This is a tour that will really let youdiscover another side of the city, the islands. These islands are inhabited by ahandful people destined to continue the fate of their ancestors. The Desert isan island where St. Francis, on his way back to Syria, decided to stop andleave some monks who founded a monastery following the rules of the Saint basedon poverty and silence. Torcello, another island which is close by, is wherethe first people living on the mainland decided to settle as they were escapingthe barbarian invasions. As matter of fact, this place is the cradle of Venice.Then you can have a great lunch break (not included) at the Locanda Cipriani,where Hemingway used to stay. As you are returning to the city, you will startthe guided tour on the island of St. Lazarus, where a community of Armenianmonks still live, studying and preserving the culture of this persecutedpeople.