DK Travel : Venice

The uniquely romantic city of Venice was built entirely on water and has managed to survive into the 21st century without cars. Narrow alleyways and canals pass between sumptuous palaces and magnificent churches, colourful neighbourhood markets and quiet backwaters, unchanged for centuries. Few cities possess such an awesome line-up of sights for visitors.

For guided tours around Venice (see Guided Tours)

Jacopo Tintoretto

The great Mannerist of the late Renaissance, Tintoretto (1518–94) produced huge, glowing canvases, seen at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco (see Scuola Grande di San Rocco).
Jesurum

A triumphant showroom of exquisite lace and embroidery, founded in 1870. Ask to see the “back-up copy” of the delicate lace tablecloth commissioned by Queen Margherita which took 10 years to complete. The firm first acted as a trade school for poor girls.
Jewish Ghetto

The word “ghetto” originated in Venice, derived from getto (casting) due to an old iron foundry here. As of 1492 many Jewish refugees reached Venice after expulsion from Spain and in 1527 they were obliged by law to move to this area. Subject to a curfew to prevent their fraternizing with local women, they slept behind locked gates, their island circled by an armed patrol boat. Waves of arrivals saw each language group build its own synagogue (five in all) and raise the lowceilinged buildings to seven floors in height. Today 33 Jews still live in the ghetto, while a further 450 reside in other parts of the city. The synagogues can be visited with a guide and there’s a museum of sacred objects.
Jews

The Spanish Inquisition triggered the move here for many Jews expelled from other European countries.
Jogging

The city’s stone paving doesn’t do wonders for your knees, so try the city parks.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The story goes that this German literary giant (1749–1832) had his first ever view of the sea from Venice’s Campa-nile. Attracted by the lands south of the Alps, his first visit was an experience of personal renewal, the account published as Italian Journey (1786–8).
John Cabot

Italian navigator Giovanni Caboto, or John Cabot (1450–99), and his sons were authorized by Henry VII of England to search for new lands with the aim of furthering trade. Believing himself on the northeast coast of Asia, he discovered Newfoundland in Canada and claimed it for England, opening up cod fishing.
John Ruskin

The meticulous if opinionated labour of love of this British art critic (1819–1900), The Stones of Venice , was the first work to focus the attention of visitors on the city’s unique architectural heritage and Gothic style, as opposed to the art. The book was largely the outcome of an 1849 visit.
Junghans Factory

New York-style loft apartments have been created from an old clock factory – one of many conversion projects taking place on Giudecca.
Kitchen

This was always located on the ground floor for practical reasons.