Venice is an extraordinary city. Located in the Veneto region, it sits in a lagoon of the Adriatic Sea, spanning 118 islands connected by over 400 bridges and numerous canals.
Venice was founded when people fled to the lagoon to escape invasions by Germanic tribes. In the Middle Ages, it developed into a powerful maritime republic (“La Serenissima”) through trade, reaching its heyday between the 9th and 15th centuries. Venice has only belonged to Italy since 1866, and it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
The lagoon city, which was built on millions of wooden piles, is characterised by a blend of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance styles. Its distinctive features include richly decorated facades, pointed arches, intricate rose windows and colourful mosaics. Notable buildings include the Byzantine Basilica di San Marco, the Campanile bell tower, the Gothic Palazzo Ducale (the former seat of the Venetian rulers) and the churches of Santa Maria della Salute and Santa Frari, which houses works of art by Titian. The Grand Canal is lined with numerous palaces of Venetian patrician families from the 12th and 18th centuries, including the Ca' d'Oro and the Palazzo Grassi.
The four-kilometre-long, S-shaped Canale Grande is Venice's main thoroughfare. Vaporetto lines, gondolas and water taxis operate here. The Canale Grande is considered the 'waterway of palaces'. Bridges such as the famous Rialto Bridge connect the banks.
We visited Venice in 2003 and 2010. Our recommendation: Stay in Treviso and explore cultural Venice from there. Treviso is located 25 kilometres from Venice and can be easily accessed by train. Treviso exudes Italian flair and offers sophisticated cuisine.
