3h and 30 min
Castello District Tour
Unseen Castello District
Castello is the truest area in Venice, an authentic, off-the-beaten-path neighborhood still almost entirely inhabited by Venetians.
Max. 6 people
Local guide and limoboat included
1
Arsenale Area and nearby beauties
Arsenale
Rio dei Giardini
Biennale di Venezia
San Pietro di Castello
Our journey in the Castello district will begin with a private boat tour to be able to explore some little-known and unusual places in the area: we will take you to Rio della Tana, right at the Arsenale entrance, and Rio dei Giardini, close to the Biennale. We will stop at Arsenale where you will see the 46-metre long Enrico Dandolo submarine, part of the heritage of the Naval History Museum, and the 15-metres high Lorenzo Quinn “Building bridges” sculpture: six pairs of hands touch designed for the 2019 Venice Biennale, embracing and tracing a symbolic bridge.
Building bridges:
behind the sculpture
“Venice is a world heritage city and it is the city of bridges. It is the perfect location to spread a message of world unity and peace so that more of us around the world build bridges with others rather than walls and barriers”.
-Lorenzo Quinn
2
Visit to the oldest urban vineyard
San Francesco della Vigna
The tour will continue by boat to San Francesco Della Vigna, the oldest urban vineyard in Venice, where you will have the opportunity to visit one of the two Franciscan churches on the island. This one was designed by Jacopo Sansovino and has a splendid marble facade by Andrea Palladio. San Francesco Della Vigna has also three cloisters: two are used as a vegetable garden and vineyard, while in the third rainwater is collected, and then used to irrigate the vineyards. Take the chance to visit this secret garden and marvel at the enchanted hidden gems of the lagoon!
3
Castello and near surroundings
Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo
Acqua Alta Library
Palazzo Grimani
We will then stop at San Giovanni and Paolo, where you will have the chance to admire one of the most impressive medieval and religious buildings in Venice and stop by Libreria Acqua Alta, the most famous, almost floating bookstore of Venice. To end up your journey in the most precious way do not miss the chance to visit Palazzo Grimani, a real jewel in terms of frescoes, stuccoes, and gildings: a Venetian domus aurea.
The almost submerged library
One of the most original bookstores in the world is located right in the Castello district. The Acqua Alta bookshop is the only bookshop where you will find a huge selection of books, new and used, arranged inside special shelves: boats, gondolas, canoes, and tubs. The books are not just to buy but have been transformed into real pieces of furniture on which the friendly cats of the library rest.
4
Contact Us
Info & Reservations
For further informations and reservation, please fill out the form below.