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Venice in Northern Italy is a unique city in the world and an experience you will never forget. The city in the lagoon is constructed on millions of wooden pillars in the soft soil close to the Adriatic Sea, and being built over centuries it is a fantastic city you can visit today.
The canals cut through the Venice neighborhoods, and a gondola ride on the Grand Canal is like a boat trip through the city’s long history. You pass by the many palaces that housed the city’s rich families for more than 1,000 years. The Rialto Bridge, the Doge’s Palace and, of course, St. Mark’s Square are just some of the many world famous sights that you also come by on a walk through the central parts of the city.
Venice is also one of the capitals of romance, where you can enjoy the gondolier’s song and a stroll through the many narrow alleys and along the countless canals. The canals and sidewalks are linked by countless small bridges, where you can explore the unique city scapes away from the busy tourist areas along the Grand Canal.
The abundance of beautiful churches are also worth paying attention to. Fine museums, old schools, palaces and other buildings supplement everything else and make each canal and square different to the other.
Outside of Venice, there are a number of the cultural cities of Northern Italy, such as Padova, Vicenza and of course Verona, where the well-preserved history can be seen in the Roman arena and other monuments of the Roman Empire and the subsequent period.
The Ponte di Rialto is the largest of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal, and for centuries it was also the only one. The bridge is also located at the highest point in the city, although this can be difficult to see.
The first bridge on the site was built as a pontoon bridge in 1181 by Nicolò Barattieri. The bridge was called Møntbroen/Ponte della Moneta because of the city’s coin, which was located here on the eastern side.
The Rialto Market/Rialto Mercato next to the bridge quickly created a lot of traffic over the Ponte della Moneta, and in 1255 a wooden bridge was built. In the first half of the 15th century, shop arcades were built on the sides of the bridge, and the rental income provided the city with funds for the bridge’s maintenance.
However, the wooden bridge was difficult to maintain, and it both burned and collapsed over the years, and at the beginning of the 16th century there were proposals to build a stone bridge. However, several years passed before Antonio da Ponte’s design was chosen and the bridge built. It was thus opened in 1591 after three years of construction.
The bridge is one of Venice’s landmarks, and it’s wonderful to both sail under and walk over. The site also affords an excellent view of the winding course of the Grand Canal and many beautiful mansions.
Gallerie dell’Accademia is an art museum that houses a large and very fine painting collection of works of art primarily from the 13th-18th centuries. The core of the collection is the many works by Venetian painters, and the many artists and centuries represented give a good impression of the breadth of the city’s artistic life.
One of the museum’s most famous works of art is Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of The Vitruvian Man/Uomo Vitruviano, believed to have been drawn in 1487.
The background for the museum was established by the Academy of Fine Arts/Accademia di Belle Arti in 1750. In 1807, the academy moved to the current buildings, which have a past as school, church and monastery respectively.
Ca’ d’Oro means the House of Gold, and it lies beautifully down towards the Grand Canal. Its official name is Sankt Sofia Palæ/Palazzo Santa Sofia, but has always been known as Ca d’Oro due to the original exterior decorations, including gilding.
Ca’ d’Oro is considered the most beautiful mansion in Venice, and its architecture contains the city’s typical styles with a mixture of western and oriental decorations.
The mansion was built in 1428-1430 for the distinguished Contarini family, who over time have fostered eight of the city’s doges. Ca d’Oro’s architects were also behind the city’s doge’s palace, the Palazzo Ducale, and towards the Grand Canal you can clearly see their particularly flourishing Venetian Gothic.
On the ground floor there is a loggia behind a colonnade and there is direct access from the canal. On the first floor, there is a balcony directly above the mansion’s main salon. The building itself was built with an inner courtyard environment, where, among other things, the staircase and balconies were demolished in the 1800s.
In 1922, the state bought Ca’ d’Oro, and after restoration, the mansion now stands in its former glory. In addition to the building itself, visitors can experience a gallery that not least contains the art collection of Ca’ d’Oro’s last private owner, Giorgio Franchetti.
Piazza San Marco is Venice’s central square, and in fact it is the only square in the city that bears the name Piazza; most of the others bear the title Campo.
The history of the square goes back to the 8th century, when it was laid out as a small square in front of the Basilica di San Marco. The current square was created in 1177, when several canals were filled up so that a suitable setting could be created for this year’s landmark meeting between Pope Alexander III and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa.
The result of the meeting was the Peace of Venice, where reconciliation and peace were concluded between the Papal States, the Lombard League and the Teutonic Roman Empire, which had suffered defeat to the Lombard League at the Battle of Legnano in 1176. Emperor Barbarossa was pressured to seek peace, and he recognized by the peace Alexander III as pope instead of his own antipope.
