Marble palaces balanced atop wooden poles, commuters crossing the Grand Canal standing in gondolas, "prosecco" bottles popping in tight quarters: Venice defies all common sense, and chooses wonder instead. Alison Bing, Lonely Planet Writer Our Promise You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage so you can rely on us to tell it like it is. Inside This Book 2 expert authors 29 maps 100 islands 149km of canals 1500 years of art and architecture Comprehensive map section Feature coverage of top sights Range of planning tools In-depth background on Venice s art and architecture