As someone who grew up in Cambridge, UK, I am quite used to the idea of punting boats along the river, and seeing historical monuments along the way. Of course, in Venice, they use Gondolas, but the idea is much the same. A Gondolier would use a single oar to navigate the narrow canals and will offer some sightseeing narratives as they do so.
Since Gondola rides are the signature attraction in Venice - and why wouldn't they be, the city is built on water - a lot of tourists miss out on exploring much of the pedestrianised areas as well as some of the more famous landmarks like the Piazza San Marco or St Mark's Basilica.
To be honest, I was sparsely prepared when I visited, so these landmarks were not something I sought out. They just looked like they might be something of note and I took some pictures of them / with them. My next visit will involve a lot more pre-planning, as well as research on all the various places and what they are.
One thing which always sticks out to me when I think of Venice, is the infamous Shakespeare play "The Merchant of Venice" and the widely used phrase "A pound of flesh."
I can think of a few times in my life where "a pound of flesh" has been demanded of me but none better than during my days as a frivolous student, racking up exorbitant student loan debt and at the same time, getting loans and overdrafts from banks. It feels great.. until you have to pay it back, and it wouldn't be for another 5 years of slogging away at my first job after college that I would pay those debts back. Considering the salary that I was on, it felt like I was giving up a pound of flesh in repayments every month!