Piazza San Marco is dominated by a series of large buildings; Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale to the east, the Campanile tower in the square itself and the colonnaded arcade buildings to the west (L’Ala Napoleonica), north (Procuratorie Vecchie) and south (Procuratorie Nuove).
Procuratie Vecchie was first built in the 12th century as offices and residences for the procurators who gave the place its name. The current building dates from the 16th century. The Procuratie Nuove was built in the period 1586-1640, while the Napoleonic wing, L’Ala Napoleonica, dates from around 1810. It was erected to replace a pair of earlier side wings and a smaller church.
The official entrance gate to the square is the two columns erected in honor of the city’s patron saints, Sankt Markus/San Marco and Sankt Theodore/San Teodoro, which welcome from the water side. The columns give access to the part of the square called Den Lille Markusplads/Piazzetta San Marco. Public executions were carried out here until the 18th century.
Since the 13th century, the paving in Piazza San Marco has first been in a herringbone pattern and since 1723 in a more complex geometric pattern. The square is Venice’s lowest point, and therefore you can expect that the square is partially flooded. It can be an experience in itself, because racks are set up that allow you to cross the square with dry shoes.
The Doge’s Palace or Palazzo Ducale is where the Doges of Venice lived and had their administration. The city’s most important courts were also located here. It is also one of Venice’s landmarks and most magnificent structures. The current doge’s palace was mainly built in the years 1309-1424. The style is typically Venetian with its mixture of Western Gothic and Oriental ornamentation.
There are two ornate facades facing the Piazza di San Marco and the Venice Lagoon respectively. The facades were built with arched arcades on the lower floors, and this is an effect that gives airiness to the building. Close to the facade, you can also see the elegant decoration in the large surfaces of the facades. Towards Piazza di San Marco, on the first floor you can see two columns that are redder than the others. Between these very columns, death sentences were read out.
Inside, the Palazzo Ducale is also worth seeing. Among the highlights is the actual entrance gate next to the Basilica San Marco, the Porta della Carta, which is a beautiful example of Venetian High Gothic. New doges were led this way into the palace.
In the inner courtyard of the palace, several styles are mixed together in a very interesting composition. Here, among other things, is the Giant’s Staircase/Scala dei Giganti, which leads from the courtyard up to the upper floors and thereby the residence of the Doges. The giants represent the gods Mars and Neptune, and they were executed in 1567. In addition to living quarters, the many rooms in the palace also include the political meeting rooms and various function rooms.
Basilica di San Marco is the most famous of all Venice’s many churches, and it is also the finest example of Byzantine architecture in the city. It originally functioned as a chapel for Venice’s rulers, but since 1807 it has had the status of the city’s cathedral and is the seat of the Patriarch of Venice.
The first church building on the site was built in 828 to house the relics of Mark the Evangelist, which had been brought here from Alexandria. The Basilica di San Marco has several had to be rebuilt; among other things after a devastating fire in 978. After the fire, the construction of the current church building started, which could be consecrated in 1094.
The church was built as a magnificent symbol of the wealth and power of the city-state of Venice. It has been rebuilt in the centuries since its inauguration and now stands in a beautiful mixture of Byzantine and Roman styles. The church, with its five impressive domes, is large, and both on the facade and inside, the wealth of detail is unique. The dimensions of the Basilica di San Marco are a ground plan of 76×62 meters and a height of 43 meters.
Outside, above the central entrance, there are antique horse statues that were previously exhibited in Constantinople’s hippodrome. In 1254 they were installed here at the Basilica di San Marco. In 1797, Napoleon moved them to Paris, from where they returned after the Napoleonic era in 1815.
Inside you are greeted by 12th-century marble floors and lavish decoration. As in a traditional Byzantine church, there is an iconostasis, and it is crowned by Gothic sculptures from the 15th century. At the high altar are kept the relics of Markus. Some of the most impressive are the many old mosaics, which in gold, bronze and many different stones cover thousands of square meters.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is an impressive Baroque church located at the mouth of the Canal Grande’s inner course towards the Venetian lagoon. The dimensions of the church are emphasized by the fact that the foundation consists of more than 100,000 piles that have been driven into the soft subsoil.
The construction was adopted in gratitude for the end of the plague epidemic in 1630, after its ravages and fatal outcome for about a third of the city’s inhabitants since the summer of 1629.
The foundation stone for the church was laid the following year, and the completion of the church took place in 1687. On that occasion, it was decided that the city’s senate should visit the church every year as thanks for the deliverance from the plague. It takes place on November 21 at the Festa della Madonna della Salute event, where a procession goes from San Marco here.
The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful examples of Baroque buildings outside of Rome. Among the details are the more than 100 statues that adorn the building.
