of Rulers

One of the famous Venice palaces is the Doge Palace as it has been the high and low for the aristocracy. It is here where the ruling class lived, were judged and imprisoned.

The red marble arch is where death sentences were once announced and public executions were done. The Palace can be fully toured in a bout 3 hours time.

St. Mark’s Basilica is Venice’s priced Byzantine architectural work. It is filled with superb artworks. Over 40,000 mosaics made out of gold cover its ceilings and walls. With its ornate designs, the Basilica is often hailed to be the best Byzantine structure to date.

• The People And The View

Outside it is the St. Mark’s Square. You can watch people go about their busy ways while sitting on its sidewalk cares or you can ride an elevator up the Campanile for a different look on the Basilica and Piazza.

St. Mark’s is also home to large flocks of pigeons where you can feed them in designated areas. Take note, feeding pigeons on restricted areas can drain you off with some fines. You can buy feeding tickets from a few vendors where vendors have permission to sell such tickets by virtue of their family’s reputation for such. This job is passed on from generation to generation.

• Venice Car Hire

In Venice, tourists can tour and see great sites and things in one day. Hire a car to have this rare opportunity of seeing long lines of palaces towers, and museums like never before. Get your cameras ready as many sites come and go fast. With a cheap car hire deal, you can go about with your tour with no hassle. It will all be one smooth ride.

Venice is one of the world’s greatest architectural repositories. The city is full of palaces styled to perfection in Europe’s impressive Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic Architecture. Even more remarkable is the number of these buildings in the city. In every corner, there are churches and palaces crammed to each other.

The city is divided in chunks that are manageable for traffic and pedestrians. What should have been dark alleys, the streets come to life at night with lights and the flashes from tourists’ cameras.

• Venice In A Nutshell

Venice gives more than a tourist can handle in one day. One will not find it hard to see as much as ten places in a short span of time. Its jam-packed streets are full of amazing surprises. If by chance, you will only have a day to tour the city, rest assured you can see almost everything there is to be seen.

Add these is you itinerary. Piazza San Marco, the Campanile, the Basilica, the Ducal Palace, and Caffe Florian. These are near to each other. If you decide to explore more places, then this is when real fun kicks in.

• Reliving The Glory

The Carnival is one of the most important times in  Venice and this is the time when  Venetians relive the city’s 18^th century glory. As a word of advice, tourists must not fail to see this spectacular city-wide celebration to get most out of Venice.

When it is time to go, you will realize that you have been one with the many people who have visited the place since the Middle Ages. Venice, as it was known, still is able to attract and amaze tourists from all walks of life.

• Car Hire

Tour around this great city on car hire as hiring a car is so convenient since it offers comfort at a practical price. It really does not come expensive. With a map on hand, hired cars will help you explore the city to its limits in one day.