Venice is a unique city on the water. Treviso is an ancient city in Italy with canals, it is called “Venice in miniature” Bookstore Libreria Acqua Alta
We'll tell you what interesting places to see in Venice if you only have one day. Read on to create an interesting itinerary.
Venice is the main city and a real metropolis (if you count it together with its mainland) in northeastern Italy. However, the greatest value for travelers is, of course, the historical center of Venice, spread over 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon in the waters of the Adriatic.
There are three ways to get from the mainland to the city center: byVaporetto water bus(€9) from the main airport of north-eastern Italy in the suburb of Tessera - Aeroporto Marco Polo di Venezia, or by rail or bus via Santa Lucia Station, located in the north-western part of the Grand Canal.
The main attractions of Venice in one day
The two most famous facts about Venice are that it is drowning and choking on tourists. And if the first news, most likely, will not affect your trip in any way, then crazy crowds of tourists can greatly spoil the impression. And even the advice to visit the most famous attractions early in the morning will not help here. There are so many tourists on the streets of Venice 24 hours a day and 365 days a year that it seems that the city cannot withstand such a load and that is why it is drowning!
St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco)
Address: Piazza San Marco
Entrance: Piazza San Marco Pass for museums – €20
The main city square, Piazza San Marco, has reached us in its unchanged medieval form. In fact, these are two squares, the piazzetta (from Italian “small square”) occupied a small space from the Grand Canal embankment along the Doge's Palace on one side and the Sansovino library building ( Biblioteca nazionale Marciana ) on the other and rests on the high bell tower of St. Mark's Cathedral. The entrance to the square from the canal side is framed by two marble columns, on the tops of which there is a figure of a winged lion - the symbol of St. Mark, as well as a statue of St. Theodore - the patron saint of Venice. In the Middle Ages, executions took place between these columns, so superstitious Venetians still prefer to avoid this place.
St. Mark's Square itself is located in front of the cathedral of the same name. The buildings of the Old and New Procurations stretched along its remaining sides. They once housed the “administration” of Venice and even served as the residence of Napoleon. Now the first floors of the buildings are occupied by expensive cafes and restaurants. Also located in New Procurations Museo Civico Correr – the ethnographic museum of the Venetian Republic, the exhibition of which presents the life of the Venetians in the Middle Ages, as well as a decent collection of local artists.
St. Mark's Cathedral (Basilica di San Marco)
Address: Piazza San Marco
Admission: free to the cathedral, €2 – to the golden altar of Pala d’oro, €3 – to the treasury
Venice's main cathedral and the city's most visited landmark is filled with visitors from sunrise to sunset, so you have to make an effort to take in all the beauty of the mosaics that decorate its walls and domes. The Cathedral of San Marco was built in the Middle Ages in accordance with the Byzantine style. Later, many artifacts from the Crusades were brought to decorate its interiors, and architectural elements of Byzantine palaces and temples decorated the previously laconic façade of the building. Well, the main value of the cathedral for believers is the relics of the Apostle Mark stored here.
In a separate part of the cathedral, one of its main relics is located - the golden altar of the Pala d’oro. Once hidden from visitors and used only in festive services, the altar can now be seen by anyone for a symbolic fee of €2. There is also a museum inside the cathedral (€5) and a treasury with those same Byzantine artifacts (€3) is open to the public.
Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale)
Address: Piazza San Marco, 1
The most romantic Venetian building with a delicate pink facade, intricate Gothic carvings and a snow-white colonnade along its perimeter was once occupied by the rulers of the Venetian Republic - the Doges. During the Middle Ages, the building also housed a court and secret police, while the lower floors were occupied by lawyers, censors and clerical offices. Despite several fires that damaged the building in the Middle Ages, the preserved and restored interiors, decorated with paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese, are still amazing!
Since immediately after visiting the Cathedral of San Marco, all tourists rush to tour the Doge's Palace, it is better to purchase a ticket here in advance online . The Piazza San Marco Pass (€20) also includes admission to other museums in Piazza San Marco. Well, for those who like a secluded walk through the historical interiors, they offer to visit the palace after it closes for €80 (only 20 tickets per day).
- Numbeo - look at the price order in the host country.
- AirBnb - rent an apartment from locals.
- Tripster - craft tours from locals.
- Sputnik and Wheatlas are the best excursions from professional guides.
Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto)
Address: Sestiere San Polo
In maritime Venice, cut along and across by hundreds of canals, of course, it cannot do without bridges. One of the 4 main city bridges spanning the Grand Canal, and also the oldest and most famous bridge in Venice - Ponte di Rialto - connects the banks of the canal in its narrowest part. The best way to admire the Rialto is from the water, or at least from the embankments. And of course, you just have to cross it from one bank to the other in such a dense crowd of tourists, as if in the morning rush hour on the subway.
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Address: Piazza San Marco, 1
Entrance: Piazza San Marco Pass – €20
No less famous than its brother Rialto, the Bridge of Sighs connects the Doge's Palace and the neighboring prison. That's why it got its name. In the Middle Ages, after hearing cases in the Supreme Court of the Doge's Palace, convicts were taken to a prison cell along this very bridge, and the last chance for the unfortunate to see the world outside the walls of the prison was a fleeting glance through the barred windows of the bridge. Although it is, of course, difficult to call this structure a bridge, it looks like a small covered extension to two buildings over a small canal.
