Keep it alternative!

Avoid tourist hotspots such as St Mark’s Basilica or Piazza San Marco, the city’s main square, and explore the lesser known districts with Alternative Venice tours. ‘The Island of Vignole is referred to by Venetians as our summer resort – you won’t find many tourists on it’, says Rita Sartori who runs Alternative Venice tours. ‘It is an unkempt island, once called the “Island of the Seven vineyards”, for its vegetation and is a popular summer destination with the Venetians of the past and of the present, who still love its rural setting.’