Many guides and guidebooks can answer a lot of the ‘what’ questions about Venice, but very few can answer the harder ‘why’ questions. With these history walks in Venice, I try to explain why Venice is the way it is.
The over two hundred long form articles, lists and more than a hundred source translations on this site — and the newsletters and podcast episodes from Venetian Stories — should give an idea of the breadth and depth of the possible subjects for discussion during our walks.
All activities are bespoke, centred on what interests you about Venice and its history. I only do tours in small groups, to leave time and space for questions and interactions. There are no microphones or ear buds. The tours should be a dialogue, not a monologue; a conversation, not a speech.
My name is René Seindal, and I’m a Danish historian, living in Venice for almost two decades with my Venetian family. I am an authorised tour leader (accompagnatore turistico) in English, Italian and Danish. I’m also a guide on the Lazzaretto Nuovo island.
The tours are not as such targeted for children, but kids are very welcome, and I will do my best.
What others said
A memorable experience!
I have been a fan of René’s blog for a while now, so when I decided to visit Venice to do research for an upcoming book of mine set in 1817, I had to book him for a private tour/visit. I am so grateful that I did. René was incredibly informative about the history of Venice, allowing me a peek into the Republic’s past that will enrich my novel in countless ways. It was also nice to talk to him on the first day of the visit, because it complemented the other tours perfectly. Even if you aren’t writing a book that includes the history of Venice, I strongly urge anyone visiting this amazing and magical place to try to book René for their adventure. You won’t regret it!
Interesting and insightful!
We really enjoyed our tour with René. What stood out most was the flexible and conversational nature of it, combined with René’s remarkable knowledge of Venice’s history. He took his time answering our many follow-up questions about the city’s past, politics, and architecture. He also showed us fascinating details and places of historical significance that we would have completely missed on our own.
We appreciated being able to ask questions that had come up during our individual museum visits, and René provided thoughtful, engaging context based on his broad archival knowledge.
This was a very different experience from a traditional walking tour. Instead of covering many parts of the city, we focused on rich details around the square where we met, while also discussing the broader history of Venice. It was both insightful and personal, and we highly recommend it!
★★★★★ Sunshine in the rain — Tim
★★★★★ Best experience of our Venice stay! — April
★★★★★ A must do in Venice — IV
★★★★★ An engaging and passionate storyteller with an extraordinary depth of knowledge — Helen
★★★★★ Excellent insights into Venetian history — Tom
★★★★★ Wonderful, Informative and Enjoyable — Erica
★★★★★ A history master class — Alberto
★★★★★ We were riveted by the tour — Alicia
★★★★★ Simply brilliant — John
★★★★★ Thanks for a great few hours! Learned so much 🙂 — Amy
★★★★★ WOW, Rene is an amazing storyteller, historian and a scholar — Noy
★★★★★ Rene beats all other guides here 10 to 1 — Anna
★★★★★ Book this experience, you’ll thank me later! — Michael
★★★★★ I would totally recommend this experience!! 👌👍 — Amrita
★★★★☆ We loved the information so much — Katherine
★★★★★ Rene is incredibly knowledgeable — Jörg
Venetian Stories
Podcast
The Venetian Stories podcast is about the history of Venice. It is not a chronological narrative, but independent episodes, each 25–30 minutes.
Recent episodes:
Newsletter
The Venetian Stories newsletter is a sibling of the podcast, but not a twin. The newsletters might, or might not, treat the same subject.
Recent newsletters:
Writings on the
History of Venice
Between blog posts, long form articles, various lists, and translations from the Curiosità Veneziane and others reference works, there are over three hundred in-depth articles on this site.
Alternatively, consult the unified list of all the articles, or browse by names of persons or institutions, by location, through the glossary, or even by works referenced.
Recent writings
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Diuersarum nationum habitus (1589) — Pietro Bertelli
The “Diuersarum nationum habitus” by Pietro Bertllii is a collection of prints of how the people of the world dress, especially the Venetians.
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Chastity hair, with horns
A rather curious Venetian fashion, with the curls set high, as a pair of horns, and as a sign of chastity and virtue.
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Sewage in Venice
One of the most common questions I get on my walking tours, is about sewage. Where does it go? Are the canals open sewers? What about Katharine Hepburn?
In-depth article series
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Le Arti che vanno per via (1753) — Gaetano Zompini
The “Arti che vanno per via nella città di Venezia”, by Gaetano Zompini, is a fantastic source for how people appeared on the streets of Venice in the mid-1700s.
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Venice treacle
Venice treacle, or theriac, was an ancient wonder medicine, an antidote for most poisons and a cure for most ailments, including the plague.
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The Venetian Lazzaretti
The lazzaretti in Venice were the Venetian republic’s response to the emergency of the plague, and an efficient response too.
Most popular articles
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Ca’ Dario
The Ca’ Dario on the Grand Canal in Venice has lately acquired a bad reputation, but it is almost guaranteed ghost-less.
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A Chronology of the Black Plague in Venice
The black plague ravaged Venice for centuries, from the mid 1300s to the late 1700s. This is a chronology of some of the most important events.
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Old maps of Venice
Old maps are an important source for our understanding of how Venice looked and functioned in the past
Recent translated sources
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La processione del Venerdì Santo — The procession of Holy Friday — Gabriel Bella
“La processione del Venerdì Santo” (The procession of Holy Friday) by Gabriel Bella.
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Scuola della Passione — School of the Passion — Grevembroch 2-62
“Scuola della Passione” (School of the Passion) from the Gli abiti de veneziani (1754) by Giovanni Grevembroch, translated by René Seindal.
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Scuola della Passione — School of the Passion — Venetia Descritta (1581)
“Scuola della Passione” (School of the Passion) from the “Venetia, citta nobilissima et singolare” (1581) by Francesco Sansovino, translated by René Seindal.
Free E-book download
An unreasonably short history of Venice is — surprise — an unreasonably short history of Venice, from the bitter start to the bitter end. In fact, it is so short, it can be read in a couple of hours, on the flight or in the airport. Seven chapters, each of around 3000 words, tell the History of Venice as succinctly as possible.
Read it online on the History of Venice web-site, or download the PDF or the e-book for your off-line reading pleasure. There is also a TL;DR version available online.
Looking for something?
Write a few words below and search through all the writings on the site …
A list of some of the sources and publications used to prepare this site.
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