Venice & The Veneto - Northern & Southern Islands (Chapter)

This is the Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands chapter from Lonely Planet’s Venice & the Veneto guidebook.

Giudecca was an elite garden getaway before it became an industrial outpost; there’s still a women’s prison here alongside spas, art galleries and romantic restaurants. Lido is Venice’s 12km island escape, with sandy beaches, an A-list film festival and Liberty villas. Serious shoppers head to Murano for limited-edition art-glass. Escapists prefer lazy days boating on the lagoon, mooring for seafood feasts on the colourful fishing isle of Burano and glimpses of heaven in Torcello’s golden mosaics.

• Immerse yourself in the bright serenity of two Palladio masterworks – Chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore and Chiesa del SS Redentore
• maps
• Ascend San Giorgio Maggiore’s soaring campanile to gain purchase on the labyrinth that is Venice
• Bask in sun and culinary glory with a feast on the vineyard patio at Venissa
• restaurants & bars
• Rent a bike on the Lido and pedal your way along both the seafront promenade and the island’s pastoral byways

Coverage includes: Neighbourhood Top Five, Explore: Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands, Explore: Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands, Local Life, Getting There & Away, Sights, Eating, Drinking & Nightlife, Entertainment, Sleeping and Shopping.