Venice

Venice Venezia
—  Comune  —
Comune di Venezia
Panorama of Venice
Coat of arms
Venice Location of Venice in Italy
Coordinates: 45°26′N 12°19′E / 45.433°N 12.317°E / 45.433; 12.317Coordinates: 45°26′N 12°19′E / 45.433°N 12.317°E / 45.433; 12.317
Country	Italy
Region	Veneto
Province	Venice (VE)
Frazioni	Chirignago, Favaro Veneto, Mestre, Marghera, Murano, Burano, Giudecca, Lido, Zelarino
Government
- Mayor	Massimo Cacciari (Democratic Party)
Area
- Total	414.57 km2 (160.1 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (30 April 2009)
- Total	270,660
- Density	652.9/km2 (1,690.9/sq mi)
- Demonym	Veneziani
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	30100
Dialing code	041
Patron saint	St. Mark the Evangelist
Saint day	April 25
Website	Official website

Venice and its Lagoon*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Italy
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi
Reference	394
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1987  (11th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Venice (Italian: Venezia, IPA: /ve'nεttsia/, Venetian: Venesia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 (census estimate January 1, 2004). Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area (population 1,600,000). The city historically was an independent nation. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light". Luigi Barzini, writing in The New York Times, described it as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man".^[1] Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.^[2]

The city stretches across 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. The population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000^[3] in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazione of Mestre and Marghera; and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon.

The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. Venice is also famous for its musical, particularly operatic, history, and its most famous son in this field is Antonio Vivaldi.

History

Origins

While there are no historical records that deal directly with the origins of Venice, the available evidence has led several historians to agree that the original population of Venice comprised refugees from Roman cities such as Padua, Aquileia, Altino and Concordia (modern Portogruaro) who were fleeing successive waves of Germanic invasions and Huns.^[4] Some late Roman sources reveal the existence of fishermen on the islands in the original marshy lagoons. They were referred to as incolae lacunae (lagoon dwellers).

Beginning in 166-168, the Quadi and Marcomanni destroyed the main center in the area, the current Oderzo. The Roman defences were again overthrown in the early 5th century by the Visigoths and, some 50 years later, by the Huns led by Attila. The last and most enduring irruption was that of the Lombards in 568, leaving the Eastern Roman Empire a small strip of coast in the current Veneto, and the main administrative and religious entities were therefore transferred to this remaining dominion. New ports were built, including those at Malamocco and Torcello in the Venetian lagoon.

The Byzantine domination of central and northern Italy was subsequently largely eliminated by the conquest of the Exarchate of Ravenna in 751 by Aistulf. During this period, the seat of the local Byzantine governor (the "duke/dux", later "doge") was situated in Malamocco. Settlement on the islands in the lagoon probably increased in correspondence with the Lombard conquest of the Byzantine territories.

In 775-776, the bishopric seat of Olivolo (Helipolis) was created. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco (811-827) the ducal seat was moved from Malamocco to the highly protected Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") island, the current location of Venice. The monastery of St. Zachary and the first ducal palace and basilica of St. Mark, as well as a walled defense (civitatis murus) between Olivolo and Rialto were subsequently built here. Winged lions which may be seen in Venice are a symbol for St. Mark

In 828, the new city's prestige was raised by the acquisition of the claimed relics of St. Mark the Evangelist from Alexandria, which were placed in the new basilica. The patriarchal seat was also moved to Rialto. As the community continued to develop and as Byzantine power waned, it led to the growth of autonomy and eventual independence.

Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile in the background.

These Horses of Saint Mark are a replica of the Triumphal Quadriga captured in Constantinople in 1204 and carried to Venice as a trophy.

Expansion

From the ninth to the twelfth century Venice developed into a city state (an Italian thalassocracy or Repubblica Marinara, the other three being Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi). Its strategic position at the head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. The city became a flourishing trade center between Western Europe and the rest of the world (especially the Byzantine Empire and the Islamic world).

In the 12th century the foundations of Venice's power were laid: the Venetian Arsenal was under construction in 1104; the last autocratic doge, Vitale Michiele, died in 1172.

The Republic of Venice seized a number of locations on the eastern shores of the Adriatic before 1200, mostly for commercial reasons, because pirates based there were a menace to trade. The Doge already carried the titles of Duke of Dalmatia and Duke of Istria. Later mainland possessions, which extended across Lake Garda as far west as the Adda River, were known as the "Terraferma", and were acquired partly as a buffer against belligerent neighbours, partly to guarantee Alpine trade routes, and partly to ensure the supply of mainland wheat, on which the city depended. In building its maritime commercial empire, the Republic dominated the trade in salt,^[5] acquired control of most of the islands in the Aegean, including Cyprus and Crete, and became a major power-broker in the Near East. By the standards of the time, Venice's stewardship of its mainland territories was relatively enlightened and the citizens of such towns as Bergamo, Brescia and Verona rallied to the defence of Venetian sovereignty when it was threatened by invaders.

