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The Venetian building that was once the supposed home of famous explorer Marco Polo and his family is now easily missable to passers-by. The nearby square is known as the Corte Seconda del Milion, pointing to the title of Marco Polo's travel memoirs—Il Milione.

Located near the San Giovanni Crisostomo Church and just behind the Teatro Malibran, the building is not open to the public, but there is a small marble plaque on the wall commemorating the site's significance.

Tucked away down a side street not far from the Grand Canal, the Contarini del Bovolo palace is worth a detour if only to marvel at the magnificent spiral staircase that curls up the front of the building. Added to the original building in 1499, the famous staircase was designed by Giorgio Spavento and features a dramatic series of arches, spiraling around an imposing stone-brick tower – a striking effect that appears inspired by the coils of a snail’s shell.

The iconic stairs were immortalized on-screen in Orson Welles’ 1952 adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, and have since become a popular tourist attraction, offering expansive views from the rooftop belvedere and making a unique photo opportunity.

With its gleaming marble-coated façade and eye-catching spirograph-inspired windows, the Santa Maria dei Miracoli is a striking sight, perched on the banks of the Miracoli canal. The early Renaissance church dates back to the late 15th century, when it was built in honor of a sacred icon of the Virgin Mary that stood on the plot. The icon was famed for performing a number of miracles (including allegedly reviving a man who had drowned in the Giudecca Canal) and the Santa Maria dei Miracoli was erected to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims who flocked to the site.

Today, the masterful design of acclaimed Renaissance architect Pietro Lombardo is the church’s main draw, with its polychrome marble, sculpted pilasters and ornate reliefs giving an impression of grandeur that belies its small size. The most enchanting viewpoint is from the waterfront, but be sure to explore the interiors too, where the legendary icon, known as ‘I Miracoli.

Venice is one of Italy’s most iconic destinations—and as a result, it’s also one of the country’s most crowded. But travelers in the know say Dorsoduro, one of the city’s six sestieri, is home to incredible museum, delicious rustic food, impressive architecture and plenty of old-world churches with just a fraction of the crowds.

Visitors can wander along the canal, then check out the Gallerie dell’Accademia, which houses dozens of masterpieces by some of Venice’s most-prized painters, or the Peggy Guggenhein Colletion, which is home to an equally impressive array of modern artworks.

Dorsoduro’s San Sebastiano, one of the sistieri’s most famous churches, offers visitors incredible access to ornate fresco ceilings and gilded altars without the crowds. And travelers looking for tasteful souvenirs at a fraction of the cost can find them at Calle Sant’Agnese.

Cannaregio is the northernmost of the six districts of central Venice. It is also the largest and most populated of all the districts. This district is home to the Venetian Ghetto, the world's oldest Jewish Ghetto, established in 1516. Since the people in this area were forbidden to expand outwards, they were forced to expand upwards. As a result, you'll find uncharacteristically tall buildings in this part of Venice. Remains of old buildings and memorials stand as a remembrance of the struggle the Jewish people in Venice once had to endure.

Cannaregio Canal, where water buses called vaporetto run, cuts through the district, and the Santa Lucia train station is also located here. You'll also find many historic churches in Cannaregio. On the busy main street, Strada Nuova, you'll find plenty of souvenir shops and tourists. But it doesn't take long to find a quiet piazza in this neighborhood.

A designated Jewish Quarter from the 16th to the 18th century, Venice’s Campo del Ghetto gave us the word ‘ghetto.’ ‘Gheto’ in Venetian translates to ‘foundry,’ referring to an island of Venice that Jewish citizens were once confined to. The Venetian Republic decreed that Jews could enter Venice during the day, but on Christian holidays and during the evenings had to stay within the ghetto.

