On first impressions, the Veneto region can be disappointing. The main airport, named after Marco Polo, sounds wonderful, but is a soulless place of machine guns and Alsatian dogs. Once in the car, the countryside, whilst far from awful, is uninspiring to those more used to Tuscany. But then there are the beaches and, of course, Venice.

The fringe of the Venician lagoon has several resorts that are a good base to visit Venice from, without sacrificing the beach experience. Lido di Jesolo is popular with the Brits, offering good value for money and extensive beaches. A fine choice for families. Venice is only a short boat ride away.

It is normal to arrive at Venice at the moorings by St Mark's Square, a place where history and atmosphere is right up close, its cafes redolent of the age of the Grand Tour. Its ambience even survives the vast throngs of tourists complaining about the price of a cafe latte.

From St Marks, the flow of tourism takes you through tiny, claustrophobic streets to the Rialto bridge, spanning the Grand Canal. Whilst this is again a place for the gregarious, looking down the twinkling waterway, you can understand the romance of the place.

Venice's associations with romance - it is traditionally the place to honeymoon for Italians - belie a macabre past that can still be felt in its tiny, intense streets. The city throngs with tourists, but take a step off into a quiet backstreet to experience a slight shiver down the spine. The souvenir carnival masks can be disquieting. The Bridge of Sighs - the sighs being of those to be executed - is a worthy ikon for the city. Beauty and blood. Venice is like no other place.