Venice remained closely associated with Constantinople, being twice granted trading privileges in the Eastern Roman Empire, through the so-called Golden Bulls or 'chrysobulls' in return for aiding the Eastern Empire to resist Norman and Turkish incursions. In the first chrysobull Venice acknowledged its homage to the Empire but not in the second, reflecting the decline of Byzantium and the rise of Venice's power.^[6][7]

Venice became an imperial power following the Fourth Crusade, which seized Constantinople in 1204, and established the Latin Empire. In 1204 the Venetians sacked the city and brought great quantities of booty back to Venice. Following this, the former Roman Empire was partitioned among the Latin crusaders and the Venetians. Venice subsequently carved out a sphere of influence known as the Duchy of the Archipelago, and seized Crete. This seizure of Constantinople would ultimately prove as decisive a factor in ending the Byzantine Empire as the loss of the Anatolian themes after Manzikert. Though the Byzantines recovered control of the ravaged city a half century later, the Byzantine Empire was greatly weakened, and existed as a ghost of its old self, struggling on with the help, among other things, of loans from Venice (never repaid) until Sultan Mehmet The Conqueror took the city in 1453. Considerable Byzantine plunder was brought back to Venice, including the gilt bronze horses which were placed above the entrance to St Mark's cathedral.

View of San Giorgio Maggiore Island from St. Mark's Campanile.

Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice always traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world extensively. By the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe. At the peak of its power and wealth, it had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating Mediterranean commerce. During this time, Venice's leading families vied with each other to build the grandest palaces and support the work of the greatest and most talented artists. The city was governed by the Great Council, which was made up of members of the noble families of Venice. The Great Council appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. Since this group was too large for efficient administration, a Council of Ten (also called the Ducal Council or the Signoria), controlled much of the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected "Doge", or duke, the ceremonial head of the city, who normally held the title until his death.

The Venetian governmental structure was similar in some ways to the republican system of ancient Rome, with an elected chief executive (the Doge), a senate-like assembly of nobles, and a mass of citizens with limited political power, who originally had the power to grant or withhold their approval of each newly elected Doge. Church and various private properties were tied to military service, though there was no knight tenure within the city itself. The Cavalieri di San Marco was the only order of chivalry ever instituted in Venice, and no citizen could accept or join a foreign order without the government's consent. Venice remained a republic throughout its independent period and politics and the military were kept separate, except when on occasion the Doge personally headed the military. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means (hence, the city's early production of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere, and later its reliance on foreign mercenaries when the ruling class was preoccupied with commerce).

Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo.

The chief executive was the Doge, who theoretically held his elective office for life. In practice, several Doges were forced by pressure from their oligarchical peers to resign the office and retire into monastic seclusion when they were felt to have been discredited by perceived political failure.

Though the people of Venice generally remained orthodox Roman Catholics, the state of Venice was notable for its freedom from religious fanaticism and it enacted not a single execution for religious heresy during the Counter-Reformation. This apparent lack of zeal contributed to Venice's frequent conflicts with the Papacy. Venice was threatened with the interdict on a number of occasions and twice suffered its imposition. The second, most famous, occasion was on April 27, 1509, by order of Pope Julius II (see League of Cambrai).

Venetian ambassadors sent home still-extant secret reports of the politics and rumours of European courts, providing fascinating information to modern historians.

The newly-invented German printing press spread rapidly throughout Europe in the fifteenth century, and Venice was quick to adopt it. By 1482 Venice was the printing capital of the world, and the leading printer was Aldus Manutius, who invented the concept of paperback books that could be carried in a saddlebag. His Aldine Editions included translations of nearly all the known Greek manuscripts of the era.^[8]

Decline

Venice’s long decline started in the 15th century, when it first made an unsuccessful attempt to hold Thessalonica against the Ottomans (1423-1430). She also sent ships to help defend Constantinople against the besieging Turks (1453). After the city fell to Sultan Mehmet II he declared war on Venice. The war lasted thirty years and cost Venice much of her eastern Mediterranean possessions. Next, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. Then Portugal found a sea route to India, destroying Venice’s land route monopoly. France, England and Holland followed them. Venice’s oared galleys had no advantage when it came to traversing the great oceans. She was left behind in the race for colonies.

The Black Death devastated Venice in 1348 and once again between 1575 and 1577. In three years the plague killed some 50,000 people.^[9] In 1630, the plague killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens.^[10] Venice began to lose its position as a center of international trade during the later part of the Renaissance as Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in the trade with the East, striking at the very foundation of Venice's great wealth, while France and Spain fought for hegemony over Italy in the Italian Wars, marginalising its political influence. However, the Venetian empire was a major exporter of agricultural products and, until the mid-18th century, a significant manufacturing center.

