I love the historic alleyways, picturesque canals, and gondolas of Venice. If you want a true taste of Italy, however, you'll probably want to venture beyond the floating city's tourist-packed ...

The mere mention of Venice conjures a whirlpool of images. So why not dive in? Visit the historic city and you can amble around sun-speckled canals, mysterious alleyways, unmissable museums ...

Some of the best gondola tours you can book online come from companies like Walks of Italy ... spot due to how Venice is laid out and how poorly marked some of the alleyways and landmarks are.