Campo di Ghetto Nuovo is the central square on a small island in the middle of the Cannaregio district. The island was the world’s first Jewish ghetto, which itself is a word from the Venetian language, which has spread to large parts of the world.
For a long time, Venice was very tolerant of the city’s Jewish population, but with greater immigration at the beginning of the 16th century, it was believed that the Jews should be isolated. Thus, the ghetto was established in 1516, and all the city’s Jews had to stay here at night.
The city’s Jewish population gradually increased, and the only option was to build on the heights. However, the ghetto later spread to other surrounding islands. In 1541 the Old Ghetto/Ghetto Vecchio was established, and in 1633 the New Ghetto/Ghetto Nuovissimo. Despite its name, Ghetto Nuovo is older than Ghetto Vecchio.
In the Ghetto Nuovo you can still find Jewish businesses, even though the Jews were granted ordinary citizenship as early as 1818. There is also a museum for the history of the ghetto and several synagogues.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta o dei Gesuiti is a church that is also simply called Gesuiti after the Jesuit monks who were exiled from the city after a dispute between Pope Paul V and Venice. The conditions were later normalized, and in the years 1715-1729 they were able to build this particularly beautiful and richly decorated church.
The exterior baroque design is worth seeing, but the trip here is amply rewarded with the interior of the church, where different colors of marble have been used in a magnificent composition as well as elegant frescoes on the ceiling.
Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo is one of the largest church buildings in Venice. It was built as the city’s primary Dominican church, and hence its impressive size, to match a large congregation.
The Dominicans got the land in 1246 from Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. They built a church that stood until 1333, after which the current basilica was built. It was completed after almost a hundred years of construction in 1430.
Inside there are many paintings and grave monuments, among others of the doge Jacopo Tiepolo, who donated the land in his time. A total of 25 doges were buried in the church; most since the 15th century.
Among the chapels, the richly decorated 16th-century Rosary Chapel/Cappella del Rosario is particularly worth seeing. Of the relics, the church’s most important is that of Catherine of Siena, who was a nun in the Dominican order in the 14th century.
Next to the church is the square Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and here stands an equestrian statue. It was prepared by Andrea del Verrocchio in the 1480s and depicts the military man Bartolomeo Colleoni.
The Campanile di San Marco is one of Venice’s famous landmarks. It is a tower that measures 98 meters in height and reached its current appearance in 1514. However, the tower collapsed in 1902, so a reconstruction of the original tower was built and completed in 1912.
The history of the tower dates back to the 8th century, when it was a watchtower over the dock areas that were on the site at the time. The Logetta building below the tower later housed the Doges’ guards. Logetta was destroyed by the collapse of 1902. From the top of the Campanile di San Marco there is a fantastic view of Piazza San Marco, Venice and the lagoon to the east.
Ca’ Pesaro is a marble palazzo in baroque style, which lies down to the Grand Canal. Construction began in the 17th century according to the design of the architect Baldassarre Longhena. After Longhena’s death during construction, the Pesaro family commissioned Gian Antonio Gaspari to complete the house in 1710.
In 1902, it was decided to turn the mansion into a museum for the city’s collection of modern works of art. It was a collection that had been established five years earlier. Today, there are mainly 19th-20th century artists at the museum, which exhibits both works by Venetian and other artists.
Ca’ Pesaro also houses a museum of oriental art. Here you can see, among other things, Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian works.
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Carmini is a church that in its original form was built from 1286 and consecrated in 1348, but it has been rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries.
The foundation of the church came with Carmelite monks, who with a large congregation became one of the city’s wealthiest. Their background can be seen on the church’s facade, which is adorned with statues of the order’s founders, among other things.
In the church there are various altars, sculptures and works of art; among other works by Tintoretto. The church tower faces the canal picturesquely with a statue of the Virgin Mary on top and forms a very atmospheric view.
The Collezione Peggy Guggenheim is a museum that exhibits some of the world’s best in modern art. There are paintings and sculptures, and countless artists are represented, such as Salvador Dalí, Wassily Kandinsky and Pablo Picasso.
The collection was founded by American Peggy Guggenheim, who from 1910 bought works primarily in Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. The museum building was bought by the Guggenheim in 1949 and used as her home until her death in 1979. The building is called Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and was built in the 18th century.
When Venice’s then most important opera building burned in 1773, the need for a new building arose, and this, like much else in Venice, had to be magnificent. Construction started in 1790, and already in 1792 the building was inaugurated as the opera house La Fenice, which means Phoenix Bird and alludes to the place rising from the ashes.
As early as 1836, the opera burned down again, and this time the rebuilding progressed rapidly. In 1837 the place could be reopened, once again with a magnificent interior. There are many large productions that have premiered at La Fenice. Giuseppe Verdi thus used the opera for La Traviata and Rigoletto, among others.