Military and naval affairs

Historic map of Venice by Piri Reis

By 1303, crossbow practice had become compulsory in the city, with citizens training in groups. As weapons became more expensive and complex to operate, professional soldiers were assigned to help work merchant sailing ships and as rowers in galleys. The company of "Noble Bowmen" was recruited in the later 14th century from among the younger aristocracy and served aboard both war-galleys and as armed merchantmen, with the privilege of sharing the captain's cabin.

Though Venice was famous for its navy, its army was equally effective. In the 13th century, most Italian city states already were hiring mercenaries, but Venetian troops were still recruited from the lagoon, plus feudal levies from Dalmatia (the very famous Schiavoni or Oltremarini)^[11] and Istria. In times of emergency, all males between seventeen and sixty years were registered and their weapons were surveyed, with those called to actually fight being organized into companies of twelve. The register of 1338 estimated that 30,000 Venetian men were capable of bearing arms; many of these were skilled crossbowmen. As in other Italian cities, aristocrats and other wealthy men were cavalrymen while the city's conscripts fought as infantry.

By 1450, more than 3,000 Venetian merchant ships were in operation. Most of these could be converted when necessary into either warships or transports. The government required each merchant ship to carry a specified number of weapons (mostly crossbows and javelins) and armour; merchant passengers were also expected to be armed and to fight when necessary. A reserve of some 25 (later 100) war-galleys was maintained in the Arsenal. Galley slaves did not exist in medieval Venice, the oarsmen coming from the city itself or from its possessions, especially Dalmatia. Those from the city were chosen by lot from each parish, their families being supported by the remainder of the parish while the rowers were away. Debtors generally worked off their obligations rowing the galleys. Rowing skills were encouraged through races and regattas.

Early in the 15th century, as new mainland territories were expanded, the first standing army was organized, consisting of condottieri on contract. In its alliance with Florence in 1426, Venice agreed to supply 8,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry in time of war, and 3,000 and 1,000 in peacetime. Later in that century, uniforms were adopted that featured red-and-white stripes, and a system of honors and pensions developed. Throughout the 15th century, Venetian land forces were almost always on the offensive and were regarded as the most effective in Italy, largely because of the tradition of all classes carrying arms in defense of the city and official encouragement of general military training.

Venice, by Bolognino Zaltieri, 1565.

The command structure in the army was different from that of the fleet. By ancient law, no nobleman could command more than twenty-five men (to prevent the possibility of sedition by private armies), and while the position of Captain General was introduced in the mid-14th century, he still had to answer to a civilian panel of twenty Savi or "wise men". Not only was efficiency not degraded, this policy saved Venice from the military takeovers that other Italian city states so often experienced. A civilian commissioner (not unlike a commissar) accompanied each army to keep an eye on things, especially the mercenaries. The Venetian military tradition also was notably cautious; they were more interested in achieving success with a minimum expense of lives and money than in the pursuit of glory.

Modern era

A map of the sestiere of San Marco.

After 1,070 years, the Republic lost its independence when Napoleon Bonaparte on May 12, 1797, conquered Venice during the First Coalition. The French conqueror brought to an end the most fascinating century of its history: during the Settecento (18th century) Venice became perhaps the most elegant and refined city in Europe, greatly influencing art, architecture and literature. Napoleon was seen as something of a liberator by the city's Jewish population, although it can be argued they had lived with fewer restrictions in Venice. He removed the gates of the Ghetto and ended the restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city.

Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio on October 12, 1797. The Austrians took control of the city on January 18, 1798. It was taken from Austria by the Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 and became part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In 1848-1849 a revolt briefly reestablished the Venetian Republic under Daniele Manin. In 1866, following the Third Italian War of Independence, Venice, along with the rest of the Veneto, became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.

During the Second World War, the city was largely free from attack, the only aggressive effort of note being Operation Bowler, a precision strike on the German naval operations there in 1945. Venice was finally liberated by New Zealand troops under Freyberg on 29 April, 1945.^[12]

Geography

Sestieri of Venice:
    Cannaregio
    Castello
    Dorsoduro
    San Marco
    San Polo
    Santa Croce

The city is divided into six areas or "sestiere". These are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). Each sestiere was administered by a procurator and his staff.

These districts consist of parishes — initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about 1170.

Other islands of the Venetian Lagoon do not form part of any of the sestieri, having historically enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy.

Each sestiere has its own house numbering system. Each house has a unique number in the district, from one to several thousand, generally numbered from one corner of the area to another, but not usually in a readily understandable manner.

At the front of the Gondolas that work in the city there is a large piece of metal intended as a likeness of the Doge's hat. On this sit six notches pointing forwards and one pointing backwards. Each of these represent one of the Sestieri (the one which points backwards represents the Giudecca).

