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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Prostitution in Venice
In ancient Venice prostitution was considered a necessary evil, where more harm would come from a ban than from a…
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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
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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…
What others said
René is a great guide, deep into details. Very interesting, you start to pay attention to every part of each building around, a real trip to history. Thank you! Really need much more time to get in touch with the city.
What a tour. We got to see a wealth of small, hidden things which tell so much about the history of Venice. René is very knowledgeable and easy going and shares his deep knowledge of Venice’s history in an informal and pleasant way. We also got a great deal of information about what it is like to live in Venice these days, and Rene took us to a more local area where you get a good deal for lunch. We can highly recommend to book this tour.
Rene has an infinite wealth of information and generously shares his knowledge. He conveys even somewhat dry parts of history in a relatable manner and makes the past come alive. I truly enjoyed the tour and recommend it to anyone interested in learning more of what is beyond of what you see. Rene was very generous with his time and even made sure I got a seat for a good lunch after the tour.
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 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.
Private tours
Private tours are minimum €160 for the group. Otherwise, they’re priced as above.
A private tour can start at a time and place of your choosing.
You only pay for a private tour if you request a private tour.
Meeting place and time
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.