- 1 map
- €11.99 per group
- ~2 h 30
Venice is a city built on water, in the middle of a lagoon. Its houses stand on wooden piles driven into the mud. Instead of streets there are canals and calli, the narrow lanes between the buildings. There are no cars here: you go on foot or by boat. With Piracity you discover it on foot, like a treasure hunt for the whole family.
Stops to discover
Ponte di Rialto
The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges across the Grand Canal. It was finished in 1591 to a design by Antonio da Ponte. It has a single stone arch and two rows of shops.
Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Known as San Zanipolo, this basilica is one of the largest churches in Venice, 102 metres long. It holds the tombs of many doges and is called the Pantheon of the Serenissima.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa
Santa Maria Formosa is a church in Castello, rebuilt in 1492 in Renaissance style. It is linked to the Festa delle Marie, the Festival of the Marys. It remembers the brides that pirates carried off in the Middle Ages.
Basilica di San Marco
St Mark's Basilica is the church of the doges, consecrated in 1094. It holds the relics of St Mark and the treasures that came from Constantinople after 1204.
Gran Teatro La Fenice
The Gran Teatro La Fenice is the opera house of Venice, opened in 1792. Destroyed by fire in 1836 and again in 1996, it has been rebuilt twice.
Campo Santo Stefano
Campo Santo Stefano is one of the largest campi in Venice, in the sestiere of San Marco. The church of Santo Stefano and noble palaces such as Palazzo Loredan and Palazzo Morosini look onto it.
Ponte dell'Accademia
The Ponte dell'Accademia links the sestieri of San Marco and Dorsoduro across the Grand Canal. It is the wooden bridge built in 1933 to replace an iron bridge from the 1800s.
The sights along the route
The route takes in seven places in the centre, all close to each other. You pass St Mark's Basilica, with its façades of coloured marble. You arrive in front of La Fenice, the opera house that came back twice after fires. You enter the great campo of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, the church where many doges rest. You will discover the rest stop by stop: bridges, churches and squares.
It is about 2.5 km on foot and about 3 hours of play, plus your breaks. There are many bridges with steps: with a pushchair you need strong arms. The route does not return to the starting point and ends near a vaporetto stop, the water bus.
History and culture, lived through play
Every stop tells a piece of history. There are the doges and the Republic of Venice, merchants, architects and musicians. There are questions on art and traditions, riddles, anagrams and little logic puzzles. The questions are designed for children aged 9 and up and for their parents.
You will also learn the local words. Venetians don't say piazza but campo. A fondamenta is a street along a canal. A sotoportego is a covered passage that runs through a building. Many answers can be found by looking carefully at what is in front of you, others by reasoning together.
An adventure that continues
Once the hunt is over, Venice still has plenty to offer families. By vaporetto you can travel the length of the Grand Canal and see the palaces from the water. You can go to Murano, the island of glassmakers, or to Burano, with its colourful houses.
In the Giardini, at the far end of the sestiere of Castello, there are trees, benches and space to run. Every sestiere, that is every district, has its own story: the next hunt is waiting for you.
Frequently asked questions
€11.99 per group. One purchase unlocks the map on one phone and the whole group plays together, as many of you as you like. You get access by email right away and the map stays valid for 1 year.
About 2.5–3 hours on foot, at an easy pace, including stops to solve the puzzles. Each map's page shows its stages, distance and estimated time.
No, you can play straight from the browser: Piracity is a web app (PWA) you add to your home screen in two taps.
Recommended from age 8; younger children play as a team with their parents.