One of the largest and most important libraries in Italy, the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana lies in Piazza San Marco. The library is a symbol of Venice’s wealth and emphasis on intellectual and artistic pursuits. Designed by the Italian architect , Jacopo Sansovino, who had also worked on the magnificent frescoes, the building was completed in 1588. Relish your eyes on the decor, done up by other prominent Italian artists such as Titian, whose masterpiece La Sapienza has been under the spotlight of a conservation project by the World Monuments Fund.

The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana also houses a mind-boggling one million volumes, thirteen thousand manuscripts and even a compendium of Greek myths purported to have been compiled in the 2nd century AD. Do not forget to check out the two manuscripts of the Iliad from the 5th and 6th century, as well as Venice's first ever printed book!