The view from Piazza San Marco over the Grand Canal is very picturesque, and many artists over time have reproduced the beautiful horizon and warm atmosphere that is here. Central to this view is the island of Isola di Giorgio Maggiore with the church building of the same name.
After a water bus ride to the island, you can see the Basilica di San Georgio Maggiore, built from 1566 by the architect Andrea Palladio and completed around 1610. Palladio’s works can be seen in several places in Italy, and the Basilica di San Georgio Maggiore is a fine example of his style.
Inside the basilica, you will find a church room that was built bright and in classic Renaissance style. There are various paintings; among others, the Venetian Tintoretto’s depiction of The Last Supper/l’Ultima Cena. You can also take a trip up the slender bell tower from 1791, from where you are rewarded with a fine view over the lagoon and towards the center of Venice.
At the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore there are also some monastic buildings. The monastery’s history dates back to the year 982, when the entire island was donated to a Benedictine monk, who subsequently founded it. In 1177, Pope Alexander III and the German-Roman Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa stayed here at their meeting in the city. The current monastery buildings were mainly built during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Riva degli Schiavoni is a street that forms a particularly atmospheric promenade towards Venice’s lagoon. The view is formidable, and in addition to the many tourist stalls, the real Venetian gondola atmosphere is here. You can take a trip or simply enjoy the sight of the beautiful boats.
The promenade was laid out in the 15th century, and on the way you can see churches, monuments and one of Europe’s most exciting hotels, Hotel Danieli (Riva degli Schiavoni 4196), which is housed in Palazzo Dandolo, which was built in the 14th century. Previously, the building was an opera, but since 1822 it has been a hotel with many distinguished names on the guest list.
The name Riva degli Schiavoni refers to the slaves from the Dalmatian coast, typically Croats, who came to Venice as artists and thereby had some influence on the city-state.
The island of Burano is one of the most visited and exciting islands in the Venice lagoon. On the relatively small island, everything is within comfortable walking distance, and there is a feast for the eye with canal environments and the many brightly colored houses that the island is particularly known for.
Already at a distance from the island you can see the tower of the church Chiesa di San Martino. Over time, the tower has achieved a significant slope and is a significant feature in the island’s silhouette.
Murano is an island that is like a miniature version of Venice itself with its islands and canals, of which there is also a canal called the Grand Canal. Murano has a cozy and peaceful atmosphere and is famous for the glass that you can see being produced at the many glassworks.
Despite its modest size, Murano has for a time been the center of Europe’s glass production, and at the Glass Museum/Museo Vetrario, located in the Palazzo Giustinian mansion, you can see objects dating back to the 15th century.
Venice’s famous Lido is a 12 kilometer long island located between the Venice lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Lido was among Europe’s leading bathing areas, and celebrities flocked here.
Today, the island is a quiet haven that includes long beaches, seaside hotels and cozy little canal streets. All can be reached in a short time by water bus from Venice.
The island of Isola di San Michele is a cemetery island used by the city of Venice, located north of Venice itself. Terracotta walls surround the cemetery itself, where large cypress trees grow.
Isola di San Michele was set up as a cemetery in the 19th century, and before that most citizens were buried in smaller places in Venice itself. That custom was stopped for hygienic reasons; however, most are buried on the Italian mainland today and not on Isola di San Michele.
The island’s church, Chiesa di San Michele in Isola, was designed as early as 1469. It is the first example of Renaissance church building in Venice, and it was built entirely in light stone from Istria.
Chioggia is a city located in the southern part of the Venetian lagoon and built as a miniature version of Venice, with canals as the historic main thoroughfares through the islands that the city, with its development, has come to lie on.
The main canal is the Canal Vena, from which the city’s many streets, all with the name Calle as their beginning, emanate. The Canal Vena can be crossed, among other things, via the beautiful Vigo Bridge/Ponte di Vigo. There are several churches in the city, of which Mariæ Himmelfart Katedral/Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta is one of the most worth seeing.
Chioggia, like Venice, is laid out as an island in the lagoon, where the built-up area also forms the outer framework of the old town and thereby the main island. As an entrance to the city stands Virgin Mary Port/Porta di Santa Maria (Corso del Popolo).
Verona was one of the important cities of the Roman Empire, and it leaves its clear mark on the city, where in many places you can see very well-preserved buildings from the centuries around the birth of Christ. It was also here that Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet took place, and that and much more can be seen in the city center.
The city squares are almost in extension of each other, and one is more beautiful than the next. Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza dei Signori are sure hits on a stroll through Verona, where Juliet’s house from Romeo & Juliet is a popular sight as well. It is all about looking up and enjoying the many beautiful houses in the city.
