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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Venice

33 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Venice, Italy

Updated February 16, 2023

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Stories About Venice

This 22-foot-long, papier-mâché rat known as Pantegana helps to kick off Carnival. For centuries, rats were blamed for carrying diseases to port cities, making the rodent an unlikely emblem for Venice, but Pantegana is beloved in the city where rats, which can be surprisingly strong swimmers, are one of the city’s most plentiful, non-human residents.

In Venice, Carnival Is a Visual Feast of 18th-Century Splendor

Every February, millions of people flock to Venice for Carnival, but few know the festival’s true origins.
by Sarah Durn
This 1833 painting by Alexandre Hesse in the Louvre in Paris depicts the funeral rites of the painter Titian after his death from plague.

Venice Is Almost One Big Plague Graveyard

A city built on water was always going to struggle with burials—especially when a deadly pandemic came to town.
by Vittoria Traverso
Paolo Olbi in his workshop in the 17th- and 18th-century Palazzo Ca’ Zenobio in Venice.

Keeping the Centuries-Old Tradition of Venetian Bookbinding Alive

Inspired by a 15th-century editor, Paolo Olbi pushes to keep this from being the last chapter.
by Vittoria Traverso
The volunteers of Laguna nel Bicchiere tend to their vines.

The Winemakers Bringing Viticulture Back to Venice

In the unlikely lagoon environment, long-lost grapes grow once again.
by Eric Millman

How World War I Turned Soldiers Into Tourists

A new exhibit reveals the wondrous sights service members found away from the trenches.
by April White
The graffiti of the bastazi includes recounting of historic events.

A Secret History of Venice Is Written on the Walls of Its Quarantine Stations

A look inside the Mediterranean trading power, courtesy of its hard-working 16th-century porters.
by Federico Formica
In November 2019, water breached the basilica.

How Can a Basilica Stay Dry Amid Venice's Rising Waters?

The race is on to save St. Mark's—and its marble—from damaging, salty floodwaters.
by Rebecca Ann Hughes
An aerial view of the lagoon of Venice.

The Black Death in Venice and the Dawn of Quarantine

Archaeological research is unearthing how the Italian city created a vast public health response 700 years ago.
by Sara Toth Stub

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