Interestingly, the area is divided into the Ghetto Nuovo (New Ghetto), and the adjacent Ghetto Vecchio (Old Ghetto), though the Ghetto Nuovo is actually the older of the two. Jews from all over Europe lived in the neighborhood — in fact, each of the different synagogues was historically designated by origin (German, Italian, Spanish, etc.) Today the Campo del Ghetto is still the center of Venetian Jewish life. There is a Jewish museum, cemetery, two Kosher restaurants and five synagogues which remain mostly in their original form.

The Church of the Madonna dell’Orto is a small church in Venice, built in the 14th century by a religious order that no longer exists. Roughly 100 years after it was built, it was taken over by a different congregation. After another 200 years, the church was again taken over by another religious order, and in 1787 the church fell under public administration.

The Madonna dell’Orto church was reopened in 1868 and has undergone several restorations in the 20th century. While the church is officially dedicated to Saint Christopher, it’s most commonly known by its nickname, “Madonna dell’Orto” - “Madonna of the Orchard.” The name comes from a statue of the Virgin Mary that was commissioned for a different church in the 15th century, rejected by that church, and left in a nearby orchard. The supposedly miraculous statue was brought to the church that would later bear its name, and the statue is still on display in the St. Mauro Chapel.

The most famous square in Venice is that of St Mark, but if you're in the Dorsoduro sestiere, you should head for the Campo Santa Margherita—one of Venice's largest public squares.

The Campo was named for a church on the square, although that building is now used as a university lecture theater. It’s still worth a visit, though, and so is the “scuola” of Santa Maria dei Carmini. There is a regular outdoor market held in the square, as well as a supermarket that opens for visitors to wander through. But the Campo Santa Margherita is primarily known as a lovely place to relax during the day and as a hub of Venetian nightlife after the sun sets. There are several bars and cafes lining the streets.

The Scuola Grande di San Rocco was one of the many “Scuole Grandi” in Venice, typically established by the church for charitable purposes. The “Great School” of San Rocco was founded in the 15th century by a group of Venetian aristocrats, although other schools in Venice at the time were more egalitarian - there was no rule against lower classes joining.

The structure of these “Great Schools” was similar from building to building, with a large meeting hall on the main floor and more private meeting rooms on the upper floor. The Scuola di San Rocco was founded in 1478, but the building to house the confraternity wasn’t complete until 1560. The building that is still known as the Scuola of San Rocco is next to the church of San Rocco, from which the society took its name.

The main draw of a visit to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is to see the many paintings by the master Tintoretto.

In the Castello neighborhood of Venice is Campo Santa Maria Formosa, a lively piazza named after the 15-century church that sits in the area. The structure has two facades, each representing two different architectural styles, with its more ornate Baroque façade opening up onto the square.

The large square also includes the 13th-century Palazzo Vitturi and the 17th-century Palazzo Ruzzini, both of which are now hotels that have largely kept many of their original elements. Visitors are likely to see locals shopping in the area, as well as children playing in the square.

The Correr Civic Museum, or Museo Civico Correr, is dedicated to the art and history of Venice. Located in the beautiful buildings surrounding the Piazza San Marco, it includes neo-classical sculptures, books, medallions, documents, paintings, musical instruments, and Greek and Roman statues.

The Civilta Veneziana rooms hold objects from the history of Venice including model ships, maps and navigational instruments. Also weaponry. There is also a 16th century library decorated by Titian's handpicked artists including Veronese. Titian himself painted the ceiling in the vestibule.

Venice is home to six districts, or sestieri in Italian, and San Polo is the smallest of the bunch. It lies at the heart of the city, hugging one of the big bends in the Grand Canal on one side.

Named for the Church of San Polo, this area is one of the oldest parts of the city, and it is also home to many top sites. Venice's oldest bridge, the Rialto, connects San Polo to the eastern bank of the Grand Canal, and Venice's primary market sits near the base of the Rialto on the San Polo side. The Campo San Polo is Venice's largest public square after St Mark's Square, and the Church of San Giacomo di Rialto is said to be the oldest church in Venice. Although the area around the Rialto is always busy, the quieter streets of San Polo can be found if you walk away from the Grand Canal, deeper into this charming neighborhood.