Hidden history – reviews

Byzantine art on the walls in Venice

Reviews for the Hidden History in plain sight walk.

He was quite brilliant

Rated 5.0 out of 5
December 5, 2022

René brought the history of Venice to life through his thoughtful, interesting explanations as to how Venice came to be, the political and economic background and how to read history through the buildings and their decorations. He was quite brilliant.

Simon

Thanks for sharing all of your insights with us!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
November 9, 2022

René was an excellent guide. He had a great depth a knowledge and knew how to tell the history in concise and interesting ways. The hidden history aspect was very cool, lots of things you wouldn’t expect. I would highly recommend this tour.

Paul

René, thank you for your time

Rated 4.0 out of 5
November 8, 2022

René, Very knowledgeable of the history of Venezia../ we enjoyed his tour.

Ivonne

Rene is like an open book of history!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
November 6, 2022

We loved this experienced, we learned so many things about the history and political/social situation of Venice from the beginning of the city until now. Rene is like an open book of history!

Dulcie

No Title

Rated 4.0 out of 5
November 2, 2022

This is a very specific tour. I wanted lots of walking and odd facts about the buildings this is more PBS inclined. Detailed and Rene is loud and articulates well.

Daniel

Pienamente soddisfatti

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 25, 2022

Aneddoti interessanti, racconti sulla storia di Venezia, spunti e curiosità sulla città. Bisogna colpevolmente ammettere che eravamo dubbiosi sul prenotare una guida danese per venezia, ma la passione e la competenza di René hanno cancellato ogni dubbio. Pienamente soddisfatti.

Marco

Thanks again René for the visit

Rated 4.0 out of 5
October 21, 2022

The visit was very pleasant, rich in historical details that would not be noticed with a « regular » visit, thanks René for The nice tour ??

Yasmine

Merci. We very much enjoyed the tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 21, 2022

René made an excellent tour. He knows not only facts and figures – he brings it all together in the bigger picture – history, architecture, science. Highly recommended.

Marianna

We had a great time 🙂

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 20, 2022

Rene was very knowledgeable and answered every question we had! If you are a history lover it is a great way to learn more about Venice.

Jenna

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 15, 2022

Great tour – we learned a lot from Our tour guide. He was fantastic at sharing the history of Venice and the area we were in – really made it come alive! But we were expecting to walk a bit more, we stayed in one area for most of the tour.

Victoria

No Title

Rated 4.0 out of 5
October 15, 2022

Rene obviously loves history, architecture and Venice. We learned a lot of information and he explained things we would not have noticed. The tour went long which wasn’t a problem for us but could be for others. Much of the tour (over 1 1/2 hours) was spent in the same square because there was so much to see right there. Never made it all the way to arsenal.

Julia

No Title

Rated 4.0 out of 5
October 13, 2022

Very in depth information. Renè has a wealth of knowledge that can be found in the small corners of one square.

Annie

Thank you, René, for teaching me so much!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 11, 2022

René taught me more than I was ever expecting to learn from this experience. It was nice that he catered the history of Venice and Italy to how it impact the history of the culture I’m from. I would highly recommend this.

Maggie

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 9, 2022

Very knowledgeable and interesting facts

Kelsey

No Title

Rated 3.0 out of 5
October 1, 2022

René was kind and attentive and has a good knowledge of Venetian history. We were, however, looking forward to moving around and to exploring the city at the same time we observed meaningful details and learnt their meaning as we walked around. Conversely, the host spent one hour and a half just in one location (Campo di San Giovanni and San Paolo), which was illustrative but we were not expecting to spend one hour and a half out of two hours standing on our feet just in this very one limited location. I was accompanied by an elderly person who ask to sit down at one point and René kindly agreed but the idea of a walking tour of discovery did not correspond at all with the experience we actually had. As a historian working at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice I know many good books that covered a similar information and we could have used these 2-hour tour to move around and actually discover new angles or new museums in Venice. We lost a whole morning of our trip. In conclusion, one hour and a half stading on our feet and staying in one single space learning from facts we could have read about by ourselves did not at all cover our experience expectations despite the kindness of the host.

Cristina

Thank you for all the information

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 30, 2022

You don’t initially walk far on this tour as the history is surrounding us. Rene was extremely informative and we enjoyed his tour.

Tina

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 29, 2022

Wir haben viel über die Geschichte Venedigs gelernt. René hat einen unendlichen Wissensfundus über Venedig und die Geschichte Europas. Er hat uns auf viele Details aufmerksam gemacht.