Sinking of Venice

Acqua Alta or high water in Venice.

Venice and surroundings in false color, from Terra. The picture is oriented with North at the top.

The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from the mainland. (Under water, in the absence of oxygen, wood does not decay. It is petrified as a result of the constant flow of mineral-rich water around and through it, so that it becomes a stone-like structure.) The piles penetrate a softer layer of sand and mud until they reach the much harder layer of compressed clay. Wood for piles was cut in the most western part of today's Slovenia, resulting in the barren land in a region today called Kras, and in two regions of Croatia, Lika and Gorski kotar (resulting in the barren slopes of Velebit). Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The buildings are often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring.

Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment.

During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realized that extraction of the aquifer was the cause. This sinking process has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable.

Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking,^[13][14] but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003 the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of inflatable gates; the idea is to lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic sea. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2011.

Some experts say that the best way to protect Venice is to physically lift the City to a greater height above sea level, by pumping water into the soil underneath the city.^[15] This way, some hope, it could rise above sea levels, protecting it for hundreds of years, and eventually the MOSE project may not be necessary (it will, controversially, alter the tidal patterns in the lagoon, damaging some wildlife). A further point about the "lifting" system would be that it would be permanent; the MOSE Project is, by its very nature, a temporary system: it is expected to protect Venice for only 100 years.

In 1604, to defray the cost of flood relief Venice introduced what could be considered the first example of what became elsewhere a 'stamp tax'. When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608 Venice introduced paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions which was to be used for 'letters to officials'. Initially this was to be a temporary tax but in fact remained in effect to the fall of the Republic in 1797. Shortly after the introduction of the tax Spain produced similar paper for more general taxation purposes and the practice spread to other countries.

Climate

Economy

Venice's economy has greatly changed throughout history, and has evolved greatly. In the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, Venice was a major centre for commerce and trade, as it controlled a vast sea-empire, and became an extremely wealthy European city, a leader in political and economic affairs and a centre for trade and commerce.^[17] This all changed by the 17th century, when Venice's trade empire was taken over by other countries such as Portugal, and its naval importance was reduced. In the 18th century, then, it became a major agricultural and industrial exporter. The 18th century's biggest industrial complex was the Venice Arsenal, and the Italian Army still uses it today (even though some space has been used for major theatrical and cultural productions, and beautiful spaces for art).^[18] Today, Venice's economy is mainly based on tourism, shipbuilding (mainly done in the neighbouring cities of Mestre and Porto Marghera, services, trade and industrial exports.^[17] Murano glass production in Murano and lace production in Burano is also highly important to the economy.^[17]

Tourism

Interior view of the Caffè Florian.

Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, due to the city being one of the world's greatest and most beautiful cities of art^[19]. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate)^[20]. In 2006, it was the world's 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year.^[21]

Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major centre for the grand tour, due to its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the rich and famous, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century^[19] In the 1980s the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic and musical productions^[19]

Today there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, to name a few. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities and mainly people in the cinematic industry.^[19]

Transportation

Aerial view of Venice including the bridge to the mainland

The Ponte dei Sospiri, the "Bridge of Sighs".

Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 118 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot. In the 19th century a causeway to the mainland brought a railway station to Venice, and an automobile causeway and parking lot was added in the 20th century. Beyond these land entrances at the northern edge of the city, transportation within the city remains, as it was in centuries past, entirely on water or on foot. Venice is Europe's largest urban car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.

Waterways

The classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Most Venetians now travel by motorised waterbuses (vaporetti) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city's islands. Many gondolas are lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. Gondoliers typically charge between 80 and 100 euros for a 35 minute "giro" or excursion around some canals. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges. Visitors can also take the watertaxis between areas of the city.

Public transportation

Azienda Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV) is the name of the public transport system in Venice. It combines both land transportation, with buses, and canal travel, with water buses (vaporetti). In total, there are 25 routes which connect the city. A one way pass good for one hour costs 6.50 €; longer term passes for 12 to 72 hours are available, costing 14 to 31 €. An even better deal is the "Venice Card" for 7 days, starting at 47.50 €, which includes unlimited vaporetto travel.

Venice also has water taxis, which are fast but quite expensive.

Airports

Venice is served by the newly rebuilt Marco Polo International Airport, or Aeroporto di Venezia Marco Polo, named in honor of its famous citizen. The airport is on the mainland and was rebuilt away from the coast; however, the water taxis or Alilaguna waterbuses to Venice are only a seven-minute walk from the terminals.

Some airlines market Treviso Airport in Treviso, 20 km from Venice, as a Venice gateway. Some simply advertise flights to "Venice" without naming the actual airport except in the small print.^[22]

Trains

Venice is serviced by regional and national trains. One of the easiest ways to travel from Rome or other large Italian cities is to use the train. Rome is only slightly over four hours away; Milan is slightly over two and a half hours away. Treviso is thirty-five minutes away.^[23] Florence and Padua are two of the stops between Rome and Venice. The St. Lucia station is a few steps away from a vaporetti stop.

