Hidden history – reviews

I took every available tour of Venice during my three days here. Rene beats all other guides here 10 to 1, he is simply the BEST story teller, accurate research, curious facts and attention to detail, very passionate about the city and loads to learn even for a book worm like me. If I could give him ten stars I would. He will definitely be my guide next time in Venice. You can miss out on all the other tours here but you will not have seen Venice if you don’t go on his tour. Thank you so much Rene for making this visit so special!

Book this experience, you’ll thank me later! Rene is a phenomenal story-teller and possesses such a wealth of knowledge on the history of Venice. If you want something more beyond the basic facts you learn on the mainstream history tours, this is the experience for you. He opened our eyes to a Venice we would have never seen otherwise and kept us engaged the entire time and even long after we finished the tour. From climate-change and political/socio-economic forces that shaped the city to ancient graffiti and chips on a blank stone that mean way more than you would think they do. This was, hands-down, one of the most valuable experiences we had as first-timers and lovers of history in Venice.

Rene is incredibly knowledgeable. His stories made the city come to life. We learned so much and feel like we can now walk the streets of Venice with a deeper insight and appreciation.

If you are interested in history, and the reasons for special historical events and relations between architecture and society, he is the right guide! We really enjoyed the tour!

Excellent guide. Very knowledgeable. He knows everything.

We could have walked with Rene for hours! His knowledge of Venice is impressive. He held both our attention and our son’s attention for the entire walk. Learning about the daily life in Venice from years past was very interesting for us and allowed us to notice other hidden history as we walked the streets on our own the following days.

The knowledge shared is a great supplement after visiting The Doge’s Palace and other locations.

What a fantastic tour. Rene is a historian by education and his wealth of knowledge went far beyond anything you may have learned on other tours or before arriving. The tour enhanced the rest of our trip as we were able to notice things around us that we wouldn’t have otherwise seen – including centuries old grafitti! He even kindly went over the allotted time as we were enjoying it so much. I highly recommend – it was one of our favourite parts of our trip to Venice.

We looked at Venice completely differently afterwards and could see so much more in plain sight. René is extremely knowledgable and engaging.

What a great start to the day, in a quiet part of Venice that we would never normally go to. The storytelling was excellent the history is amazing and you come to understand so much more about the city and the origins and what peoples lives were like back when Venice was built. He presents a vivid picture to imagine the thoughts and daily life of that time. Excellent highly recommend

If you like history and want to see the small details hidden all around the corners and alleyways, you will enjoy it. There was a lot to show. If René goes too deep on one topic, press on, he has so much to show, there is no need spend his time on things you already know. The walk did not seem rigid and René can adapt or so it seems.

René clearly loves history and knows the city very well. He puts a lot of enthusiasm and feeling into his narrative. We felt like we will enjoy our time in Venice more now that we know what we are looking at! Book this walk early in your stay.

Thanks Rene for sharing so much detail about Venice! Jam-packed with information in just two hours.

Rene is super knowledgeable in general history and local history. He helps connect the dots between what you see in Venice reason for being which is an amazing story and combines this with local anecdotes and special insights and observations. I highly recommend this tour when you first arrive Venice, this will give you a great overview to understand where you just arrived and will help you better observe what you see and experience.

Recommend it if you want to learn more about history of Venice . Rene is very knowledgeable and he’s an excellent storyteller.

My husband and I learned so much about the Venetian history from René. Each building tells a story and this tour allowed us to appreciate the details around the city. I highly recommend this tour for anyone who’s looking to dive into the city’s past!

Very knowledgeable historian

Rene is so knowledgable! He went above and beyond to show us the real Venice and to answer our many questions. He also did a wonderful job keeping my husband and I engaged, despite our very different historical interest levels. This is a fantastic glimpse into what makes Venice so special!

That was a fantastic tour! René talked a lot about architecture, history and culture in Venice through the times, as well as modern life. That’s definitely an amazing experience!

Excellent trip, René is a very knowledgeable and polite man. i highly recommend!”

Intresting tour about a part of Venice that not so many people visit.

René isn’t just knowledgeable but also truly passionate about Venice and its rich history. The experience goes beyond what initially meets the eye where René adds layers by comparing the various times in the past.

He was full of cool information about Venice. It was obvious he enjoys leading the tours. He was also happy to answer questions.

This was a brilliant experience! Rene was so knowledgeable and passionate about his subject. He made the stones come alive and took us through the history of the city with many entertaining stories along the way! We were also very lucky to have him to ourselves. Thank you Rene!”

