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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Palazzo Morosini
Palazzo Morosini is a mixed Venetian Gothic and Renaissance palace in the Castello Sestiere which is unfortunately inaccessible to the…
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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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Daghe adosso, Nino!
An Austrian admiral giving orders in Venetian, in a naval battle against Italy, which eventually led to Venice becoming Italian
What others said
René is a historian and if you bring history/political-based questions to the tour, he’ll give you details you might have not found in the books you read. He is full of wonderful stories, as he obviously is passionate about this unique city. We had a private tour, and we’re happy we did it at the beginning of our week-long stay— we were able to look at Venice with a much more informed insight. Thank you, Renè!!?
My fiancé went on this tour and loved it. He loves history so it was a unique and interesting way to spend a few hours. René was courteous and knowledgeable and we would recommend the tour to anyone looking for a different way to learn about the beautiful city of Venice.
René was extremely knowledgeable about the history culture and social and economic conditions of Venice and was able to connect everything to world issues and make Venice a place of historical importance and connection to the whole world. His knowledge of history culture and languages was amazing! He truly has an in-depth and detailed knowledge of his subject. He was able to show us in the Square we visited how these facts connected to the actual place, Venice and give examples of what he talked about. he told us so many things that none of the other guides or tours have included so it was a very unique experience. René also was very kind and thoughtful and enable me as a visually impaired person to touch physical parts of the buildings and give detailed visual descriptions of things I could not see. He was able to answer any questions and moved in a way that was easy to follow. I would recommend his tour to anyone who is interested in knowing more about Venice and its historical place in the world and how the Venetian’s have come to be who they are today.
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.