Palazzo Ducale: Secret Itinerary

Besides the gilded state rooms created to be seen by visitors, both in the days of the Republic and now, the Doges' Palace also contains the chambers where the nitty-gritty business of running the state took place.

In 1984 this latter section of the palace was restored and opened to the public, but because many of the rooms are tiny, the 85-minute Secret Itinerary tour, or Itinerari Segreti can only take limited numbers who book in advance— but it's one of the most fascinating things to do in all Venice.

The Chancellery

The tour begins at the top of the Scala d’Oro, but instead of turning right into the state rooms the guide takes you left into the tiny, wooden, ship-shape offices of the Chancellery on the mezzanine, which could easily fit aboard a fat Venetian galley – designed not only to be snug in the winter, but to make the average Venetian feel at home.