When someone says 'Venice', you think of gondolas and canals. But there is so much more to Venice.

If you go down any backstreet you will find little shops like no others in the world. Small bars, restaurants, that only the locals know about - and you can see why they haven't told anyone - some of the nicest food I have ever tasted was in these backstreets.

Also, don't buy a map- just let your senses take you wherever. Get lost in the Venice Backstreets.

Any backstreet in Venice.

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If you're arriving at San Marco airport, do splash out the 12 euros to get the blue line Alilaguna boat to your nearest stop. Day or night it's the only way to arrive, but once you're there, enjoy Venice most by just walking and getting lost in the quieter backstreets, and seeing a glimpse of what's left of the life of a diminishing non-tourist resident population. Small shops, bars, galleries and markets will welcome you.

Try Arsenale or around Campo Santa Margherita and the beautiful Del Frari Church for a start. If it's raining or misty, so much the better. If it's December, the Christmas market near Accademia Bridge will warm you up. For half a euro cross the canal by shared traghetti gondala and stand like the locals.

www.alilaguna.it/
Then have a map handy for use in emergencies only

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Get away from the crowds and walk to the Arsenale. You can't go inside, but the gates are pretty spectacular with ancient lions guarding the shipyard that was once the lifeblood of the city.

Walk about 15 minutes East of San Marco into Castello - the arsenale is signposted.

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It is as easy to lose yourself in the alleys as it is to find yourself again. A little piazza may suddenly appear through a Byzantine archway, with a fountain splashing under the washed-out blue of a hot Venetian noon.

Time for lunch before the hours of rest when all Italy slides into a soporific afternoon to arise refreshed for the evening. To walk through the echoing alleyways at this time is to have Venice for yourself. Small arched bridges with parapets of crumbling stone and steps worn hollow in the middle reach over ancient canals. Green water barely moves on the step of an old doorway, whose timbers have baked and slumbered through countless Venetian summers. A nearby church offers sanctuary from the heat and a moment to sit in the cool darkness and wonder how much longer before Venice succumbs to the inevitable.

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Seven traghetto (ferry) points between the railway station and San Marco allow you to cross the Grand Canal without having to squeeze over the bridges. These decommissioned gondolas ply back and forth until dusk for 60c a trip. Venetians make the crossing standing up. Tourists sit down and worry about the rocking motion.

Look out for small yellow signs pointing down alleys leading to the Canal.

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If you do want to escape the tourist areas head for eastern Castello and the island of San Pietro where you will find the oldest church of Venice, San Pietro di Castello, which was the cathedral of Venice untill the XIX century.

The island, connected to Venice by two bridges, is the oldest settlement in the city of Venice and a church was built there already in the XIII century. The church you will find there now has been remodelled over the centuries but it features a facade by Palladio and a splendid leaning bell tower clad in candid white stone which was built during the renaissance.

The "Campo" in front of the church is a heaven of tranquillity and the silence is broken only by the activity of local fishermen and by occasional boats sailing along the canal.

Nearby you will find the busy via Garibaldi still a pretty authentic street full of locals and lively bars and restaurants. Stop for a light lunch at Bar Mio, in front of the public gardens gates and try their delicious "Tramezzini". The area is perfect for a relaxing break, especially when visiting the nearby Biennale exhibition and you will have the chance to see how the "last" locals live.

Good restaurants in the area are "il Giorgione" or the Pizzeria "Ai tosi", and obviously the fantastic "Corte Sconta", just a short walk away.

Eastern part of the Castello district, past the Arsenale. Ferry stop: Giardini or Arsenale.

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A large cemetery with a very Roman look to it. Apparently, because there is so little space in Venice and so many people they are only buried for ten years (unless they pay for longer), then they are dug up and their remains 'disposed of' so someone else can have their space!

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My favourite Island in Venice. Every house is painted a different, bright colour so it's like walking down the streets of a giant toy town. It's supposedly famous for it's lace, but in all honesty I was more taken with the houses.

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Famous for its glass work (and apparently where mirrors were invented and exclusive to for quite a while). Walk down
the main street of Murano and you will return with more small glass
ornaments than you can carry - the street is just glass shop after glass shop! You can also go and watch the handymen at work at the factory, not very far from the water bus station.

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Lovely for a walk - especially in spring. Littered with cafes and restaurants, you can sit for a drink or just soak up the sun.

Take a book or munch on a Gianduiotto di passeggio from the Da Nico gelateria in the summer.

Wistful in winter: take a midnight walk in the freezing cold and take in the sound of the Giudecca Canal.

Go to the water bus (vaporetto) stop Zattere, or walk up from the Accademia stop; www.actv.it/english/home.php

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Small island well away from the city. It used to be an important centre in the 5th-century AD but now just has a scattering of people. As an island it is big enough for a stroll. The main church, famous for its mosaic of Universal Justice, is a fair stroll from the landing pier. In light snow it is a fantastic experience. Go up the tower for stunning views across the lagoon and back to the other islands, Murano and Burano. Don't be surprised by the length of the vaporetto journey though - it's about an hour, far further out than the other islands and a completely different experience. By the way, there's a special place to sit - I won't tell you quite where it is, but if you find yourself there you will be married within a year according to local legend.

In the lagoon, take a vaporetto

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