VENETIA - City & Republic Bridging East and West

Not your usual Venice Guide but a roadmap and five dreamy itineraries to discover the city. A growing collection of THEMED TREASURE MAPS around Venice and the Lagoon: Colorful and useful, and finally helping you get to know the city from the Venetian point of view.


Imagine that Venetian host of yours invests a lot of time in explaining her city: like, every evening, she'll present you with a treasure map to go and explore another part of Venice. 

A story I witnessed as a child every day at home in a family-led hotel in Venice. I too learned a lot from grandmother's special approach of taking care of her guests: Never tiring of telling stories about Venice one couldn't find in guidebooks.

Like, inviting her guests for an aperitive (NOT spritz  but you'll discover :-) every evening onto her lush garden terrace overlooking the San Zaccaria monastery and church. 

Soon, guests became fascinated about the stories of Marco Polo, his wife and his family. Where they lived in Venice - and why an ancient story like this would matter to visitors in our days? 

This is the kind of hospitality that made grandmother many regular guests, returning as often as possible to her little hotel in the ancient heart of the city, to enjoy her evening drinks and explore the next chapter on her list. 

Grandmother passed away a short while ago, so we collected these stories and maps of the secret Venice, exotic gardens and luxurious palaces, for you to enjoy and prepare your next trip with very special resources. 

By the end of this online class, you'll be able to make out the complete picture of Venice and Lagoon, while discovering endless possibilities: Everything you need to know as first-time vistor and regular guest, to finally uncover the secrets of this unique place on earth.


VENETIA is a five-step roadmap plus travel resources to help you discover the real Venice as it existed until 1797. This online class is based on grandmother's stories, and on 185 books from her library (the monastery of San Zaccaria), never published before in English.

DISCOVER VENETIA - THE SECRET CITY BEHIND THE SCENES

VENETIA TAKES ABOUT 5 HOURS TO COMPLETE, PLUS AS MUCH EXTRA TIME AS YOU'D LIKE TO DEVOTE TO OUR FIVE ITINERARIES TO DISCOVER EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO VENICE! YOU'LL WALK AWAWY WITH SURPRISING INSIGHTS INTO VENICE AND THE FASCINATING WORLD OF THE LAGOON, NEVER PULISHED BEFORE (!): EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO ABSOLUTELY ENJOY ITS HERITAGE, FOOD, ART AND DESIGN. THIS IS A SELF-PACED JOURNEY WITH LIFE-TIME ACCESS AND SEVERAL UPDATES EVERY YEAR: ENJOY ON YOUR OWN TIME, ON ANY DEVICE (CELLPHONE; TABLET; LAPTOP..).

I want to live in your Venice! You describe the city in such rich and loving detail. Such wonderful information about a Venice we usually don’t see! Thank you for lending me your eyes and your knowledge! - Kathleen Ann González

Your adventure begins ..

The first treasure map shows you exactly how Venice looked like 2000 years ago >> Treasure Map #1 SECRET LAGOON. And why this will matter in the future! 

We'll then take you virtually to San Lorenzo, Marco Polo's neighborhood, and we'll cover the one, really dark chapter in Venetian history, and what her true legacy is in our times.

2 treasure maps to download, keep, and take to Venice. Plus, videos + stories you'll love!

Module Two: In the footsteps of the pioneers: Explorers, merchants, artists

More than 900,000 books are written in Venet (just imagine, how much we DON'T know about Venice!), but what are they all about? Some are official state documents, while so many other books are about making human life better and more beautiful. In Module 2, we take you virtually into the homes of these books, the San Francesco della Vigna Library and the Venetian State Archive. 

We also step into the merchants' realm, and you will discover how the merchants of Venice shaped art and culture in Venice.

 The merchants brought back inspiration and spices to Venice from the Levant (Byzantium, Alexandria, Beirut, Damascus, ...). This brings us to finally discover the surprising story of the Rialto Market (NOT the fish market!).

6 lessons + 1 ebook + video guides

Module Three: Liquid Gardens: Building a home in the Lagoon

The merchants and artisans needed a home base, but what does it take to build homes and grow gardens on salty marshlands and islands in an ever-changing Lagoon? Venice almost wasn't built because of two major problems in a liquid and difficult environment, which slowly were aggravated by the 12th century: Seaquakes that had destroyed entire archipelagos like Malamocco, was just another risk .. 

