Dorsoduro: The Sestiere Venetians Keep

The neighborhood Venetians claim when arguing Venice is still a living city. Southern edge facing the Giudecca Canal. Campo Santa Margherita: the piazza tourists rarely find, filled every evening by university students. Bars, gelaterias, the hum of a public square that works as a living room.

Gallerie dell'Accademia: definitive Venetian painting — Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection around the corner: Picasso, Pollock, Ernst in Peggy's unfinished palazzo on the Grand Canal. Walk the Zattere promenade along the Giudecca Canal at sunset. The wide fondamenta catches last light. Gelato at Nico — the gianduiotto (gianduja ice cream drowned in whipped cream) is the unofficial reward.