Venice may be one of the most alluring cities in the world, but a lot of people who have it at the top of their travel bucket lists are focused almost wholly on the canals. This is fair enough, in a sense. The canals that crisscross this city are what make it so unique, and they lend a sort of otherworldly atmosphere to the city that no individual landmark or attraction can match. Even so, if you actually travel to Venice you’ll need a few more things on your to-do list than just seeing the canals and perhaps taking one of the famous gondola rides.
Ponte di Rialto
Ponte di Rialto is one of the most interesting bridges in Europe, if not the world. Spanning the Grand Canal of Venice, it was originally a smaller wooden structure for several centuries, before collapsing and being rebuilt as a beautiful stone structure in the 16th century. Supposedly the original was built in 1181, meaning the modern attraction – a sturdy bridge for pedestrians and a major tourist attraction – is nearly 900 years old. Ponte di Rialto is wonderful to see from the water if you’re out on a boat, but walking across it is also a cool experience.
St. Mark’s Basilica
The most famous building in Venice, St. Mark’s Basilica is even older than the original Ponte di Rialto, having been built in 1092. Just as a reference point for Western tourists, that’s five years after the death of William the Conqueror, whom we tend to think of as a fairly ancient figure. The Basilica is one of the best examples of authentic Byzantine architecture in Italy (or really all of Europe), and even if you’re not one to decipher an individual era of art or architecture it’s a stunning building to behold – more or less a museum in and of itself.
Every Italian in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania at large knows about the 