So, how did the Venetian engineers of the past succeed in preventing the city from drowning in the sea?

You'll discover the success stories, and mistakes, of the past in "The Seven Seas" as we travel virtually to the Ammiana and Santa Cristina archipelago, and you will see why four types of gardens helped preserve life in the Lagoon. And, we'll finally lift the secret of the spice gardens!

6 lessons + 1 ebook + video tours

Module Four: Culinary culture: Food, spices and wine

The Venetian State Archive is home to 43 miles (70 km) of shelves, filled with books written between 516 AD and 1797! We estimate that less than four percent of these books have been explored so far! Amongst them are recipe books (!!) covering medical and beauty food. This was the food eaten in Venice for more than 1000 years, and it was also well-known and loved in Europe. 

Wouldn't that be useful knowledge for our times? Just think of the Venetian spice mixtures famous in Europe for 1,200 years, which went into food, beauty products and natural remedies.

After exploring the world of spices, we'll take you out into the Lagoon to see the vineyards! We'll share tips for you to taste historical recipes and wine in Venice, and you receive a recipe to taste at home :-)

6 lessons + 1 ebook + video guides

As usual, you bring Venice alive for my senses, even from seas away. - Arundhati Basu

Bonuses and little gifts for you!

We've prepared 3 bonuses and 5 little gifts for you to enjoy throughout the class

Bonus 1 - The gardens of San Zaccaria

The story of Venice told in nine chapters: Available in autumn 2021. Normally, this book costs EUR 18 but it comes for free with the Venetia - Venetian Heritage and Culture class. Students will receive the book in the download section.

Bonus 2 - A Special Venice Travel Guide

Returning to Venice after the pandemic: A special 7-day program for you to rediscover the city, and visit the spots and gardens we're covering in this class!

Bonus 3 - Le Spezie di Venezia: Private Community

Free access to our private Community hosted on this page. You will receive weekly updates about Venice and background stories. And you can ask questions and connect with fellow students! We can't wait to meet you there!

What's inside Venetia

See all the details: This is a class for residents, armchair travelers, first-time and frequent visitors.

    1. Welcome Message + How to benefit from this class

    2. Course book and syllabus

    3. Access the Private Community

    4. September 2020: Note for Students

    1. The forgotten world of San Zaccaria

    2. Download the e-book here (from September 2020).

    1. First impressions: How much of Venetia is there in today's Venice?

    2. Living in Venice: 1989 - 2019

    3. Beyond the legend: The unknown origins of Venetia

    4. Venice, the port, and the big ships

    5. 20 snippets of Venetian history you didn't know

    6. Diplomacy and foreign policy: How the ambassadors saved Venice

    7. Le łéngoe vènete: Venessian, and the three official languages of Venice

    8. 12 May 1797: The last day of the Republic

    9. Custodians of Venetian stories: Virtual visit to the State Archive and other libraries in Venice

    1. CREATIVE Venice: Marco Polo's neighborhood

    2. The artisans of Venice

    3. Venice Style Guide: Inspiration and color almanach

    4. Venice Design Guide: Life between mosaics and marble

    5. VENICESTYLED - Design Guide

    1. Rediscovering the unknown sides of Venetian cuisine

    2. Le sette isole di San Francesco: How to grow wine in Venice and the Lagoon

    3. Visit to Drogheria Mascari & spice glossary

    4. Venetian coffee house culture & Caffé Florian

    5. Historical recipe: Venetian coffee (14th century)

    6. Historical recipe: Creamy spice cake (12th century)

    1. The Lagoon of Venice for beginners

    2. The Sunset islands and the rebirth of the Ammiana archipelago

    3. Acqua alta: Why and when does Venice flood

    4. Hortus conclusus: The botanical lifestyle of Venice

    5. Marco Polo and the spice gardens of Venice

About this course

  • €52,00
  • 37 lessons
  • 4 modules and history guides
  • Free updates, unlimited access
  • Lots of surprise gifts inside

La Venessiana has created an exceptional Venetian experience. Her new VENETIA Heritage and Culture Class is filled with intimate knowledge about the culture, language & identity of Venice. It is a brilliant solution that is both sustainable and life enriching. - JoAnn Locktov, Dream of Venice