Car

Venice is a no car zone, being built on the water. Cars can reach the car/bus terminal via the bridge (Ponte della Liberta) (SR11). It comes in from the West from Mestre. There are two parking lots which serve the city: Tronchetto and Piazzale Roma. Cars can be parked there anytime for around €30 per day. A ferry to Lido leaves from the parking lot in Tronchetto and it is served by vaporetti and buses of the public transportation.

View of Venice from St Mark's Campanile.

Main sights

This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this article to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (August 2009)

Santa Maria della Salute.

Grand Canal.

A small canal in Venice (Rio della Verona).

A winter sunset across the Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge.

Piazza San Marco and its famous pigeons.

Rialto Bridge seen from a waterbus.

Museums

• Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
• Casa Goldoni a Palazzo Centano
• Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro
• Galleria Internazionale d'Arte Moderna
• Gallerie dell'Accademia
• Galleria di Palazzo Cini
• Museo Correr
• Museo d'Arte Erotica
• Museo d'Arte Orientale
• Museo del Ghetto
• Museo del Merletto di Burano
• Museo del Settecento veneziano (Ca' Rezzonico)
• Museo del Vetro di Murano
• Museo dell'Istituto Ellenico
• Museo della Fondazione Querini Stampalia
• Museo della Scuola Dalmata dei SS. Giorgio e Trifone
• Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia
• Museo di Torcello
• Museo Diocesano di Arte sacra
• Museo Ebraico
• Museo Marciano
• Museo parrocchiale San Pietro Martire
• Museo Wagner (Ca' Vendramin Calergi)
• Museo Storico Navale
• Palazzo Fortuny
• Palazzo Ducale
• Palazzo Grassi
• Peggy Guggenheim Collection
• Pinacoteca e Museo di S. Lazzaro degli Armeni
• Pinacoteca Manfrediniana
• Scuola Grande dei Carmini
• Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista
• Scuola Grande di San Marco
• Scuola Grande di San Rocco

Piazzas and campi

• St Mark's Square
• Campo San Polo

Palaces and palazzi

• Doge's Palace
• Ca' d'Oro
• Ca' Rezzonico
• Ca' Vendramin Calergi
• Fondaco dei Turchi
• Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo
• Palazzo Foscari
• Palazzo Grassi
• Palazzo Labia
• Palazzo Malipiero
• Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (Peggy Guggenheim Collection)
• Scuola Grande di San Marco

Churches

• Basilica di San Marco
• Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
• Other churches

St Mark's Basilica.

Facade of St Mark's Basilica.

Two gondolas in a narrow Venetian canal.

Florians coffee bar in St. Mark's Square, a famous landmark in Venice.

Venice waterfront facing the lagoon

Other buildings

• Accademia
• La Fenice opera house
• La Torre dell'Orologio (St Mark's Clock)
• The Arsenal

Bridges

• Rialto Bridge
• The Bridge of Sighs
• Accademia Bridge
• Scalzi Bridge
• Ponte della Costituzione
• Ponte delle Tette

Surroundings

• The Venetian Lagoon
• Islands:
  • Burano
  • Lazzaretto Vecchio
  • Lido
  • Mazzorbo
  • Murano
  • Mioldalni
  • Isola di La Grazia
  • San Michele
  • Isola Di San Secondo
  • Sacca Sessola
  • Sant'Erasmo
  • Isola Di San Clemente
  • San Francesco nel Deserto
  • San Giorgio in Alga
  • San Giorgio Maggiore
  • San Lazzaro degli Armeni
  • San Servolo
  • Santo Spirito
  • Torcello
  • Vignole
• Giudecca

Venetian Villas

The villas of the Veneto, rural residences for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside. They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. Most of these villas were designed by Palladio, and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the architects, water around the villas was a very important architectural element because it added more brilliance to the façade and allowed Venetian nobles to reach them by boat.

Demographics

In 2007, there were 268,993 people residing in Venice, of whom 47.5% were male and 52.5% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 14.36 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 25.7 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Venice residents is 46 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Venice declined by 0.2 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.85 percent.^[24]

As of 2006, 93.70% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group comes from other European nations (Romanians, the largest group: 3.26%, South Asia: 1.26%, and East Asia: 0.9%). Venice is predominantly Roman Catholic, but because of the long standing relationship with Constantinople there is also a perceptible Orthodox presence, and due to immigration she now has some Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist inhabitants.

Culture

Typical masks worn during the Carnival of Venice.

