Venice

EVERY place has its special hour, sunrise or sunset. With Venice, it's a dazzling 24-hour feast for the eyes and heart. And love at first sight.

Built on a lagoon, Venice is similar to a group of small islands linked by more than 400 bridges which have to be crossed to get around. Essentially a walker's city, with many steps. Pack the walking shoes as there will be lots of leg work.

Wherever you look you will be stunned by the mixture of architectural styles. Ancient and lovely buildings painted in pinks and ochres have a faded grandeur, often with peeling plaster and worn paint.

Magnificent palaces, museums and churches fill fine squares and edge the waterfront, where the water laps in close and only boats can reach the doorways.

A tangle of narrow alleyways and cobbled streets form the city's arteries and little has changed in centuries, except to update the plumbing.

A Gondola ride, the unique and tempting Venice experience, now dubbed the "golden hour" because of its price, is a great lure and on a warm, summer's night highly romantic.

If you find a singing Gondolier, all the better, but he will cost more.

Vaporettos, "water buses", come cheaper and a ride through the Grand Canal which runs like the high street through Venice, gives a stunning overview of the city with its fabulous buildings.

Around 200 palaces and huge mansions line the Grand Canal.

People spend hours riding back and forth on this route, just because it is so riveting. When you've done this a couple of times, stop off at random stations and explore, then take your morning Cappuccino in a different square every day.

The Piazza San Marco, the grandest and biggest square in the city is the place everyone makes for with the stunning St Mark's Cathedral, Ducal Palaces and Colonnades with elegant shops.

Always thronging with people and friendly pigeons, the 300 feet high Campanile Bell Tower is a great draw with its lift to whisk you to the top, for the best bird's eye view of the city. From then on you enjoy the pleasure of being there, wandering at will to museums, churches and galleries without getting culture over kill.

In smaller back streets you can find cheaper pizza and pasta cafes, or buy a takeaway pizza to eat on the run.

The Dorsoduro area, famous for its current artists such as Roberto Ferruzzi, boasts the accademia Museum housing five centuries of Venetian art with works by Veronese, Giorgione and Bellini.

This famous city does get over run with tourists, so it's best to go early or later in the year.

Fact File: Sylvia travelled with Magic of Italy, and stayed in an apartment. Tel: 020 8939 5453. Flights with Alitalia. Tel: 020 8745 8280.

Reading: Berlitz, Venice, pocket guide; Italy, Insight Guide; Italy, Rough Guide; Italy, Cadogan Guide. Italian State Tourist Office. Tel: 020 7408 1254

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