Rene is a well of knowledge and a fantastic storyteller. We all had a great time and learned so much.

Ottima esperienza. Abbiamo visto cose molto interessanti e nascoste.

Very informative! René could easily be a university professor!

Good tour for a slow-paced introduction to parts of Venetian history

A good tour for anyone interested in the general history of the city. René has a profound and vast knowledge and knows every corner of Castello!

Very interesting content, René truly knows what he’s talking about and is able to answer all the questions that might come up. However – but that might just have been the tour I was on – we stayed in the first Campo where our meeting point was, for most of the time. While the facts and stories we listened to were super interesting, it did become a bit uncomfortable to stand in one place for such a long time in cold weather.”

We had the tour as an introduction to Venice in our first day in the city. It was super interesting. René is very knowledgeable about Venice’s history. I very much recommend it!

René was not only so knowledgeable about Venice’s history but very personable and authentic!

Rene was an excellent guide and gave a very clear description of Venice from a historical and structural point of view. Thoughtful and he clearly enjoyed sharing his extensive knowledge base.

Rene is a wealth of knowledge! We learned so much about the history of Venice, infrastructure, governance- any question we had Rene answered for us, with stories and anecdotes that will stick with us forever. This was a great way to kick off our stay here. Thank you Rene!

Rene is very knowledgeable and know a lot about the history of Venice. He is also very passionate about what he knows. Thank you for a wonderful lesson 🙂

Great experience with a lot of great “behind the scenes” stories of Venice.

È stata una bellissima esperienza per entrare nella storia di questa città unica e meravigliosa. Abbiamo potuto capire e conoscere tanti aspetti che normalmente sfuggono, tanti dettagli che nascondono pezzi di storia, e fare inaspettati collegamenti con l’arte, la vita quotidiana e le particolarità di Venezia

René was a brilliant tour guide. He knows so much about every corner of Venice, covering info you won’t find in guide books. His knowledge of the history of both the city and the region added so much to our experience. Thank you so much René! Would highly recommend the tour to anyone visiting Venice.

René is full of interesting knowledge and was very passionate about sharing it with us. He is a human encyclopedia and adapted the tour to our special interests. We would highly recommend booking a tour with him!

Excellent tour. Great communication, very, very interesting. Definitely recommend!

Rene is certainly passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. Quite a unique tour. Even my teenagers found it rather illuminating.

Rene is incredible knowledgeable about history in common and Venice in particular! he knows a lot about The history but also how it is to live in a city that is so special! ask questions and you will get tons of answers and he is someone who won‘t stop after the time is over, when he has time he will go on telling you stories about things you probably would not notice. we have done another typical tourist tour which wasn‘t good at all, so we can only recommend this kind of tours, if you are interested to hear something off the beaten path and where you don‘t have the feeling to being ripped off.

Renè è stato puntuale ed è sinceramente appassionato. Ama la città in cui vive e la racconta nei particolari.

Loved the tour and storytelling of Rene. He incorporated also socialhistoric, technological practices and comparison with other societies at that time. It felt like old Venice came to life and i am feeling richer in knowledge and appreciation of the surroundings. Recommend the tour without restriction

A truly interesting trip into the rich history of Venice! Highly recommended!

My husband and I had a fantastic time with Rene. Learned so much about Venice and visited many secret gems spread throughout the city that really opened our eyes to the city it was and continues to be today. Highly recommended!

We had a fascinating walk among less trodden paths in Venice. René enchanted us with his encyclopaedic knowledge of Venice’s history and the hidden marks people in the past have left throughout the city.

René is like a walking history book. He is so knowledgeable about Venice and we learned so much about Venice that were otherwise not possible to know. It is more a history tour, not so much walking, thus may not be suitable for everyone. However, we really enjoyed it and wish it never ended.

Perfect tour for anyone wanting a crash course in Venitian history! I’m a history buff and Rene was exceptionally knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about Venice and its role in the world, past and present. Took us through the arc of the Venetian state from the Roman Empire to modern society, and then dove deeper into subjects like architecture, trade, war, politics, and everyday life in Venice. He had an answer to every question – and usually a funny anecdote to go along with it. Highly recommend!

René è molto appassionato e ci ha lasciato arricchiti di nuove nozioni ed entusiasmo! Non guarderemo più Venezia con gli stessi occhi !