In the 14th century, many young Venetian men began wearing tight-fitting multicoloured hose, the designs on which indicated the Compagnie della Calza ("Trouser Club") to which they belonged. The Venetian Senate passed sumptuary laws, but these merely resulted in changes in fashion in order to circumvent the law. Dull garments were worn over colourful ones, which then were cut to show the hidden colours resulting in the wide spread of men's "slashed" fashions in the 15th century.

Cinema and Venice in Popular Culture and Media

Venice has been the setting or chosen location of numerous films, novels, poems and other cultural references. The city was a particularly popular setting for several novels, essays, and other works of fictional or non-fictional literature. Examples of these include Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and Othello, Ben Jonson's Volpone, Voltaire's Candide, Casanova's autobiographical History of My Life, Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven, and Philippe Sollers' Watteau in Venice, to name but a few. The city has also been a setting for numerous films and music videos, such as the James Bond series From Russia with Love, Moonraker and Casino Royale, Death in Venice, Fellini's Casanova, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, A Little Romance, The Italian Job, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Madonna's Like a Virgin (song). On adiition to that, numerous video games such as Tomb Raider 2, Gears of War, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Assassin's Creed II^[25] feature Venice in their games.

Music and the Performing Arts

La Fenice operahouse in the city.

The city of Venice in Italy has played an important role in the development of the music of Italy. The Venetian state—i.e. the medieval Maritime Republic of Venice—was often popularly called the "Republic of Music", and an anonymous Frenchman of the 1600s is said to have remarked that "In every home, someone is playing a musical instrument or singing. There is music everywhere." ^[26]

During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition (the Venetian school) and the development of the Venetian polychoral style under composers such as Adrian Willaert, who worked at San Marco. Venice was the early center of music printing; Ottaviano Petrucci began publishing music almost as soon as this technology was available, and his publishing enterprise helped to attract composers from all over Europe, especially from France and Flanders. By the end of the century, Venice was famous for the splendor of its music, as exemplified in the "colossal style" of Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, which used multiple choruses and instrumental groups.also home to Lord Byron (George Gordon) for a number of years.Venice is known for hosting some of the greatest musicians and composers of all time, espcially during the baroque period, such as Antonio Vivaldi, Ippolito Ciera, Giovanni Picchi, Nicola Vicentino and Girolamo Dalla Casa, to name but a few.

Art and Printing

A 18th century view of Venice by Venetian artist Canaletto.

Venice, especially during the Middle-Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, was a major centre of art and developed a unique style known as the Venetian School. In the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, Venice, along with Florence and Rome, became one of the most important centres of art in Europe, and numerous wealthy Venetians became patrons of the arts. Venice at the time was a rich and prosperous Maritime Republic, which controlled a vast sea and trade empire.^[27]

By the end of the 15th century, Venice had become the European capital of printing, being one of the first cities in Italy (after Subiaco and Rome) to have a printing press after those established in Germany, having 417 printers by 1500. The most important printing office was the Aldine Press of Aldus Manutius, which in 1499 printed the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, considered the most beautiful book of Renaissance, and established modern punctuation, the page format and italic type, and the first printed work of Aristotle.

In the sixteenth century Venetian painting was developed through influences from the Paduan School and Antonello da Messina, who introduced the oil painting technique of the van Eyck brothers. It is signified by a warm colour scale and a picturesque use of colour. Early masters where the Bellini and Vivarini families, followed by Giorgione and Titian, then Tintoretto and Veronese. In the early 1500s, also, there was rivalry between whether Venetian painting should use disegno or colorito^[28].

Canvases (the common painting surface) originated in Venice during the early renaissance. These early canvases were generally rough.

In the eighteenth century Venetian painting had a renaissance because of Tiepolo's decorative painting and Canaletto's and Guardi's panoramic views.

Glass

An ornate Murano glass chandelier.

A Venetian glass goblet.

Venice is famous for its ornate glass-work, known as Venetian glass. It is world-renowned for being colourful, elaborate, and skilfully made.

Many of the important characteristics of these objects had been developed by the thirteenth century. Toward the end of that century, the center of the Venetian glass industry moved to Murano.

Byzantine craftsmen played an important role in the development of Venetian glass, an art form for which the city is well-known. When Constantinople was sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, some fleeing artisans came to Venice. This happened again when the Ottomans took Constantinople in 1453, supplying Venice with still more glassworkers. By the sixteenth century, Venetian artisans had gained even greater control over the color and transparency of their glass, and had mastered a variety of decorative techniques.

Despite efforts to keep Venetian glassmaking techniques within Venice, they became known elsewhere, and Venetian-style glassware was produced in other Italian cities and other countries of Europe.

Some of the most important brands of glass in the world today are still produced in the historical glass factories on Murano. They are : Venini, Barovier & Toso, Pauly, Millevetri, Seguso.^[29] Barovier & Toso is considered one of the 100 oldest companies in the world, formed in 1295.

