Hidden history – reviews

The walking tour was EXCELLENT, probably the best one I’ve ever taken in any city. René didn’t take us to the obvious sights, but explained the Venetian history and architecture through more hidden sights and regular buildings that you usually just walk by. His depth of knowledge is incredible and you can tell it’s his profession and passion at the same time. Would recommend for anyone interested in history and stories off the beaten path!

René is a very nice guy who certainly knows what he is doing. By showing small objects on the historic buildings and squares (e.g. antique graffiti that you normally would not notice) he explains the history and everyday life of Venice and the Venetians. He is very well structured (you can tell he is a trained historian) and puts everything he explains into the historic perspective. I do recommend a tour with him, especially if you want to go off the beaten track (e.g. the more residential areas of historic Venice). At the end of the tour René suggested a fantastic restaurant that we wouldn’t have found ourselves.

Esperienza diversa dai soliti itinerari turistici. Tantissima storia e aneddoti interessanti su Venezia!”

René was definitely knowledgeable of the area. He shared a lot of history that we would have missed. I appreciated the book you brought and used for illustration purposes for my younger children (and for me… haha). It was a nice start to our weekend trip.

Rene’s tour was amazing! It gave us a much deeper and richer appreciation for Venice and it’s history to see the “history in plain sight” that Rene pointed out to us! Plus this tour was so worth it, easily the best value for our money in Venice. Rene was relaxed and genuinely eager to share stories and bits of history with us. Recommend resting before bc it is a decent amount of standing and walking! The 2pm one is perfect bc you can go just as lunch spots close.

Es war eine besondere Geschichtstour, die so viele Details gezeigt hat, die mir nie aufgefallen wären. Ich war beeindruckt von Renés Entdeckungslust und die offenbare Liebe und Begeisterung zu Venedig! Es war regelrecht ansteckend und hat Spaß gemacht! Durch seine Einblicke in diese besondere Stadt, konnten wir auch anschließend mit ganz anderen Augen beobachten und einen viel innigeren Zugang zu Venedig finden. Vielen Dank dafür!

René shares a lot of his tremendous knowledge about this city and its past and what you can still see of it in today’s Venice, if you just take a really close look. We sure didn’t feel bored even for a second, the tour is just overall really well-designed and there’s hardly a corner in the city René doesn’t have an interesting fact or story up his sleeve about. After the tour we kept catching ourselves looking for little scratch marks that maybe weren’t left there by an uncivilized tourist as you might believe in the first instant.

Just spent a fascinating 2 hours in the company of Rene. Super knowledgeable guy, great story-teller mixing historical details to current Venetian life.. We will look at Venice in a different light from now on. Thank you Rene..

Magnificent experience: “We’ve been several times in Venice, but with Rene we saw and understood the hidden history and had a magnificent and individual experience, which was worth every penny. Our three hour tour was both exciting and interesting and went over in no time. Rene has an incredible knowledge about history in general and especially of Venetian history. He may not just answer ‘every’ question by telling dates and facts; instead he’ll start showing a salty stone or a hidden graffiti and explaining from there on links between history and today.

This was a fascinating tour, Rene is extremely knowledgeable. It was quite long (3 hours) so be prepared, but every minute packed with interesting information which I’m sure you couldn’t get elsewhere. Rene’s English is excellent too.

It was the best thing we did in Venice. We booked the tour on our first full day and afterwards, the insight we learned from Rene were used throughout our 4 days vacation. I’m a history nerd and his account and survey of Venice were accurate. Moreover, Rene was very passionate and his encyclopedic and street knowledge makes him an excellent companion to walk around this amazing city.

Excellent tour. Highly recommended. Rene is hugely knowledgeable, erudite and gifted with impressive language skills. He has lived in Venice for decades so his knowledge is imparted with passion and dedication to the subject.

Great experience to understand Venice in a way the guide books don’t tell you. I booked on the wrong day and Rene was very lovely in coming as soon as he heard. Great trip.

Wirklich ein tolles Erlebnis! Sehr Empfehlenswert!!

This was such an amazing tour. Rene pretty much knows everything and anything about Venice, any questions we had he answered in great detail and was just a generally amazing tour guide. This made our last day in Venice so special, please do this tour and be as amazed as we were! From Finn & Sophie

We’ve been several times in Venice, but with Rene we saw and understood the hidden history and had a magnificent and individual experience, which was worth every penny. Our three hour tour was both exciting and interesting and went over in no time. Rene has an incredible knowledge about history in general and especially of Venetian history. He may not just answer ‘every’ question by telling dates and facts; instead he’ll start showing a salty stone or a hidden graffiti and explaining from there on links between history and today.

This is a great tour to learn how to ‘read’ the city: understand the buildings, the squares, the layout of the neighbourhoods and so on. Great to do when you first arrive so you can apply those skills during the rest of the trip!

Hello René, We really enjoyed the historic tour with you. It is impressing how much you know about the history and how much passion you have for the themes . We liked mostly that you not only told but rather really showed us how much the change of time is visible in all the different buildings of the city. Thank you and best regards Nina and Timm

René’s tour is great! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a history buff, or just wants to know more about the city and get a better sense of it. He has a great storytelling style and the walk is peppered with personal anecdotes that show his attachment and belonging to Venice. I left feeling that i was more connected to the city and am recommending this walk to everyone i know for when they go to Venice. If René does any other experiences I will definitely sign up for them when in Venice!

We absolutely recommend this tour. We learned so much about the history of Venedig by looking at wonderful small details we would have never seen on our own! Wonderful guide with loads of stories and love for this city.

It was a unique experience – Rene always had the answers to our many questions of Venice’s history. We walked through places we would’ve never gone on our own, and we saw the city through the lenses of a passionate observer.