Lido

Lido Vaporetto terminal, seen from the Lagoon.

Lido settlements on the Lido island and the Venetian Lagoon.

The Lido is an 11 km long sandbar located in Venice, northern Italy, home to about 20,000 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September.

Geography

The island is home to three settlements. The Lido itself, in the north, is home to the Film Festival, the Grand Hotel des Bains, the Venice Casino and the Grand Hotel Excelsior. Malamocco, in the centre, is the first and, for a long time, the only settlement. It was at one time home to the Doge of Venice. Alberoni at the southern end is home to the golf course.

At least half the Adriatic side of the island is constituted by a sandy beach, much of which belongs to the various hotels that house the summer tourists. These include the renowned Excelsior and the Des Bains, setting for Thomas Mann's classic novel Death in Venice. These beaches are private, though towards the northern and southern ends of the island there are two enormous public beaches. The Adriatic Sea is fairly clean and warm, ideal for children, with only the occasional jellyfish to disturb swimming.

The heart of the island is the Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, a wide street approximately 700 m long that leads from the lagoon on one side to the sea on the other. It houses hotels, shops, and tourist-centric restaurants.

Venezia Lido, a public airport suitable for smaller aircraft, is found on the NE end of Lido di Venezia. It has a 1000m grass runway.

History

In 1177 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III signed the Treaty of Venice here following Frederick's defeat at the Battle of Legnano in 1176.

In 1202 at the beginning of the Fourth Crusade, it was used as a camp by tens of thousands of crusaders, who were blockaded there by the Venetians when they could not pay for the Venetian ships they needed for transport.

In 1857 the first bathing facility was set up. This was the first time that anything similar had been seen in Europe. Soon, the lido became "The Lido", a byword for a beach resort. The Lido's success and the fascination of Venice nearby made the Lido famous worldwide.

Major beach facilities, hotels and private summer villas have remained the heart of an island that is still known as the "Golden Island".

Legacy

The term Lido, from this island, is used to refer to certain types of outdoor swimming pools especially in Great Britain, and the "Lido deck" on a cruise ship. It also forms the first part of many place names in coastal locations throughout Italy. The British travel writer Robin Saikia has written a literary history, The Venice Lido, charting the island's story from its early beginnings to the present day.

External links

• Satellite image of the Venetian Lido from Google Maps
• Venice Lido Beaches
• Lido di Venezia
• The Venice Lido by Robin Saikia

Coordinates: 45°23′N 12°21′E / 45.383°N 12.35°E / 45.383; 12.35