One of the most renowned types of Venetian glasses are made in Murano, known as Murano glass, which has been a famous product of the Venetian island of Murano for centuries. Located off the shore of Venice, Italy, Murano was a commercial port as far back as the 7th century. By the 10th century it had become a well-known city of trade. Today Murano remains a destination for tourists and art and jewellery lovers alike.

Festivals

The Carnival of Venice is held annually in the city, starting around two weeks before Ash Wednesday and ends on Shrove Tuesday. The carnival is closely associated with Venetian masks.

The Venice Biennale is one of the most important events in the arts calendar. During 1893 headed by the mayor of Venice, Riccardo Selvatico, the Venetian City Council passed a resolution on April 19 to set up an Esposizione biennale artistica nazionale (biennial exhibition of Italian art), to be inaugurated on April 22, 1895.^[30] Following the outbreak of hostilities during the Second World War, the activities of the Biennale were interrupted in September 1942, but resumed in 1948.^[31]

The Venice Film Festival (Italian Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia) is the oldest film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. Screenings take place in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi. It is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals and is part of the Venice Biennale.

Foreign words of Venetian origin

• Arsenal, Ciao, Ghetto, Gondola, Lagoon, Lazaret, Lido, Montenegro, Quarantine, Regatta.
• "Venezuela" means "little Venice".

Notable people

For people from Venice, see People from Venice. Others closely associated with the city include:

• Enrico Dandolo (c. 1107, 1205), Doge of Venice from 1192 to his death. He played a direct role in the Sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade.
• Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 - January 8, 1324), trader and explorer, one of the first Westerners to travel the Silk Road to China. While a prisoner in Genoa, he dictated in the tale of his travels known as Il Milione (The Travels of Marco Polo).
• Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516), a Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of painters.
• Aldus Manutius (1449-1515), one of the most important printers in history.
• Pietro Bembo (May 20, 1470 - January 18, 1547), cardinal and scholar.
• Lorenzo Lotto (c.1480 - Loreto, 1556), painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school.
• Sebastian Cabot (c. 1484 – 1557, or soon after), explorer.
• Pellegrino Ernetti, Catholic priest and exorcist
• Titian (c. 1488-90 – August 27, 1576), leader of the 16th century Venetian school of the Italian Renaissance (he was born in Pieve di Cadore).
• Sebastiano Venier, (c. 1496 - March 3, 1578), Doge of Venice from June 11, 1577 to 1578.
• Andrea Gabrieli (c.1510–1586), Italian composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia
• Tintoretto (1518 - May 31, 1594), probably the last great painter of Italian Renaissance.
• Veronica Franco (1546-1591), poet and courtesan during the Renaissance
• Giovanni Gabrieli (between 1554 and 1557–1612), composer and organist at San Marco di Venezia
• Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), composer and director of music at San Marco
• Leon Modena (1571-1648) preacher, author, poet, active in the Venetian ghetto and beyond
• Marco Antonio Bragadin (d.1571), general, flayed alive by the Turks after a fierce resistance during the siege of Famagusta
• Baldassare Longhena (1598 - February 18, 1682), one of the greatest exponents of Baroque architecture.
• Tomaso Albinoni (June 8, 1671 - January 17, 1751), a baroque composer
• Rosalba Carriera (October 7, 1675 – April 15, 1757), known for her pastel works.
• Antonio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678, July 28 (or 27), 1741, Vienna), famous composer and violinist of the Baroque Era
• Pietro Guarneri (April 14, 1695 - April 7, 1762) left Cremona in 1718, settled in Venice. "Peter of Venice" from the family of great luthiers.
• Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (March 5, 1696 - March 27, 1770), the last "Grand Manner" fresco painter from the Venetian Republic.
• Canaletto (October 28, 1697 - April 19, 1768), famous for his landscapes or vedute of Venice, but not only.
• Carlo Goldoni (February 25, 1707 - February 6, 1793). Along with Pirandello, Goldoni is probably the most famous name in Italian theatre, in his country and abroad.
• Carlo Gozzi (December 13, 1720 – April 4, 1806), an excellent dramatist of 18th century.
• Giacomo Casanova (1725 - 1798), in Dux, Bohemia, (now Duchcov, Czech Republic), a famous Venetian adventurer, writer and womanizer.
• Virgilio Ranzato (May 7, 1883 – April 20, 1937), Composer.
• Carlo Scarpa (June 2, 1906 - 1978, Sendai, Japan), an architect with a profound understanding of materials.
• Emilio Vedova (August 9, 1919 - October 25, 2006), one of the most important modern painters of Italy
• Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (June 5, 1646 - July 26, 1684), the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate degree.
• Bruno Maderna (April 21, 1920 - November 13, 1973), an Italian-German orchestra director and 20th century music composer.
• Luigi Nono (January 29, 1924 - May 8, 1990), a leading composer of instrumental and electronic music.
• Ludovico de luigi (November 1933), Venetian Surrealistic artist.
• Giuseppe Sinopoli (November 2, 1946 – April 20, 2001), conductor and composer.
• Romano Scarpa (September 27, 1927, Venice - April 23, 2005, Málaga), was one of the most famous Italian creators of Disney comics.