Padua is an ancient city of culture in the Veneto region. It is thought to have been founded approximately 3,000 years ago, and it quickly developed to become one of the most important cities in the region. However, there were also times of decline in Padua after, for example, devastating attacks by Hungarians in 899.
The following many centuries saw both prosperity and setbacks in the city’s development. Italy’s second university was founded in Padua in 1222, but repeated battles with Venice and Verona resulted in defeat. The city became Venetian from 1405 to 1797 and then Austrian before Padua became part of Italy in 1866.
Via Don Tosatto 22, Mestre
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Piazza XXVII Ottobre 1, Mestre
Via Sertorio Orsato, Mestre
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Between Piazza San Marco, Ponte di Rialto, Santa Lucia Merceria, Calle Larga XXII Marzo Frezzeria Mestre (around Piazza Ferretto, Via Palazzo)
Aqualandia
Via Buonarroti 15, Jesolo
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Museo di Storia Naturale
Calle Fontego dei Turchi
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Museo Storico Navale
Riva S. Biagio
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Jesolo
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Sottomarina
Lido di Venezia
Vaporetto tour
eg from Ferrovia
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Behind the natural protection of the Adriatic Sea, the Venice lagoon before the city of Venice has provided the breeding ground for the scattered habitation of fishermen.
An actual settlement of what was to become Venice is believed to have started in the 400s, when people from the mainland sought refuge from invading females and Germanic tribes.
The migrants gradually built villages founded on piles on the swampy islands, and the inhabited area was concentrated around Rialto, which is the highest area.
There is no date and year for the city’s founding, but the city’s start is counted as noon on March 25, 421. At this time, the church of San Giacomo di Rialto was inaugurated as the first in Venice.
In the century after its founding, Venice remained a minor settlement. That changed with the German-Scandinavian langobards that invaded East Roman Italy from the north in 568.
The Langobards, which have clearly marked later Lombardy, led many to flee to Venice, which along with Ravenna to the south lay as an Austro-Roman enclave connected only to the rest of the Kingdom and thus the capital Constantinople by sea.
The isolated position in the kingdom led to a high of autonomy in Venice, with Tribuni Maiores meeting in 568 as the first local governing assembly. It was a new launch in Venice that at this time allowed new large port facilities to be erected; among others on the island of Torcello.
Officially, Venice remained part of the Eastern Roman Empire, where the emperor’s representative was the exarch of Ravenna.
In 726 it rioted in Ravenna, where the blood flowed and the exarch was killed. It happened in the context of the picture battle, the Byzantine Iconoclasm, which was a passionate debate between the Orthodox Catholic Church and the Byzantine emperor about the proper use of icons.
In this regard, Venice supported the emperor’s voyage to recapture the Ravenna exarchate with both men and ships. The support was reciprocated by Emperor Leo III with extended rights for Venice, which in 726 also chose Ursus as the city’s first doge; a Duke title, later renamed Doge. Leo III also awarded Ursus a title as consul.
In 751, the Langobardian King Aistulf conquered most of the Exarchate Ravenna, making Venice an isolated and areaally small Byzantine outpost to the northwest.
The doge was the leader of Venice, and his residence was located in Malamocco on the island of Lido off present-day Venice. During the reign of doge Agnello Particiaco, who ruled 811-827, the government seat was moved to Rialto, after which the first doge’s palace was erected along with other new construction.
In 774, the French Empire, with Charles the Great at the head of the Langobardian Empire in Italy, crushed and the new order put Venice’s independence under pressure.
Karl the Great’s son Pippin, who became king of Italy, launched a siege of Venice. It lasted six months and led to a retreat and defeat for Pippin’s forces. In the aftermath of the siege, Karl the Great and Emperor Nikephoros entered into an agreement recognizing Venice as Byzantine territory, and the city was granted commercial rights along the Adriatic coast. By agreement, Venice was de facto an independent republic.
Venice’s commercial significance increased, and when Venetian merchants in 828 brought home the relics of the evangelist Mark, the city also became a religious center. To that end, the Church of St. Mark was built so that the relics could be stored in a convenient location.
In the following centuries, Venice developed rapidly, and with the gradual decline of the Byzantine Empire, Venice’s position was constantly strengthened. In time, the city became an actual city-state in line with Amalfi, Genoa and Pisa.
Venice’s trade, economic capacity and political power were constantly increasing during this period. The city became central to trade between Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire as well as the entire Middle East. Venice gained outstanding rights to trade with the Byzantines due, among other things, to supplying ships to the kingdom’s fleet.
In 1095, the ships of the Republic supported Pope Urban II’s crusade, and this was the start of Venice’s path to further dominance in the eastern Mediterranean region. However, it settled with Constantinople, where in 1182 persecution of the successful Venetians.