Lisa

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 29, 2022

Very knowledgeable from broad strokes of history to tiny details that are not in the guide books.

Paul

Thank you, Rene’ for sharing your enthusiasm and expertise!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 29, 2022

Thank you, Rene’ for sharing your enthusiasm and expertise! You gave us a great history lesson that made our trip so much more meaningful. The life of the city has had so much turmoil and yet so much good. Rene’ was very accommodating clients and answering questions. He was engaging and easy to follow. His stories grabbed your attention. I recommend his tour for learning about the history of the development of the Venetian Culture, the development of the city, and the many historical figures that made it what it is today. We found many secrets of Venice in our tour. It was fun!

Bill

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 28, 2022

Excellente excursion avec plein de détails.

Suzanne

We enjoyed our tour very much

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 28, 2022

René is a historian and if you bring history/political-based questions to the tour, he’ll give you details you might have not found in the books you read. He is full of wonderful stories, as he obviously is passionate about this unique city. We had a private tour, and we’re happy we did it at the beginning of our week-long stay— we were able to look at Venice with a much more informed insight. Thank you, Renè!!?

Bianka

A different and unique way to spend a few hours in the city

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 18, 2022

My fiancé went on this tour and loved it. He loves history so it was a unique and interesting way to spend a few hours. René was courteous and knowledgeable and we would recommend the tour to anyone looking for a different way to learn about the beautiful city of Venice.

Sinead

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 17, 2022

René was extremely knowledgeable about the history culture and social and economic conditions of Venice and was able to connect everything to world issues and make Venice a place of historical importance and connection to the whole world. His knowledge of history culture and languages was amazing! He truly has an in-depth and detailed knowledge of his subject. He was able to show us in the Square we visited how these facts connected to the actual place, Venice and give examples of what he talked about. he told us so many things that none of the other guides or tours have included so it was a very unique experience. René also was very kind and thoughtful and enable me as a visually impaired person to touch physical parts of the buildings and give detailed visual descriptions of things I could not see. He was able to answer any questions and moved in a way that was easy to follow. I would recommend his tour to anyone who is interested in knowing more about Venice and its historical place in the world and how the Venetian’s have come to be who they are today.

Shonen

Meeting with Rene is a complete learning experience

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 17, 2022

Meeting with Rene is a complete learning experience. He has the knowledge of a university professor with the friendliness of a grad student. We spent the two hours going beyond cute stories from past – and really exploring some of the complexities of Venetian history. In the end this is much better than the typical rote recital of some common history. Probably not for kids, unless they are high school history nerds.

Mark

I strongly recommend this tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 15, 2022

I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand aspects of the city outside the purely tourist circuits. Rene has an extensive knowledge of the city, its construction and secrets that escape most eyes.

José

Interesting anecdotes and small details that escape the eye

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 13, 2022

Interesting anecdotes and small details that escape the eye. Lots of historical background information on why things are the way they are. we booked a 2 hour tour but ended up spending 3.5 hours together sitting in a small non tourist baccaro drinking and eating.

Samuel

Thank you René

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 13, 2022

Excellent tour guide! We didn’t walk much but more importantly, Rene’s insights helped me perceive more of Venice.

Jenna

Amazing!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 13, 2022

We’re very lucky to have René to tell us stories and history about Venice, he is extremely knowledgeable and friendly in person. He could tell us details of one building in terms of it’s history, design and how it was built. Amazing!

Mia

Thank you for your wonderful tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 18, 2022

We love this tour! He was so knowledgeable and passionate about Venice and his enthusiasm and knowledge were superior. He even kept us in the shade on a very hot day 🙂 if you love history, or Venice, or you are just interested in learning more about what you are seeing and experiencing there we recommend this to her 100%!

Colette

I completely recommend this tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 18, 2022

This is an awesome tour to start understanding the historical importance of Venice and can explain every little detail that you may ask. I completely recommend the tour for anyone that wants to know Venice for what’s beneath the lovely sights

Rodrigo

No Title

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 18, 2022

Amazing storytelling!

Renata

It was a superb experience

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

Rene was an amazing tour guide. Unlike a lot of experiences like this, it was clear he had an abiding and ongoing curiosity in the history around us so that he likely continues the learning regularly. You could tell it wasn’t he packaged stories shared with all tourists. He even related the Venetian republic to American history which was fascinating. In addition, we asked questions that were likely uncommon and he answered them in great detail. These things brought the full tour into context and made for an incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone. In fact the tour went longer than planned and we would have enjoyed spending the whole day learning from him but had to get to an appointment. Would recommend Rene and this tour without reservation.