Sister cities

• Suzhou, China (since 1980)
• Tallinn, Estonia
• Istanbul, Turkey (since 1993)
• Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (since 1994)
• Nürnberg, Germany (since 1999)
• Qingdao, China (since 2001)
• Saint Petersburg, Russia (since 2002)
• Thessaloniki, Greece (since 2003)
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States (since 2007)

Cooperation agreements

Venice has cooperation agreements with the Greek city of Thessaloniki, the German city of Nuremberg, signed on September 25, 1999, and the Turkish city of Istanbul, signed on March 4, 1993, within the framework of the 1991 Istanbul Declaration. It is also a Science and Technology Partnership City with Qingdao, China.

The City of Venice and the Central Association of Cities and Communities of Greece (KEDKE) established, in January 2000, in pursuance of the EC Regulations n. 2137/85, the European Economic Interest Grouping (E.E.I.G.) Marco Polo System to promote and realise European projects within transnational cultural and tourist field, particularly referred to the artistic and architectural heritage preservation and safeguard.

Etymology

The name is connected with the people known as the Veneti, perhaps the same as the Eneti (Ενετοί). The meaning of the word is uncertain. Connections with the Latin verb 'venire' (to come) or (Slo)venia are fanciful. A connection with the Latin word venetus, meaning 'sea-blue', is possible. Given that Venice was once a Phoenician colony, there is some speculation that the name 'Venice' has its roots in the name of the Phoenician empire.

See also

• List of architecture monuments of Venice
• List of painters and architects of Venice
• Su e zo per i ponti
• Veneti and Venetic language (the ancient spoken language of the region)
• S.S.C. Venezia
• Venetian Blinds
• Venetian glass
• Venetian language (the modern spoken vernacular of the region)
• Venezia Mestre Rugby FC - rugby team
• Venice Biennale
• Venice Film Festival
• Venice for Lovers

Several cities have been compared to Venice: The Breton city Nantes has been called The Venice of the West, Suzhou has been named Venice of the East, Basra was once known as the Venice of the Middle East due to the numerous canals there, while the title The Venice of the North has been variously applied to Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bornholm, Bruges, Haapsalu, Maryhill, Saint Petersburg and Stockholm.

References

Bibliography

Academic

Popular

Notes

External links

Find more about Venice on Wikipedia's sister projects:

Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity

• Venice travel guide from Wikitravel
• Official Site of the City of Venice
• Saint Mark Church

v • d • e Veneto · Comuni of the Province of Venice Annone Veneto · Campagna Lupia · Campolongo Maggiore · Camponogara · Caorle · Cavallino-Treporti · Cavarzere · Ceggia · Chioggia · Cinto Caomaggiore · Cona · Concordia Sagittaria · Dolo · Eraclea · Fiesso d'Artico · Fossalta di Piave · Fossalta di Portogruaro · Fossò · Gruaro · Jesolo · Marcon · Martellago · Meolo · Mira · Mirano · Musile di Piave · Noale · Noventa di Piave · Pianiga · Portogruaro · Pramaggiore · Quarto d'Altino · Salzano · San Donà di Piave · San Michele al Tagliamento · Santa Maria di Sala · Santo Stino di Livenza · Scorzè · Spinea · Strà · Teglio Veneto · Torre di Mosto · Venice · Vigonovo

v • d • e World Heritage Sites in Italy For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Italy. Aeolian Islands · Alberobello · Amalfi Coast · Aquileia · Archaeological Area of Agrigento · Assisi · Barumini nuraghes · Botanical Garden, Padua · Caserta Palace, Aqueduct of Vanvitelli and San Leucio Complex · Castel del Monte · Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena · Cerveteri and Tarquinia · Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, Paestum and Velia, Certosa di Padula · Crespi d'Adda · The Dolomites · Ferrara · Florence · Genoa · Hadrian's Villa · Mantua and Sabbioneta · Sassi of Matera · Naples · Piazza del Duomo, Pisa · Pienza · Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata · Portovenere, Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore), Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto · Ravenna · Residences of the Royal House of Savoy · Rhaetian Railway1 · Rock Drawings in Valcamonica · Rome2 · Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy · San Gimignano · Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan · Siena · Syracuse and Necropolis of Pantalica · Urbino · Val d'Orcia · Val di Noto (Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, Scicli) · Venice · Verona · Vicenza and Palladian Villas of the Veneto · Villa d'Este · Villa Romana del Casale 1 Shared with Switzerland. 2 Shared with the Holy See.