René taught me more than I was ever expecting to learn from this experience. It was nice that he catered the history of Venice and Italy to how it impact the history of the culture I’m from. I would highly recommend this.

Very knowledgeable and interesting facts

René was kind and attentive and has a good knowledge of Venetian history. We were, however, looking forward to moving around and to exploring the city at the same time we observed meaningful details and learnt their meaning as we walked around. Conversely, the host spent one hour and a half just in one location (Campo di San Giovanni and San Paolo), which was illustrative but we were not expecting to spend one hour and a half out of two hours standing on our feet just in this very one limited location. I was accompanied by an elderly person who ask to sit down at one point and René kindly agreed but the idea of a walking tour of discovery did not correspond at all with the experience we actually had. As a historian working at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice I know many good books that covered a similar information and we could have used these 2-hour tour to move around and actually discover new angles or new museums in Venice. We lost a whole morning of our trip. In conclusion, one hour and a half stading on our feet and staying in one single space learning from facts we could have read about by ourselves did not at all cover our experience expectations despite the kindness of the host.

You don’t initially walk far on this tour as the history is surrounding us. Rene was extremely informative and we enjoyed his tour.

Wir haben viel über die Geschichte Venedigs gelernt. René hat einen unendlichen Wissensfundus über Venedig und die Geschichte Europas. Er hat uns auf viele Details aufmerksam gemacht.

Very knowledgeable from broad strokes of history to tiny details that are not in the guide books.

Thank you, Rene’ for sharing your enthusiasm and expertise! You gave us a great history lesson that made our trip so much more meaningful. The life of the city has had so much turmoil and yet so much good. Rene’ was very accommodating clients and answering questions. He was engaging and easy to follow. His stories grabbed your attention. I recommend his tour for learning about the history of the development of the Venetian Culture, the development of the city, and the many historical figures that made it what it is today. We found many secrets of Venice in our tour. It was fun!

Excellente excursion avec plein de détails.

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.

Meeting with Rene is a complete learning experience. He has the knowledge of a university professor with the friendliness of a grad student. We spent the two hours going beyond cute stories from past – and really exploring some of the complexities of Venetian history. In the end this is much better than the typical rote recital of some common history. Probably not for kids, unless they are high school history nerds.

I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand aspects of the city outside the purely tourist circuits. Rene has an extensive knowledge of the city, its construction and secrets that escape most eyes.

Interesting anecdotes and small details that escape the eye. Lots of historical background information on why things are the way they are. we booked a 2 hour tour but ended up spending 3.5 hours together sitting in a small non tourist baccaro drinking and eating.

Excellent tour guide! We didn’t walk much but more importantly, Rene’s insights helped me perceive more of Venice.

We’re very lucky to have René to tell us stories and history about Venice, he is extremely knowledgeable and friendly in person. He could tell us details of one building in terms of it’s history, design and how it was built. Amazing!

We love this tour! He was so knowledgeable and passionate about Venice and his enthusiasm and knowledge were superior. He even kept us in the shade on a very hot day 🙂 if you love history, or Venice, or you are just interested in learning more about what you are seeing and experiencing there we recommend this to her 100%!

This is an awesome tour to start understanding the historical importance of Venice and can explain every little detail that you may ask. I completely recommend the tour for anyone that wants to know Venice for what’s beneath the lovely sights

Amazing storytelling!

Rene was an amazing tour guide. Unlike a lot of experiences like this, it was clear he had an abiding and ongoing curiosity in the history around us so that he likely continues the learning regularly. You could tell it wasn’t he packaged stories shared with all tourists. He even related the Venetian republic to American history which was fascinating. In addition, we asked questions that were likely uncommon and he answered them in great detail. These things brought the full tour into context and made for an incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone. In fact the tour went longer than planned and we would have enjoyed spending the whole day learning from him but had to get to an appointment. Would recommend Rene and this tour without reservation.

Un moment formidable pour comprendre la ville et son histoire. René est un guide passionné et très agréable. Il s’est complètement adapté à nous. Les enfants ont beaucoup apprécié également. Nous recommandons complètement.

René told us so much about the history of Venice with many interesting details and he could answer all our questions. We enjoyed it a lot!

We learned so much about Venice and its history, plus Rene could answer all our questions about the city or events that happened.

It’s the perfect tour to get to know the history of the city, and in a small group. Rene was a wonderful, knowledgeable guide. Answered all our questions and we enjoyed every minute of it. Would def recommend.

