Casanova's Venice

Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice in 1725. He went on to become the city's favourite son, celebrated not for the fact he invented the state lottery in France, nor for helping write Mozart's "Don Giovanni" opera, nor even that he penned 42 novels and was an influential mathematician. Instead, he is famed the world over and especially worshipped by the gondoliers of Venice, for his notorious womanising, as detailed in explicit form in his autobiographical masterpiece, "The Story of My Life", which at twelve volumes and 3600 pages, was unfinished at the time of his death in 1798.

In truth, Casanova only spent part of his life in Venice, as he was banished from the city for his hedonistic lifestyle, going on to become one of the first travel writers in history detailing his life spent living in Naples, Rome, Constantinople (Istanbul), Paris, St Petersburg, Moscow, Rome, and Prague amongst many others.

This site, walks you through the most important Venice buildings, which played a part in Casanova's 18th Century life - from his birthplace and childhood home, to the church were he studied as a priest, the house where he lost his virginity to two sisters and the dungeon from which he was imprisoned for homosexuality and another from which he famously escaped. We visit the 300 year old taverns and restaurants where he entertained many of his women, including Teresa, a transsexual opera singer with whom he fell in love, and take a boat to the convent where he misled a young nun or two.

This is modern day Venice through the 18th Century eyes of its favourite son.

To follow the Route in Casanova's Venice, CLICK HERE to open Google Maps...