'Mini Venice' shopping centre in Middle East boasts gondolas, M&S and theme park

A travel influencer was left astounded after discovering a 'Venice replica' inside a shopping centre thousands of miles away from the actual Italian city.

Sabrina Samoria, who refers to herself as the 'Queen of Holidays' on her TikTok page, shared a video this week from her recent trip to Qatar. The footage shows her exploring a shopping centre that strikingly resembles the iconic Italian city of Venice, known for its picturesque waterways and boats.

"You can even take a ride on a gondola here. The indoor canal is a distinctive feature and runs through the centre of the shopping mall," Sabrina comments as she wanders around the venue. Despite her visit taking place at night, the video she posted displays bright blue skies due to an impressive, artificial sky installation.

She elaborates: "How cool is this? Right now it's pitch black outside but if you look up there you'll see this beautifully painted ceiling which honestly feels real."

The shopping centre, located in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, boasts even more Venice-inspired features including a theme park named 'Gondolania', equipped with a Ferris wheel and roller coaster. "It's absolutely crazy," Sabrina grins, adding that, "the mall is like a large indoor air-conditioned attraction."

In addition to the canal, the mall boasts a 7D cinema, a lazy river and an arcade filled with computer games. There's also an Olympic-sized skating rink and a plethora of shops, including Zara, Lacoste and Marks & Spencer - the latter of which Sabrina "definitely wasn't expecting" to find so far from home.

"So where can you find this beautiful piece of Italy?," Sabrina asks. "This is Villagio Mall, which is located in the Aspire zone in the west end of Doha." One user, clearly