Mike

Merci René, c’était vraiment extrêmement intéressant !

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

Un moment formidable pour comprendre la ville et son histoire. René est un guide passionné et très agréable. Il s’est complètement adapté à nous. Les enfants ont beaucoup apprécié également. Nous recommandons complètement.

Gaël

Very good tour, highly recommendable.

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

René told us so much about the history of Venice with many interesting details and he could answer all our questions. We enjoyed it a lot!

Ida

A must tour to take!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

We learned so much about Venice and its history, plus Rene could answer all our questions about the city or events that happened.

Alba

Book the tour! 🙂

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

It’s the perfect tour to get to know the history of the city, and in a small group. Rene was a wonderful, knowledgeable guide. Answered all our questions and we enjoyed every minute of it. Would def recommend.

Rad

Thanks for the highly detailed tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

Our tour with Rene was fascinating, we chose it because we wanted to avoid the most touristy areas and really learn about the history of Venice. The tour with Rene did not disappoint, think of it as looking at Venice with a macro lens focusing on minute details. Rene will explain, how Venice develop led and changed throughout history, changes to canals and bridges as well as governance and wealth. He offered unique perspectives we did. It receive on other tours we did in Venice. As we were first time visitors to Venice we also did a “wide angle” tour of the touristy highlights. To even remotely understand the city, I recommend both.

Waren

Thank you so much for a lovely tour!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

René’s tour will change the way you look at Venice – he showed us a lot of small details that you can only understand once you know the history that he shares. He was incredibly generous with his time and knowledge and willing to answer questions in great detail. Definitely different than the typical walking tour – we didn’t go very far but got to do a deep dive into the smaller details that you can’t see without someone knowledgeable to point them out to you!

Bree

No Title

Rated 4.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

Rene has a wealth of knowledge and clearly enjoys sharing the historical significance of Venice. For us, the pacing was a bit slow and the “hidden” aspects weren’t as interesting as the history itself, which was the best part of the tour and quite interesting.

Jackie

Thank you

Rated 5.0 out of 5
August 8, 2022

Rene is a historian who modified the information based on where we are from. We enjoyed our time together and felt like we learned a lot.

Sara

Rene is a wealth of knowledge

Rated 5.0 out of 5
July 26, 2022

We would point at a building, statues, etc and would receive an extremely detailed answer. We were very impressed with the level of detail and knowledge shared by Rene. As we are American, he also tied in America’s connection to Venice’s political processes. We also appreciate that Rene was always positioning us in shade (it was a very hot day!)

Kaylee

Rene gave us a great tour

Rated 5.0 out of 5
July 21, 2022

He’s very knowledgeable about writings and various other hidden clues to the city. He’s passionate about Venice and will continue the tour if you have additional questions. I’d recommend his tour to friends.

Christine

Very interesting

Rated 5.0 out of 5
July 10, 2022

Totally recommended.

Tommaso

Had a great time. Thank you!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
July 7, 2022

Great! Taught us about things right before our eyes that we would never have seen. Left with a great sense of how the city’s history plays out in its streets and architecture

Torrey

No Title

Rated 4.0 out of 5
July 3, 2022

We hadden iets meer willen zien van Venetië dan die ene paar straten Maar wel veel gehoord! René weer heel veel en leuke details die hij ons heeft laten zien!

René

Thank you so much for the tour!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 22, 2022

Rene was wonderful! He knows so much about so many aspects of the city. He was very generous with his time and I wish I could’ve stayed even longer!

Allison

Rene is a super historian.

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 22, 2022

He has found and understands so much of the hidden things of the area. I was in a group of three and we took all the time with meaning lesson and sights.

Raymond

By far the best tour we have had in Italy.

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 20, 2022

René is deeply knowledgeable and tells the story of the place in a way that is based on the specific details around him, rather than as a chronology. I was blown away by how much history there was in just one public square. I highly recommend this tour.”

Ben

Thanks for a great start to our stay in Venice

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 20, 2022

This tour was a great start to our stay in Venice. We learned a lot about the history of how Venice was ruled through the centuries which gave us greater insight into the city itself. Plus who knew there was ancient graffiti in St Marks Square!

Jami

Thank you Professor Rene

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 19, 2022

Super interesting walking tour of Venice with a small group. Rene knows his subject like no other tour guide we have ever come across. University level knowledge of history of Venice, mixed with some specific insights into the hidden history. It is not a tour of all Venice rather a detailed insight of a very specific area. The “professor” is a unique somewhat intellectual experience.

David