Morning light slides over the black water of the Grand Canal as your group gathers at Campo San Moisè, the walking tour's starting point adjacent to St. Mark's Square.
Cobblestones warm underfoot, gulls wheel above, and the city's pulse is measured in gondolas and ringing shopbells.
The guide leads you through narrow calle, across small bridges, and into campi such as Santa Maria Formosa where façades show Byzantine and Renaissance layers.
You pause at La Fenice to hear of fires and restorations, and climb near the Bovolo Staircase to admire its spiral geometry before cutting across the Mercerie toward Rialto.