Our tour with Rene was fascinating, we chose it because we wanted to avoid the most touristy areas and really learn about the history of Venice. The tour with Rene did not disappoint, think of it as looking at Venice with a macro lens focusing on minute details. Rene will explain, how Venice develop led and changed throughout history, changes to canals and bridges as well as governance and wealth. He offered unique perspectives we did. It receive on other tours we did in Venice. As we were first time visitors to Venice we also did a “wide angle” tour of the touristy highlights. To even remotely understand the city, I recommend both.

René’s tour will change the way you look at Venice – he showed us a lot of small details that you can only understand once you know the history that he shares. He was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge and willing to answer questions in great detail. Definitely different than the typical walking tour – we didn’t go very far but got to do a deep dive into the smaller details that you can’t see without someone knowledgeable to point them out to you!

Rene has a wealth of knowledge and clearly enjoys sharing the historical significance of Venice. For us, the pacing was a bit slow and the “hidden” aspects weren’t as interesting as the history itself, which was the best part of the tour and quite interesting.

Rene is a historian who modified the information based on where we are from. We enjoyed our time together and felt like we learned a lot.

We would point at a building, statues, etc and would receive an extremely detailed answer. We were very impressed with the level of detail and knowledge shared by Rene. As we are American, he also tied in America’s connection to Venice’s political processes. We also appreciate that Rene was always positioning us in shade (it was a very hot day!)

He’s very knowledgeable about writings and various other hidden clues to the city. He’s passionate about Venice and will continue the tour if you have additional questions. I’d recommend his tour to friends.

Totally recommended.

Great! Taught us about things right before our eyes that we would never have seen. Left with a great sense of how the city’s history plays out in its streets and architecture

We hadden iets meer willen zien van Venetië dan die ene paar straten Maar wel veel gehoord! René weer heel veel en leuke details die hij ons heeft laten zien!

Rene was wonderful! He knows so much about so many aspects of the city. He was very generous with his time and I wish I could’ve stayed even longer!

He has found and understands so much of the hidden things of the area. I was in a group of three and we took all the time with meaning lesson and sights.

René is deeply knowledgeable and tells the story of the place in a way that is based on the specific details around him, rather than as a chronology. I was blown away by how much history there was in just one public square. I highly recommend this tour.”

This tour was a great start to our stay in Venice. We learned a lot about the history of how Venice was ruled through the centuries which gave us greater insight into the city itself. Plus who knew there was ancient graffiti in St Marks Square!

Super interesting walking tour of Venice with a small group. Rene knows his subject like no other tour guide we have ever come across. University level knowledge of history of Venice, mixed with some specific insights into the hidden history. It is not a tour of all Venice rather a detailed insight of a very specific area. The “professor” is a unique somewhat intellectual experience.

Great value! Rene was wonderful and very imformative!

Renee was very knowledgeable about the history of Venice. He asked us where we were from and that was his point of reference for the history and relationship we have with Venice. My history buff family loved the tour! This tour is for people that want to know about real history, not the water down version. I felt like we were in University learning from a professor!!”

Super knowledgeable guide with a totally underrated tour of the city!

The most knowledgable historian in Venice! I had a great time walking around the squares with Rene, he is incredibly insightful and was able to show me a side to Venice very few get to see.

Really nice walk in the neighborhood where I normally stay that let me appreciate the details of the city so much more. I learned a lot!”

It was fun seeing Venice through the eyes of such a passionate historian. René basically knows a story to every street corner and points out things you could’ve easily overlooked 😉 Thank you! We recommend!

We really enjoyed the tour. Rene was very passionate and knew a lot about the history of Venice. He pointed out so many interesting facts which we had missed before when just walking through the streets on our own. Well worth it.

Rene was very knowledgeable about the history of Venice and I learnt a great deal. I was the only person on the tour and he was very generous with his time.

René’s tour was amazing! As a historian, he has a huge depth of knowledge of the history of the city, and showed us the incredible evolution of the architecture and layout of the city over the centuries. He was super open to our questions and filled in a lot of gaps of our understanding of the city. If you were ever curious about anything regarding Venice, book this experience!

Rene is incredibly knowledgeable. His stories made the city come to life. We learned so much and feel like we can now walk the streets of Venice with a deeper insight and appreciation.

If you are interested in history, and the reasons for special historical events and relations between architecture and society, he is the right guide! We really enjoyed the tour!

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. He knows everything.