Venues in Venice

World-renowned for its natural beauty and stunning architecture, it’s hardly surprising that many venues in Venice look like something straight out of a museum, be them concert venues, theaters, or just a cool little art gallery.

While professional sports don’t have a major presence here, Stadio Pierluigi Penzo is a lovely stadium to watch the F.B.C. Unione Venezia football (soccer) club, though the best place to get in on your own pick-up game would be to head to Lido Beach a short ferry ride away from Venice proper.

Finding a raucous rock concert isn’t going to be easy, but classical music and opera flourish at myriad Venice venues along the canals. Some of Venice’s most stunning churches and palaces double as concert halls, including Chiesa di San Vidal, Interpreti Veneziani, and Musica A Palazzo. And lest you forget the eerie yet grandiose Palazzo delle Prigioni, which began life as a prison but is now home base for the Collegium Ducale orchestra.

The Grande Teatro is also worth checking out, if only to ogle the venue’s stunning décor, while tourists regularly flock to Teatro San Gallo for the show Venezia, a popular musical revue that tells the city’s history with a combination of live acts and video projections.

Less ornate, but arguably just as popular, live music venues include Palazzetto Bru Zane and the Palaverde, both of which are known to host diverse lineups from rock and blues to visiting DJs. Night Raider Club is one of the only spots in town to hear heavy metal, while jazz lovers should be sure to hit up Al Vapore, which is also known for great blues, Motown, and funk acts.

Parco San Giuliano, meanwhile, is an amazing place to be in February when the Heineken Jammin live music festival draws thousands for some of the biggest bands in the world, and of course every venue around Piazza San Marco gets in on the fun during Carnevale (also in February).