Canal Courtyards Venice
Legal

Terms of Use

Effective Date: 5 May 2026 · Version 1.0 — Last Updated: 5 May 2026

1. Definitions

In these Terms of Use:

  • "Service" means the website at canalcourtyards.com and any associated content provided by the Operator.
  • "Operator", "we", "us" means Canal Courtyards, the editorial project responsible for the Service, based at Fondamenta Madona de l'Orto, 3482, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy. Contact: editor@canalcourtyards.com.
  • "User", "you" means any natural or legal person accessing the Service.
  • "Content" means all editorial text, photographs, illustrations and other material made available through the Service.

2. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Service you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these Terms of Use and by our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. The Service is intended for users aged 16 and over (the threshold under Italian implementation of Article 8 GDPR). If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service.

3. Description of Service

Canal Courtyards is a free, English-language editorial guide to twelve historic places in Venice. The Service consists of essays, photographs and practical visit information. The Service does not sell tickets, run tours, take affiliate commissions or process payments of any kind.

4. User Conduct & Prohibited Uses

You agree not to:

  1. Use the Service for any unlawful purpose, in violation of Italian, EU or other applicable law;
  2. Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Service, related systems or networks;
  3. Use automated means (scrapers, bots, spiders) to extract Content beyond what is permitted by our robots.txt file and ordinary search-engine indexing;
  4. Reproduce, redistribute, sell or sub-license Content beyond what is permitted under Section 5 below;
  5. Interfere with the Service or impose an unreasonable load on its infrastructure;
  6. Post, send or transmit any material that infringes third-party rights, contains malware, or constitutes harassment.

5. Intellectual Property

All Content on the Service is © 2026 Canal Courtyards and its contributors, unless explicitly attributed otherwise. Content is protected under Italian Law no. 633/1941 (the Italian Copyright Act) and applicable EU directives.

You may:

  • Read, browse and print individual pages for personal, non-commercial use;
  • Quote short passages with proper attribution to Canal Courtyards (canalcourtyards.com), in line with the right of citation under Article 70 of the Italian Copyright Act.

You may not, without our prior written consent:

  • Reproduce or republish photographs or substantial bodies of text;
  • Use any Content for commercial purposes, including in advertising, paid-for guides, or AI-training datasets;
  • Remove copyright notices or attribution.

Image rights enquiries: rights@canalcourtyards.com.

6. Right of Withdrawal

The Service is provided free of charge and does not constitute a distance contract for goods or paid services. The right of withdrawal under Articles 52 ff. of the Italian Consumer Code (Legislative Decree 206/2005) therefore does not apply.

7. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the Service, in whole or in part, at any time and without notice, including in cases where we have reason to believe these Terms have been breached. Termination does not affect any rights that have already accrued.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Operator makes no warranties, express or implied, including without limitation any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy of content, or uninterrupted availability. Practical information (opening hours, prices, transport details) may change without notice; always confirm with the relevant institution before relying on it.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Operator's total liability arising out of or in connection with the Service or these Terms is limited to fifty (50) euros. The Operator shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, even where advised of the possibility of such damages. Nothing in this clause shall limit or exclude liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or death or personal injury caused by negligence, where such limitation would be unenforceable under Italian law.

10. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold the Operator harmless from any claim, loss, damage or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms or your unlawful use of the Service.

11. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be flagged on the home page for at least 30 days. Continued use of the Service after publication of revised Terms constitutes acceptance.

12. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a competent court, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

13. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by Italian law. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with the Service or these Terms shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Venice (Italy), without prejudice to any mandatory consumer-protection rules entitling a consumer-User to bring proceedings in the courts of their habitual residence within the European Union.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms: editor@canalcourtyards.com.