I've never been to Venice, but when I pulled in to the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas it seemed like I was pretty darn close. The Venetian's facade is a replica of much of the famed Italian city's architecture. Its main entrance is a replica of Doge's Palace, called "the emblem of Venice." Adjacent to it sits a reproduction of the 1420 "Ca'd'Oro," or "House of Gold," Venice's most magnificent palace. My eyes also beheld a clock tower, one of Venetian's most famous landmarks.If it sounds overly garish, bear in mind: It's on the Strip, where terms like "over-the-top" are unheard of. Once inside, I was instantly transported. The lobby has a very grand feel, starting with the fountain—situated just inside of the entrance—which is topped with a sphere comprised of four gold rings suspended by mermaids and lions. This unique apparatus is an oversized (is there any other kind in Vegas?) replica of an armillary sphere used for navigation during the Italian Renaissance. Add a heap of marble and paintings (maybe frescoes, definitely impressive), a dash of roving musicians, a flowing canal with gondolas, and a pinch of bellman who greet guests in Italian and you come up with a pure Italian destination. The Venetian's 4,027 rooms, all of them suites, are surprisingly cozy. There are apparently several different styles but mine opened into a big bedroom that ended with steps leading down to a sunken living room. The property's massive meeting and convention space, more than 1.8 million sf of it, including the Sands Expo Convention Center, is equally grand. It helps that meeting rooms have names like "Casanova" and "Marco Polo."