Inferno: Florence, Venice and Istanbul

All of Inferno's Florence, from the escape on the south bank to the Dante quarter: the gardens, the corridor, the palace and its square, then the churches of Dante and Beatrice. Several places keep set hours or need booking, so plan two full days.

The middle of the riddle: the doge who 'severed the heads of horses'. The bronze horses on the basilica terrace are copies; the originals are in the Museo di San Marco upstairs, with a separate ticket. The Bridge of Sighs can be crossed only inside the Doge's Palace.

The finale, in what was Constantinople. Dandolo's floor stone is in the upper gallery of the great church, a mosque again since 2020; the 'sunken palace' is the Byzantine cistern of 336 columns. Cover shoulders and knees, and avoid prayer times.