The dependence of the Crusades on the ships of Venice came to cost Constantinople dearly, because with the Fourth Crusade of 1202, the launch had gone to plunder the city. It fell in 1204 in what is believed to be one of history’s most lucrative looting of cities. Venice’s great prey included, among other things, the four bronze horses now seen at St. Mark’s Basilica.
Venice’s dominance and influence were not least of a commercial nature, and the money flowed to the city where prestigious mansions were erected. Most famous are the Venetian palaces, which were built with Byzantine inspiration down to Venice’s main street; Grand Canal.
After the victory over Constantinople in 1204, the merchants were given even better opportunities, as the territory of Venice had been considerably expanded with many colonies formerly belonging to the Byzantine Empire. For example, the island of Crete had become Venetian.
At home in Venice, the government was inspired by the ancient Roman Empire. Here was a city council, it ruled, and the council chose a doge as leader. The wealthy governed, and their interests were to continue the growth, capacity and power of the city.
However, the dominance was increasingly met by resistance in neighboring countries. The city of Genoa, the leader of the sea in the western Mediterranean, and Venice went through many battles before Venice in 1380 won a major naval battle at Chioggia.
Time marked the beginning of Venice’s quest for land to supplement its dominant trading position on the seas. Thus, during the 15th century, the territory of the city-state was expanded with both Padova and Verona west of Venice, the area along the eastern Adriatic coast and the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Venice’s rule was voluminous, but other powers became stronger and this marked the beginning of Venice’s decline. The Turkish Ottomans had been at war since the 1420s over the dominance of the seas of the eastern Mediterranean, and at the end of the century Venice suffered defeats that led to the renunciation of land.
More serious to the city-state was the alliance of several powers over Venetian lands close to Venice itself. The pope wanted Romagna, the German-Roman emperor Maximilian In Friuli and Veneto, Spain the ports of southern Italian Apulia, France Cremona and Hungary Dalmatia.
On April 15, 1509, French forces left Milan and invaded Venetian territory. The final battle between the parties to the battle came to an end on 14 May 1509 at the Battle of Agnadello. Venice suffered a defeat that could have killed the city-state, but by continued defense and diplomacy it managed to turn the defeat into a partial victory with certain reclaimed lands. However, the battle was the end of Venice’s expansion.
Already in 1348 and again in 1575-1577 the plague had hit Venice, where in the latter period about 50,000 of the citizens died. In 1630, the disease recurred, and this time a third of the approximately 150,000 inhabitants died. It provided a natural setback for the city.
Throughout the 1600s-1700s, Venice had also struggled against not least the Ottomans for continued rule over Cyprus and smaller lands in Greece. Several battles through the 18th century drained the city’s previously proud fleet, which once counted more than 3,300 ships. In the 1790s, the city’s merchant fleet was reduced to a few hundred ships.
Venice’s power on the seas was over, while the eighteenth century continued to provide good economy from the rich cities and Venetian territory of northern Italy, which spoke among others Bergamo, Verona, Vicenza and Padova in addition to Venice itself.
In spite of external decline, wealth provided a cultural highlight of Venice, where literature, construction and art flourished throughout the 18th century. It was thus one of Europe’s most elegant cities, which also came under pressure as Napoleon’s army approached. The French invaded Venice in April 1797, thus ending the former great power, the Republic of Venice, as an independent nation. The following year, Austria entered the city.
In 1805, Venice became part of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the Peace in Pressburg, which, after the Battle of Austerlitz, marked the end of the Third Coalition War.
The Kingdom of Italy was a French puppet state, and with Napoleon’s final defeat Venice was again subject to Austrian rule.
Austria was never able to integrate the city of Venice and the region of Veneto into the Alpine country, and it fueled Venice’s participation in the rising Italian nationalism that was to become a new state formation.
After a rebellion that re-established the Venetian Republic in 1848-1849, Venice broke with Austria in 1866 and became part of the new Kingdom of Italy, which had Rome as its capital and Vittorio Emanuele II as king.
The new status as part of Italy started a massive development of the city in the late 1800s. Former desire for greater dominance of the mainland was now gradually fulfilled. Trade in the port was steadily increasing and a land-based link was opened between the city of Venice and mainland Veneto. Tourism, which is Venice’s largest source of income today, increased with ease of access and improved facilities.
A car bridge was built under Mussolini and the area on the mainland was industrialized. Venice had now grown from the city state to the mainland towns of Mestre and Marghera.
The mainland industry was the cause of bombing during World War II, but old Venice escaped somewhat unscathed throughout the war years.
Industrialization continued in the post-war years, for example in the petrochemical industry, and today Veneto is still developing well in comparison with other of Italy’s traditional industrial regions.
