Since 1516
Jewish Ghetto & Cannaregio
The history of the Venice Ghetto and the everyday life of Cannaregio, to Tintoretto's church.
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Private tour · Venice for readers
Literary Venice Private Tour: from Shakespeare to Hemingway
A literary tour of Venice, Italy of about 2.5–3 hours: walk the places linked to Shakespeare, Casanova, Byron, Ruskin, Henry James, Thomas Mann and Hemingway, with short readings where the stories happened.
- Licensed guide no. 05000058
- Guiding since 2008
- Private tours only
- EN · IT · FR
In short
What is the literary tour of Venice?
The literary tour of Venice is a private walk of about 2.5–3 hours that links the city's streets, palaces and canals to the writers who described them, from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice to Hemingway's Across the River and into the Trees. Licensed guide Daniela Zarpellon leads you, in English, Italian or French, from the Rialto to San Marco, with short readings in the places themselves. It suits book lovers, students, teachers and returning visitors, and no previous reading is needed. Request a free quote: you receive a reply within 24 hours.
Key facts
The tour at a glance
- Duration
- About 2.5–3 hours; can be shortened or extended
- Meeting point
- Agreed when booking
- Languages
- English, Italian, French
- Ideal for
- Book lovers, students and teachers, couples, returning visitors
- Tickets
- Not included – we tell you which tickets to book and when; you book them directly
- Quote
- Tailor-made, free, reply within 24 hours
Why have so many writers chosen Venice?
Few cities have been written about as much as Venice. For Shakespeare, who as far as we know never came here, it was the great merchant republic: a place of trade, law and strangers, where a Jewish moneylender and a Moorish general could stand at the center of a drama. For the Romantics it became the city of decline and melancholy. Byron arrived in 1816, and his lines in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage helped make the Bridge of Sighs famous across Europe.
Victorian and American writers came next. John Ruskin studied the Doge's Palace and the Gothic palaces of the city for The Stones of Venice (1851–1853). Henry James finished The Aspern Papers (1888) at Palazzo Barbaro on the Grand Canal. Thomas Mann set Death in Venice (1912) on the Lido, and Hemingway spent time on Torcello in 1948, writing parts of Across the River and into the Trees (1950).
This custom, personalized walk reads these books against the real city. Daniela, who studied foreign languages and literatures (English) at the University of Verona, chooses short passages to read aloud where they belong, and adapts the route to the authors you care about most: a bespoke, tailor-made tour for people who travel with a book in their bag.
The route
Literary Venice, stop by stop
A possible itinerary from the Rialto to San Marco. The order and the authors change with your interests; we can focus on a single writer if you prefer.
Rialto: Shakespeare's merchant city
The Rialto was the business heart of the Republic, and The Merchant of Venice returns to it again and again. Here we talk about Antonio, Shylock and the real laws of a trading city, and how the play is linked to the Ghetto, created in 1516.
Campo San Samuele and Calle Malipiero: Casanova
Giacomo Casanova was born on 2 April 1725 in the Calle della Commedia, today Calle Malipiero. Close by stands Palazzo Malipiero, where the teenage Casanova began his social life as a protégé of Senator Alvise Malipiero, until he was thrown out.
The Palazzi Mocenigo: Byron on the Grand Canal
From 1818 Lord Byron lived in the Palazzi Mocenigo on the Grand Canal. We recall his Venetian years, his study of Armenian with the monks of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, and the poetry he wrote here.
Ponte dell'Accademia and Palazzo Barbaro: Henry James
From the bridge you see Palazzo Barbaro, home of the American Curtis family and a meeting place for Henry James, John Singer Sargent and Robert Browning. James finished The Aspern Papers here and described its ballroom in The Wings of the Dove. Browning died in 1889 at Ca' Rezzonico, a short walk away.
Palazzo Contarini Fasan: Desdemona's house
This small Gothic palace on the Grand Canal is known in Venice as the House of Desdemona. It is a legend, not history, but it shows how Othello, the Moor of Venice, became part of the city's own story. Ruskin praised its carved balconies in The Seven Lamps of Architecture.
Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and the Piombi
On the Molo we read Ruskin on Venetian Gothic in front of the Palazzo Ducale, recall Byron's lines on the Bridge of Sighs, and point to the Piombi, the prison under the lead roof from which Casanova escaped on 1 November 1756.
Hemingway and the lagoon
We close with Hemingway's Colonel Cantwell, his walks, gondola crossings and duck hunts, and with Thomas Mann's Lido. Both Torcello and the Lido can be added by vaporetto on a longer, tailor-made day.
Practical
What is included, and what to know
Included
- Private guiding by Daniela Zarpellon, licensed tourist guide n. 05000058
- Commentary in English, Italian or French, for your party only
- Short readings from the authors in the places linked to them
- A route built around the writers you choose
Good to know
- It is mainly an outdoor walk; most literary houses are private and seen from outside.
- Museums such as Ca' Rezzonico or the Doge's Palace can be added; tickets are not included.
- Opening times vary: we always check them when we prepare your tour.
- Torcello and the Lido need extra time and vaporetto crossings.
Tailor-made, quote on request. Every tour is quoted individually. Read how our tailor-made tours and quotes work.
FAQ
Questions about the literary tour of Venice
Which writers does the literary tour of Venice cover?
The core route includes Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice and Othello), Casanova, Byron, Ruskin, Henry James, Thomas Mann and Hemingway. Other authors can be added on request, for example Carlo Goldoni, Robert Browning or Joseph Brodsky, whose essay Watermark is a classic portrait of Venice in winter.
Do I need to have read the books?
No. Daniela tells each story from the beginning and reads short passages on the spot, so the tour works whether you know every book or none. Many guests leave with a reading list for the trip home.
Can the route focus on a single author, such as Hemingway or Shakespeare?
Yes. Because the tour is private and tailor-made, it can follow one writer, for example Shakespeare's Venice from the Rialto to the Ghetto, or Hemingway's Venice with an extension to Torcello. Tell us your interest when you request the quote.
Did Shakespeare ever visit Venice?
There is no evidence that he did. He drew on Italian stories, such as Giraldi Cinthio's tale behind Othello, and on what England knew of the Venetian Republic. The tour shows how much he got right about a city of trade, law and foreigners.
Is the literary tour suitable for students and teachers?
Yes. The tour can follow a syllabus, for example Othello and The Merchant of Venice, or the Romantic and Victorian travelers. School groups are welcome on request, and the pace and depth are adapted to the age of the students.
How much does a private literary tour cost?
Every private tour is quoted individually because it is tailor-made. The quote depends on length, number of guests, language, season and any museum or boat you add; tickets are separate. It is free and without obligation, and you receive a reply within 24 hours.
Gallery
A visual diary of Venice
Booking request
Request this tour
Choose a date and the number of guests: you will receive a summary by email straight away, and Daniela will reply personally within 24 hours with availability and a free, tailor-made quote. The request is not a confirmed booking.
Continue
More stories of Venice
Shylock's Venice continues on our Jewish Ghetto and Cannaregio tour, and Hemingway's Torcello on the lagoon islands tour. Read our Doge's Palace visitor guide and our Venice travel tips, or combine this walk with one of these tours.
Glass, lace and silence
Murano, Burano & the lagoon islands
Murano glass ateliers and a furnace, Burano lace, the Mazzorbo vineyard and Torcello – by private motorboat or vaporetto.
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Usually closed to the public
Inside Venetian Palaces
Privately owned palaces, visited on request when the owners are available: the piano nobile, water gates and family life.
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Classics revisited
St Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace
Golden mosaics, the Pala d'Oro, the halls of the Republic and the Bridge of Sighs, read with an art historian's eye.
Discover the tourPrivate tour
Read Venice in its own places
Tell us your dates and the writers you love, and Daniela will shape the route around them. Free, no-obligation quote – reply within 24 hours.
How I can help
Plan Venice with a licensed guide
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