If you have already ridden a gondola along the Grand Canal, taken in the sights of the opulent Doge’s Palace or enjoyed a luxurious lunch on the Piazza San Marco, you would be forgiven for believing that you’d exhausted all the attractions of Venice.

Yet another reason to stop over in the remarkable Italian city, however, comes this year in the form of the Venice Biennale, one of the world's great cultural festivals.