Investment provided jobs in the region, but it was the mainland that developed. The city of Venice itself was halved over the years, and the islands evolved towards today’s Venice, which has significantly fewer inhabitants than before, but in turn has a highly developed tourism industry.
Overview of Venice
Northern Italian Venice is a unique city in the world and an experience you will never forget. The city in the lagoon is constructed on millions of wooden pillars in the soft soil close to the Adriatic Sea, and being built over centuries it is a fantastic city you can visit today.
The canals cut through the Venice neighborhoods, and a gondola ride on the Grand Canal is like a boat trip through the city’s long history. You pass by the many palaces that housed the city’s rich families for more than 1,000 years. The Rialto Bridge, the Doge’s Palace and, of course, St. Mark’s Square are just some of the many world famous sights that you also come by on a walk through the central parts of the city.
About the upcoming Venice travel guide
About the travel guide
The Venice travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Italian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Venice is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Venice and Italy
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Venice you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Canal Grande • St Mark’s Basilica • Doge’s Palace • Lido • Gondolas
Overview of Venice
Northern Italian Venice is a unique city in the world and an experience you will never forget. The city in the lagoon is constructed on millions of wooden pillars in the soft soil close to the Adriatic Sea, and being built over centuries it is a fantastic city you can visit today.
The canals cut through the Venice neighborhoods, and a gondola ride on the Grand Canal is like a boat trip through the city’s long history. You pass by the many palaces that housed the city’s rich families for more than 1,000 years. The Rialto Bridge, the Doge’s Palace and, of course, St. Mark’s Square are just some of the many world famous sights that you also come by on a walk through the central parts of the city.
About the upcoming Venice travel guide
About the travel guide
The Venice travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Italian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Venice is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
Read more about Venice and Italy
Buy the travel guide
Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.
Use the travel guide
When you buy the travel guide to Venice you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.
Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is an impressive Baroque church located at the mouth of the Canal Grande’s inner course towards the Venetian lagoon. The dimensions of the church are emphasized by the fact that the foundation consists of more than 100,000 piles that have been driven into the soft subsoil.
The construction was adopted in gratitude for the end of the plague epidemic in 1630, after its ravages and fatal outcome for about a third of the city’s inhabitants since the summer of 1629.
The foundation stone for the church was laid the following year, and the completion of the church took place in 1687. On that occasion, it was decided that the city’s senate should visit the church every year as thanks for the deliverance from the plague. It takes place on November 21 at the Festa della Madonna della Salute event, where a procession goes from San Marco here.
The Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute is considered one of Italy’s most beautiful examples of Baroque buildings outside of Rome. Among the details are the more than 100 statues that adorn the building.
Campo di Ghetto Nuovo is the central square on a small island in the middle of the Cannaregio district. The island was the world’s first Jewish ghetto, which itself is a word from the Venetian language, which has spread to large parts of the world.
For a long time, Venice was very tolerant of the city’s Jewish population, but with greater immigration at the beginning of the 16th century, it was believed that the Jews should be isolated. Thus, the ghetto was established in 1516, and all the city’s Jews had to stay here at night.
The city’s Jewish population gradually increased, and the only option was to build on the heights. However, the ghetto later spread to other surrounding islands. In 1541 the Old Ghetto/Ghetto Vecchio was established, and in 1633 the New Ghetto/Ghetto Nuovissimo. Despite its name, Ghetto Nuovo is older than Ghetto Vecchio.
In the Ghetto Nuovo you can still find Jewish businesses, even though the Jews were granted ordinary citizenship as early as 1818. There is also a museum for the history of the ghetto and several synagogues.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta o dei Gesuiti is a church that is also simply called Gesuiti after the Jesuit monks who were exiled from the city after a dispute between Pope Paul V and Venice. The conditions were later normalized, and in the years 1715-1729 they were able to build this particularly beautiful and richly decorated church.
The exterior baroque design is worth seeing, but the trip here is amply rewarded with the interior of the church, where different colors of marble have been used in a magnificent composition as well as elegant frescoes on the ceiling.
Basilica di Santi Giovanni e Paolo is one of the largest church buildings in Venice. It was built as the city’s primary Dominican church, and hence its impressive size, to match a large congregation.
The Dominicans got the land in 1246 from Doge Jacopo Tiepolo. They built a church that stood until 1333, after which the current basilica was built. It was completed after almost a hundred years of construction in 1430.
Inside there are many paintings and grave monuments, among others of the doge Jacopo Tiepolo, who donated the land in his time. A total of 25 doges were buried in the church; most since the 15th century.
Among the chapels, the richly decorated 16th-century Rosary Chapel/Cappella del Rosario is particularly worth seeing. Of the relics, the church’s most important is that of Catherine of Siena, who was a nun in the Dominican order in the 14th century.
