Hidden History in plain sight – unseen Venice

Byzantine art on the walls in Venice

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:

  • Gaetano Zompini and the trades of Venice

    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…

  • Prostitution in Venice

    Prostitution in Venice

    In ancient Venice prostitution was considered a necessary evil, where more harm would come from a ban than from a…

  • Long live the doge

    Long live the doge

    Viva il doge – Long live the doge – the writing on the wall celebrating the election of Andrea Gritto…

What others said

September 21, 2024

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour with Rene. Rene is a highly knowledgeable historian and an excellent storyteller. He gave an engaging and comprehensive account of the history of Venice, expertly using location to support his narrative. He expertly answered a diverse range of questions and engaged adults and children equally well. He was friendly, generous and accommodating. Easy to find the meeting place, and it was clear from the introduction that Rene was interested in what we already knew about Venice in order to adjust the narrative as needed. Honestly – we could not believe our luck to have joined this tour. Excellent value and gave a new dimension to our experience of Venice. Highly recommended.

Karen
Verified
September 21, 2024

Très bonne expérience. René est un fin connaisseur de l’histoire de la ville et sait parfaitement la faire partager en s’appuyant sur des détails architecturaux environnants. Peu de marche, accès facile.

Benjamin
Verified
September 10, 2024

René was an excellent and passionate story teller. Took us back in time with his stories. Goes into a great detail about the Venetian and world history. Highly recommend this experience.

Akshay
Verified

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.