Venice is such a treasure house of art, culture and architecture there is virtually nowhere that could be described as dull or uninviting. Even the dowdy Venice red light district east of the railway station around San Giobbe has its own charms and the downmarket hotels, restaurants and bars of the Lista di Spagna don't seem quite as bleak as those of other European cities. Our choice of offbeat Venice sights has been listed area by area.
In the centre of the Cannaregio, down the Lista di Spagna, is the Ghetto Nova, a Jewish enclave that gave the world the word ghetto. Beyond that is a small area where you'll find some of the most attractive houses in Venice as well as fine restaurants and bars. Balconies, windows, shutters and boats make this a great place to take your camera.
One of Venice's main shopping streets, the Strada Nova, is just to the east and here also is the Ca' d'Oro, a masterpiece of domestic Gothic architecture and now a gallery where the main attraction is Mantegna's San Sebastian, painted shortly before the artists death in 1506. Also worth a visit is the Gesuiti church with a jaw-dropping interior of green and white marble.
West of the Piazza, the church of San Moise gets a rosette for bad taste with a miniature Mount Sinai doubling as an altar.
The Venice Arsenale was founded in the 12th century and became the greatest naval shipyard in the world, with a workforce of 16,000 and a production line that turned out a Venetian warship every day. Today it is largely abandoned and closed to the public but its naval museum is worth a visit. Nearby is the atmospheric and lively square of Campo Santa Maria Formosa where stalls sell everything from fruit to antiquarian ephemera.
On the western edge of the Castello is the church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli, with some exquisitely intricate carving. Also near is the Riva degli Schianovi, Venice's main gondola lined waterfront promenade and one of Venice's smartest addresses where hotels charge scarcely believable prices. To the east is La Pieta where Vivaldi worked and wrote many of his finest works.
Few tourists venture beyond the Schianovi as sights are thinly spread, but the church of San Pietro di Castello with its tilting tower is worth a look and the glamorous Venice Biennale art extravaganza ia held in the Giardini Pubblici (see Festivals).
The huge Ca' Pessaro houses the International Modern Art Gallery. Stairs lined with Samurai armour lead to the Oriental Museum, a curious mix of artifacts plundered from Venetian ventures in the east. Nearby is the Museum of Natural History which has a Roman boat dredged from the lagoon, an aquarium and a dinosaur room. Also of note is the church of San Giacomo dell'Orio with an altarpiece by Lorenzo Lotto and and painted panels by Veronese.
Along the southern shore of the Dorsoduro runs the long Zattere quayside, named after the rafts that used to tie up here. It's now lined with cafes and restaurants. Half way along is the picturesque Squero di San Trevaso where gondolas are still built and repaired.