Plenty of urban downtowns have hip hotels and restaurants, but only Los Angeles can boast the nation’s largest National Register Historic Theater District, with a dozen vintage performance houses. Here in the movie capitol there was room for 15,000 people to see shows simultaneously, from the wee Cameo nickelodeon (1910) to the magnificently equipped Los Angeles (1931).

Here’s evidence that Venetian architecture didn’t stop with the greats of the Renaissance and Baroque. In 1957 Carlo Scarpa was commissioned by Adriano Olivetti to design a showcase for his company’s now-classic typewriters and office machines. Scarpa radically opened up and reorganised the space, making use of heavy marble, brass and wood. The effect is light and airy, with a central staircase that seems to float, and the floor brought to life by coloured mosaic tiles. A display of vintage Olivetti equipment gives a sense of the showroom’s midcentury heyday.

Some people pooh-pooh the idea of a gondola ride because it’s too touristy. But viewing the city from the water is like entering a secret, more intimate city, and to see the the gondolier navigating tight spaces and turning blind corners can be hugely entertaining.

An appealing little oasis in the heart of the city’s Jewish Ghetto – the world’s first, established 1516. Today the area is growing lively with a museum, shops and restaurants, including this one, which may be the prettiest, especially in the garden during summer and early autumn. Venetian-Jewish cuisine draws on traditions from a number of different countries, reflected in the kosher and meat-free menu that includes Roman-style fried artichokes, Middle Eastern humus and baba ganoush, and one Venetian standard which originated right here: bigoli in salsa, or spaghetti with anchovy and onion sauce.

Souvenirs come in all shapes and sizes, for some it’s a fridge magnet, others require something more substantial. So how about a piece of classic Finnish design? This large basement shop specialises in restored pieces made by Artek, the company founded by Alvar Aalto in the 1930s, and extends to other designers including fellow Finns such as Ilmari Tapiovaara and Tapio Wirkkala, alongside heavy-hitters from Scandinavia, Italy and the USA. Come here for provenance rather than bargains and for their own door-to-door delivery service to the UK, France, Belgium and Germany.

Completed in 1969, this church still feels like a glimpse into a better future world. It’s quite unremarkable at street level, entrance is through a bunker-like entrance which opens into the oval-shaped building, its walls carved out of solid rock, the ceiling a copper dome held in place by concrete struts and glass through which pours natural light. It’s a thrilling place to visit, whether for a concert or just to explore the space – it’s also a very popular tourist destination so crowds are likely.