Next to the church is the square Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, and here stands an equestrian statue. It was prepared by Andrea del Verrocchio in the 1480s and depicts the military man Bartolomeo Colleoni.
The Campanile di San Marco is one of Venice’s famous landmarks. It is a tower that measures 98 meters in height and reached its current appearance in 1514. However, the tower collapsed in 1902, so a reconstruction of the original tower was built and completed in 1912.
The history of the tower dates back to the 8th century, when it was a watchtower over the dock areas that were on the site at the time. The Logetta building below the tower later housed the Doges’ guards. Logetta was destroyed by the collapse of 1902. From the top of the Campanile di San Marco there is a fantastic view of Piazza San Marco, Venice and the lagoon to the east.
Ca’ Pesaro is a marble palazzo in baroque style, which lies down to the Grand Canal. Construction began in the 17th century according to the design of the architect Baldassarre Longhena. After Longhena’s death during construction, the Pesaro family commissioned Gian Antonio Gaspari to complete the house in 1710.
In 1902, it was decided to turn the mansion into a museum for the city’s collection of modern works of art. It was a collection that had been established five years earlier. Today, there are mainly 19th-20th century artists at the museum, which exhibits both works by Venetian and other artists.
Ca’ Pesaro also houses a museum of oriental art. Here you can see, among other things, Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian works.
Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Carmini is a church that in its original form was built from 1286 and consecrated in 1348, but it has been rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries.
The foundation of the church came with Carmelite monks, who with a large congregation became one of the city’s wealthiest. Their background can be seen on the church’s facade, which is adorned with statues of the order’s founders, among other things.
In the church there are various altars, sculptures and works of art; among other works by Tintoretto. The church tower faces the canal picturesquely with a statue of the Virgin Mary on top and forms a very atmospheric view.
The Collezione Peggy Guggenheim is a museum that exhibits some of the world’s best in modern art. There are paintings and sculptures, and countless artists are represented, such as Salvador Dalí, Wassily Kandinsky and Pablo Picasso.
The collection was founded by American Peggy Guggenheim, who from 1910 bought works primarily in Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. The museum building was bought by the Guggenheim in 1949 and used as her home until her death in 1979. The building is called Palazzo Venier dei Leoni and was built in the 18th century.
When Venice’s then most important opera building burned in 1773, the need for a new building arose, and this, like much else in Venice, had to be magnificent. Construction started in 1790, and already in 1792 the building was inaugurated as the opera house La Fenice, which means Phoenix Bird and alludes to the place rising from the ashes.
As early as 1836, the opera burned down again, and this time the rebuilding progressed rapidly. In 1837 the place could be reopened, once again with a magnificent interior. There are many large productions that have premiered at La Fenice. Giuseppe Verdi thus used the opera for La Traviata and Rigoletto, among others.
The view from Piazza San Marco over the Grand Canal is very picturesque, and many artists over time have reproduced the beautiful horizon and warm atmosphere that is here. Central to this view is the island of Isola di Giorgio Maggiore with the church building of the same name.
After a water bus ride to the island, you can see the Basilica di San Georgio Maggiore, built from 1566 by the architect Andrea Palladio and completed around 1610. Palladio’s works can be seen in several places in Italy, and the Basilica di San Georgio Maggiore is a fine example of his style.
Inside the basilica, you will find a church room that was built bright and in classic Renaissance style. There are various paintings; among others, the Venetian Tintoretto’s depiction of The Last Supper/l’Ultima Cena. You can also take a trip up the slender bell tower from 1791, from where you are rewarded with a fine view over the lagoon and towards the center of Venice.
At the Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore there are also some monastic buildings. The monastery’s history dates back to the year 982, when the entire island was donated to a Benedictine monk, who subsequently founded it. In 1177, Pope Alexander III and the German-Roman Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa stayed here at their meeting in the city. The current monastery buildings were mainly built during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Riva degli Schiavoni is a street that forms a particularly atmospheric promenade towards Venice’s lagoon. The view is formidable, and in addition to the many tourist stalls, the real Venetian gondola atmosphere is here. You can take a trip or simply enjoy the sight of the beautiful boats.
The promenade was laid out in the 15th century, and on the way you can see churches, monuments and one of Europe’s most exciting hotels, Hotel Danieli (Riva degli Schiavoni 4196), which is housed in Palazzo Dandolo, which was built in the 14th century. Previously, the building was an opera, but since 1822 it has been a hotel with many distinguished names on the guest list.
The name Riva degli Schiavoni refers to the slaves from the Dalmatian coast, typically Croats, who came to Venice as artists and thereby had some influence on the city-state.
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