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:
What others said
Perfect tour for anyone wanting a crash course in Venitian history! I’m a history buff and Rene was exceptionally knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about Venice and its role in the world, past and present. Took us through the arc of the Venetian state from the Roman Empire to modern society, and then dove deeper into subjects like architecture, trade, war, politics, and everyday life in Venice. He had an answer to every question – and usually a funny anecdote to go along with it. Highly recommend!
René è molto appassionato e ci ha lasciato arricchiti di nuove nozioni ed entusiasmo! Non guarderemo più Venezia con gli stessi occhi !
We did this tour on our first morning in Venice and I highly recommend that. You’ll be ready with so much more awareness of what there is to see here. René, an historian, explains about how to really see all that is there to see in Venice. “Hidden Venice”, but hidden in a way that is often surprising and fascinating. There were a number of times over our 5 days in Venice that we said “oh look, that’s what René told us about!” This tour will add depth to your delight of this magical city.
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.
Groups can be from two to eight persons, so everybody can see and hear everything.
The price 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.
Private tours are minimum €160 for the group. Otherwise, separate bookings might be grouped together.
I regularly do Hidden History walks starting at 10am in Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo, and if this will work for you, drop me a message.
If you’re looking for some other time or place, use this link to book an appointment directly into my calendar, and I’ll come back to you as soon as possible.