Capturing Italy: Photography Tour of Venice & Po Delta

In the morning, the city returns to vibrant life both on the water and along the streets. The Rialto Market fills with fresh fish and radiant produce as the aroma of rich espresso lingers in the streets, emanating from the cafes that hide inside the antique buildings. After breakfast, your guide will lead you on a full day tour to capture Venice in the perfect light. The sunlight spreads across the marbled palaces and washes over the surface of the canals as private docks have plinths painted the red and white of candy canes. First, you will visit the Rialto Bridge, the remarkable 16th-century marble structure that arches over the Grand Canal.

The bridge was once the only walkway over the canal until the 19th century as silversmiths and mask shops open their doors beneath the elegant arcade. In a single photo, you can capture the past and the present, with the bridge that frames the excitement of visitors from far off places. The market tells a different story of Venice as fish vendors pile their fresh catches of mussels and even marlin atop mounds of ice as patrons search the produce stands for the perfect baby artichokes.

You will want to capture photos of both the vendors and the visitors as you know that they will each tell different stories of the city. You will reach the historical heart of Venice at St. Mark’s Square, a piazza that once stood as the civic, social, and religious center. The Basilica stands at the top of the piazza like a golden crown, shimmering in the sunlight. Frescoes adorn the façade and accentuate the gilded décor as the bulbous domes add Byzantine character to the 9th-century edifice. The interior features more than 45,635 square feet of gold mosaics that depict the saints and the biblical tales, making each shot you take a real treasure.

The elaborate history of Venice, along with its unparalleled beauty, stirs unbridled emotions in both visitors and locals alike. Today your guide will meet you in the hotel lobby eager to show you the quiet celebrations of the city and the secluded charms of the streets as you visit the local neighborhoods around the maze-like streets. Castello was formed during the 13th century and remains one of the most authentic districts of the city. Old women open their windows and gossip with their neighbors as the neighborhood children kick soccer balls against the walls that border the piazza.

The morning light will wash over the top of the Santi Giovanni e Paolo Basilica, which was erected in the 15th century. The red brick edifice features a quintessential Italian Gothic style seen widely across Venice. The interior contains hints of frankincense and myrrh as the arched windows allow natural light into the nave to highlight the frescoes and the Byzantine statue that is situated along the south aisle. Your guide will point to the tombs and monuments of Venice’s past doges, numbering 25 in total, dating back to Jacopo Tiepolo, who passed in the year 1249.

The unique setting offers a balance of monuments and local life in the city on the lagoon. After discovering the hidden neighborhoods around the networking islands of Venice, you will continue to explore the wines and small plates of the bacari, often referred to as Venetian wine bars. In the Castello district, you will find locals filling a small interior with a courtyard outside. They will call out to the server and order a collection of traditional little dishes to accompany their wines, such as spaghetti with clams and vegetable soup. This culinary tradition offers another glimpse of past and present life that have merged into one distinct Venetian way of life.

In the morning, you will sit at breakfast in a traditional Italian way to start your day as you nibble on a sweet and flaky brioche with a side of rich espresso. Venture out of Venice with your guide on a private boat to take you to the northern edge of the lagoon to the island of Murano. The doge in the 13th century decreed all kilns used in glassblowing should move to the island over fears of fires consuming the city.

The glassblowing trade was once coveted by Venice, using techniques unseen or unheard of by the outside world. Artists gained prominence and prestige, in some cases growing to the status of nobility. The island has a canal known as Rio dei Vetrai, running through its center. Colorful homes and radiant fishing boats line the simple waterway. Follow your guide to Campo Santo Stefano where a sculpture of blue glass resembling a sea anemone stands beneath rising bell tower and you can capture a photo of the colors caused by the sunlight piercing the glass points.

You can’t help but keep your camera ready as you wander along the streets to capture the history of the island and how it has informed contemporary life. You will step into a workshop for a glassblowing demonstration as heat fills the concrete room. The kiln door opens to glowing heat as the artist will take a large pole out of the kiln to shape the glass situated at the pole’s end. The artist will continuously heat the glass before shaping it, pressing a thick cloth into the hot surface until receiving the desired effect.

