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Venice is often referred to as the most romantic city in the world and it's really not hard to see why. Just picture yourself meandering around the labyrinth of Venetian canals in a gondola while soaking in the picturesque sights of the city.

Known as the city of canals, Venice reaches across numerous small islands along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. Needless to say, with its strategic location, Venice was a major sea power for the Crusades, as well being an important hub of commerce and art in the Renaissance period. Today, Venice is a charming city that's filled with an achingly beautiful dreamy feel, not unlike the perfect setting in a fairy tale.

The city was founded due to an influx of refugees following the invasion of northern Italy in 568. For a thousand years, Venice has proven to be a force to be reckoned with as one of the most lasting sea powers.

Venice is formed of more than 100 islands in a shallow lagoon, and having canals is convenient in facilitating transport. Today, these canals are a huge tourist attraction. Gondolas, the classical Venetian boat are used to ferry people around. Locals sometimes use the gondolas for ceremonies like wedding or funerals. Normally, the locals travel along the canals with motorized waterbuses, or vaporetti. Besides hopping on a gondola and exploring the city on water, there are plenty of other sights to visit in this dreamy city.

One of the key places to visit in Venice is the famous Ca' d'Oro, a stunning palazzo that rests in the Grand Canal. The Ca'dOro, which means golden house, was named due to its appearance; the faade of the structure was covered with a thin layer of gold and polychrome. The palazzo was erected between 1428 and 1430, and its basic design is floral gothic style, in the Venetian way, thanks to architect Giovanni Bon, who undertook the immense responsibility of creating this masterpiece. In appearance, the Ca'dOro looks like an elegant wedding cake.

The palazzo is home to the Galleria Franchetti, an extensive collection of tapestries, paintings and bronzes dating back to the 15th century, with many of them being works of Titian. The balconies of the Palazzo give you a scenic panoramic view of its surroundings.

The ground floor of the palazzo displays mainly religious paintings and sculptures from the 15th and 16th centuries, and on the 2nd floor, you'll find a diverse collection, with works from Titian, Mantegna, Vivarini, Signorellu and Tintoretto.

If you're into Venetian Gothic, then make

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