Giudecca is a long, slender neighbourhood across the Giudecca Canal from Venice’s historic centre, facing the Zattere waterfront. Made up of islands linked by bridges, it has a slower, more residential feel than the lanes around San Marco and Rialto. Its northern waterfront offers sweeping views across the canal, while quieter backstreets reveal a less touristed side of the city.
Once a place of gardens and grand villas, Giudecca later became an industrial and working-class district. The vast brick Molino Stucky, a former flour mill now housing a hotel, is a conspicuous reminder of that past. The neighbourhood is also home to Andrea Palladio’s Redentore church, commissioned after the plague of 1575–77. Each July, the Festa del Redentore commemorates the city’s deliverance with a temporary bridge across the canal and fireworks over the water.
Visit Giudecca for a waterfront walk, a seafood lunch or a spritz with views towards the Salute and central Venice. Contemporary art spaces occupy some former industrial buildings, while the private Garden of Eden hints at the island’s greener past; don’t count on being able to enter. Vaporetti stop at Zitelle, Redentore and Palanca, with the crossing from Zattere taking only a few minutes. Check restaurant hours before setting out, and if visiting during Redentore weekend, book ahead and expect crowds and changes to boat services.