Anywhere you look, hidden history stares back at you.
An inconspicuous sign on a wall tells a story about long forgotten crafts and social welfare in the 15th century. Ancient graffiti under a portico reminds us how public transport worked in the 18th and 19th centuries. An oddly placed altar shows how faith was used to fight crime. History is all over.
The humblest of little signs on a wall hides a story worth being retold.
Even a short walk down the calli with a knowledgeable guide can teach you as much as a shelf full of guidebooks.
The Hidden History tour
I will meet you at your hotel, or at the restaurant where you’ve had lunch, or wherever it suits you in Venice, and we’ll walk around the city together, searching for messages from the past.
This is not a tour of great monuments and famous places. That’s all in the guidebooks, and you won’t need to for that. Rather, it is a search for all those little messages past Venetians have left around the city, that we don’t see even if they’re just in front of us.
We’ll talk about how social welfare worked in the renaissance, about the ancient links between Venice and the Byzantine Empire, about the Venetian trade on the Levant, and much, much more.
The hidden history is in front of our eyes, but we don’t always see it.
These articles cover some of the subjects we might cover on a hidden history walk:
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Gaetano Zompini and the trades of Venice
The “Arti che vanno per via nella città di Venezia”, by Gaetano Zompini, is a fantastic source for how people…
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Long live the doge
Viva il doge – Long live the doge – the writing on the wall celebrating the election of Andrea Gritto…
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Differentiated rubbish collection in Venice
Venice had an organised system of differentiated garbage collections from the 1400s, to keep the city clean and the canals…
What others said
This tour with Renè was fascinating and he shared so much information about Venice. We are really happy we went!!! Katherine and crew
Rene has incredible knowledge and enthusiasm. This was a unique tour because of all the details Rene notices and because we spent less time walking than talking in the square of the meeting place. We were discovering the history of Venice just being in the square and covering the bridge/ the church/ the school/ the statue/ the nearby cemetery which are within 100m of each other. He knows so much that he can easily create a custom experience. His tour was two hours but we talked even more than that as he walked us to our next destination. Highly recommend for lovers of history and unique details.
I took 4 hours tour with René in Venice. He was really knowledgeable about the history and gave me great overview of the city. Myself I am interested in history and I want to understand it, so time with René was very helpful because I got clear picture of what was going on. I highly recommend tour with René for people, who like logical view of history and who want to understand, not only hear random facts.
Prices and booking
The hidden history walking tour can be two or more hours. The more time we spend together, the more we’ll see and explore.
Group tours
Groups can be from two to eight persons, so everybody can see and hear everything. The tour lasts 2-2½ hours.
The price for group tours is €30/person for the first two hours, and €10/person for each additional hour.
Children under five can come for free, and children fourteen or younger for €10.
Group tours usually start in Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, either at 10am or 2pm.
Please note that I don’t do these tours every day, so if you want to come, please drop me a message, preferably at least the day before.
Private tours
A private tour can start at a time and place of your choosing, and we can concentrate on whatever subjects you want.
A two-hour private tour is minimum €160 for the group, or €30/person. Longer tours are charged at €50, or €10/person, for each additional hour.
You can use this link to book a private tour directly in my calendar. You’ll get a confirmation email, and I will be notified immediately when you click the link in that email.
Meeting place and time
Group tours usually start in the Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo in central Venice.