Today you will step out of your hotel and set out for the neighborhood of Lido. Its history as the first beach resort in Europe emanates from the Art Nouveau facades of the remaining hotels. The water laps at the edges of the golden sand beach with quiet grace, and you will have a different view of the lagoon today as you mount your bicycle and glide along the footpaths that line the coast. You will then board the ferry to the neighboring island of Pellestrina to ride alongside the levees that keep the Adriatic Sea from washing into the lagoon along the thin landscape.

Another short ferry ride brings you to Chioggia, a traditional fishing town rising out of cobblestone streets. The town was originally a defensive settlement founded first by Etruscans until overtaken by Romans. Fishing boats wade in the water beside the stone walkways. Stone lions frame the white marble bridge crossing Piazzetta Vigo. The Church of San Domenico contains Vittore Carpaccio’s last recorded painting, St. Paul. The 16th-century work is considered to treasures of Chioggia, depicting the saintly figure holding a sword and a book while wearing a glowing orange robe.

Upon your return to Venice, you will visit the Squero San Trovaso, home to the gondola workshops of the city. Craftsmen have passed down the trade from father to son for generations after the boatyard first opened in the 17th century and continue today. The images that you will capture of the men crafting the iconic boats of Venice embody the beauty of the city, its history, and the work it took to create such an exquisite network of roads and palaces that span the Venetian Republic.

Today you will leave the prodigious canals and gondolas of Venice behind and make your way by private transfer to the town of Rovigo. Mountains border the streets and nature casts a captivating spell alongside the remarkable history. The town rises out of the marshlands between to Po and Adige rivers, located on the banks of the Adigetto Canal and the settlement dates back to the 9th century, with fortifications arising around the 10th century. Two leaning towers date back to the Middle Ages, including Torre Dona, one of the tallest medieval towers in Italy.

The charm of the Rovigo rises out of the quiet streets and from the history often overlooked. The Church of Madonna del Soccorso was erected in the late 16th century and features a stunning image of the Madonna and child. Frescoes drape the interior wall in color with biblical allegory painted by Venetian provincial artists. Wandering around town offers you the feeling of life unchanged, an authentic experience of Italian culture outside of the bustling streets and photographed monuments of Venice. You will venture to Accademia dei Concordi, a 16th-century palace now housing a library and museum. Galleries exhibit works between the 15th and 18th centuries crafted by masters of Venetian and Ferrarese schools. You will capture a photo of work by Battista Piazzetta, but you also know that the mental image of the painting will always be far more vibrant.

Mornings in Rovigo retain a quiet introspection as cafes open with a more serene fluidity. The breeze carries the scent of pastries out of the bakeries and onto the cobblestone streets. Your guide will meet you after breakfast and lead you into the Regional Natural Park along the Po River Delta. The mountains fade behind the horizon as you approach the unique landscape that contains spits of land, river branches, islets, and cane fields. Your guide will explain the variety of reasons why the photography of nature differs from the photography of monuments, one of which is patience. More than 370 different ornithological species create an oasis for photographers and birdwatchers, including red and gray herons.

Rice fields rustle in the breeze, and an endless amount of reeds undulate against the marshy banks. Your guide will lead you to a spot along the lagoon where Greater flamingos roost in the water. Their pink plumage gives way to the blank fringe of their wings which at full extension reach a span of five and a half feet. The flock raises an average of 2,000 new chicks each year. The splendor of Italy’s natural environment welcomes you with images of large dragonflies, fluttering butterflies, and spoonbills digging their beaks into the water in search of fish. Freshwater eels hid beneath rocks and sand. In the absence of markets and cafes, you can hear the birds chirping as they call out to one another above the whistling reeds.

The sounds of Venice in the morning have become familiar, and the birdsongs of the Po River Delta have become a memory, encapsulated in the radiant plumage of the avifauna you captured on camera, from flamingos to tawny owls. The streets of Venice fill with locals set against the stone structures chatting and reading newspapers in the hidden squares of the city. Elegant architecture replaces nature’s splendor as the refreshing scent of espresso returns with the sunlight. Sip a rich cup of your own before you meet your private transfer in the hotel lobby. You will make your way to Marco Polo Airport for your flight home and take with you a full picture of history, nature, and culture radiating from Veneto and the Po River Delta.