Now the venue for the art Biennale, the Arsenale was once the biggest military-industrial complex in Europe. The workers here, the arsenalotti, could turn out a ship a day, allowing Venice to maintain its maritime empire and keep the Ottomans more or less at bay. These workers constituted an artisan elite in Venice, unionised and decently paid. They even got a daily wine allowance. The 'City of Refuge' trail in the Hidden Venice app puts you outside the gates in 1572. Tap find out more.

Caffè Florian wasn't the first coffee shop in Venice but it's the oldest still going. It opened in 1720 as Venice Triumphant, but soon became Florian's, after the owner Floriano Francesconi. It was a place to be seen - usually masked (they weren't just for Carnival), but that was more about decorum than real anonymity. You never knew who you might bump into. The 'Venice Unmasked' trail puts you here in 1730, in the middle of a true crime investigation. Tap find out more.

Cloth and spices from the East. Furs and wood from the North. Currants, wine, and olive oil from Greece. Sometimes you could hardly see the lagoon for all the ships. Venice was one of Europe's most important ports during the Renaissance. And it wasn't just goods: refugees fled here from Ottoman Turk advances into the Venetian empire, while many others flocked to work in the city's booming economy. The 'City of Refuge' audio trail puts you on the docks in 1572. Tap find out more.

If you cross the Ponte dei Pugni - the Bridge of the Fists - you'll spot four marble footprints on top. They’re almost the only urban trace of an obsessive rivalry that, until the 18th century, turned Venice's bridges into battlefields. On one side, the Castellani, the boatbuilders from the east end. On the other, the Nicolotti, the fishermen of Venice. The 'Boats, Bridges, and Battles' trail puts you here one evening in 1639, and gets to the heart of this ritual warfare. Tap find out more.

This easy to miss bar, the Cantina Do Spade, first opened its doors in the 15th century, one of the many taverns that clustered near the Rialto. In theory only foreigners could drink in osterie, but they were social hubs for Venetians too. They were also well known for illegal gambling, prostitution, and violence. 'Venice Unmasked' puts you here in 1730, in a true crime trail led by the captain of the 'vice squad'. Tap find out more.

Whether you were a noble on your Grand Tour or a gondolier in the cheap seats, opera was the new thing in the 17th century, and Venice was its undisputed capital. By 1700 there were at least 10 theatres. The one in this courtyard, San Giovanni Grisostomo, now the Malibran, was built in 1678 and was the most luxurious of its day. The 'Venice Unmasked' trail puts you here in 1730, in the middle of a true crime investigation. Tap find out more.

This local church may be off the beaten track, but you'll find treasures inside. Starting in 1555, Paolo Veronese worked here in fresco and canvas on the request of the church's prior, who was also from Verona. St Sebastian is a plague saint, and pestilence – which seafaring Venice was vulnerable to – prompted the 15th-century reconstruction of this church. Stop by in 1639, in the 'Boatmakers, Bridges and Battles' trail, as you head to the Ponte dei Pugni. Tap find out more.

St George, usually spearing a dragon, was the patron saint of the Scuola of San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, famous for the Renaissance canvases by Vittore Carpaccio inside the building. The schiavoni or Slavs were sailors, shipbuilders and merchants from Dalmatia, and their ‘scuola’ or religious fraternity was a crucial hub of migrant community. Stop by in 1572 in the ‘City of Refuge’ trail, where you’ll also discover the nearby church and ‘scuola’ of the Greeks. Tap find out more.

Squero is Venetian dialect for boatyard, and the Squero di San Trovaso is one of just a few working boatyards that survive today. Wood was shipped along waterways from the Dolomites north of Venice, and boatyards like this turned out everything from sleek gondolas to workaday barges. Stop by in 1639, in the 'Boats, Bridges and Battles' trail, as Sebastiano takes you around Dorsoduro on the way to the Ponte dei Pugni. Tap find out more.