Grand Canal
The main transport artery of the city actually serves as the central avenue of Venice. About 100 of the richest, most famous and beautiful palazzos lined the banks of the Grand Canal. That is why the Venetians lovingly call the canal – Canalazzo, i.e. "Canal Palace". But there are almost no embankments along it, so you can only view the beautiful facades of Venetian palaces from the water. The amazing thing about the Grand Canal is that, unlike most artificially dug canals, the Venetian Canal Grande is a small channel that once passed through the islands of the Venetian lagoon and was turned by the Italians into a real water avenue connecting different parts of the city.
Gondolas, vaporetto and traghetto
The historical center of Venice is very compact and, if desired, you can easily get around it in just a couple of hours. Although even in this case, public transport operates in Venice, which serves more of an entertainment function for tourists. You can take a boat ride along the Grand Canal - Vaporetto . To make the most of the surrounding Venetian beauty, it is better to take seats at the bow or stern of the ship. However, ticket prices for Venetians and visitors vary greatly. For the latter, tickets for travel within the city will cost €8 one way or €15 round trip, but you can also purchase a ticket for the day (€30) and ride as much as you want. Ticket kiosks are located right at the entrance to the pontoon piers - vaporetto stops.
Well, where would Venice be without gondolas and gondoliers singing songs? Unfortunately, the once popular type of personal transport in the city has turned into entertainment for tourists for decent money (from €80 per trip). Gondoliers sing less and less and compete more and more to attract customers by decorating their boats in tasteless fashion. But no problem! Authentic gondolas have also been preserved in Venice, still serving as public transport -Traghetto. These stark gondolas, without the comforts of seats, transport passengers from one side of the Grand Canal to the other. The trip takes about 3-5 minutes, and the one-way cost is only €2. Real Venetians ride the traghetto standing up, but no one forbids you from actually sitting on the narrow side of the boat and completely feeling like a resident of medieval Venice!
Islands of Murano and Burano
Address: Isola di Murano, Isola di Burano
Vaporetto fare in both directions: €20
No less famous, located north of the historical center of Venice, the islands of Murano and Burano are officially included within the city limits. To get here you need to take a Vaporetto from Piazza San Marco on a special green line - Linea Verde.
Murano is famous for its colored Murano glass products. Since the 13th century, a commune of glassblowers has been formed on the island, producing art glass using unique Venetian technology, which was highly valued throughout the world. In order not to disclose production secrets, the craftsmen were forbidden to leave the island, and in return they, members of their families, and then all descendants were granted titles of nobility.
Burano was an ordinary fishing village, where you can still admire the bright and colorful facades of fishermen's houses, buy Burano lace and try the famous local cookies - Buranelli.
Venetian cathedrals and churches
When all the main attractions of the city have been examined, and the abundance of people already dazzles the eyes, it is worth delving into the narrow and surprisingly quiet Venetian streets and, walking through areas remote from St. Mark's Square, visiting churches and cathedrals of amazing beauty. In total, there are 150 churches in compact Venice!
Chorus Venezia - an association of the Venetian Patriarchate, which includes 16 main churches of the city. These cathedrals are known not only as monuments of medieval architecture, but also as original art museums, because their walls are decorated with masterpieces by Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese, as well as other Italian painters of the Renaissance. An entrance ticket to most churches on the Chorus list costs a symbolic €3, but you can also purchase a single Chorus Pass for just €12.
Cathedral of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
Address: San Polo, 3072
Entrance: €3, or Chorus Pass – €12
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is the second most important cathedral in Venice after San Marco. The building was built in the Gothic style and amazes with its rich interior decoration. The interior of the Frari Basilica, as the Venetians call it for short, is decorated with elaborate wooden carvings, many statues and paintings by Venetian artists, and above the altar is one of Titian’s main works, “The Assumption of Mary” (“Assunta”). In addition, Titian and the famous Italian sculptor Antonio Canova, whose works are exhibited in the Louvre and the Hermitage, are buried in the cathedral under magnificent tombstones.
Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute
Address: Dorsoduro, 1
Entrance: €4
Perhaps the most famous Venetian building, constantly appearing in all photos of the city. MonumentalBasilica di Santa Maria della Salutemeets travelers at the very beginning of the Grand Canal. It was built in the second half of the 17th century in memory of the plague epidemic that claimed the lives of a third of Venetians. And to this day, a mass is celebrated in the cathedral every year in gratitude for the deliverance of Venice from the plague. The austere and majestic façade of the cathedral is continued in its laconic interiors. Walking inside the building, you will find yourself in a simple, spacious and cold hall, completely decorated with multi-colored marble and decorated with marble statues.
Church of St. Panteleimon (Chiesa di San Pantalon)
Address: Dorsoduro, 3703
The entrance is free
This small and inconspicuous-looking church on the square of Sant Pantalon of the same name is not included in the Chorus list, but includes a real masterpiece of Venetian painting and the largest artistic canvas in the world (700 sq.m.). The church is famous for its painted vault, on which the Italian painter Giovanni Fumiani depicted scenes from the life of St. Panteleimon. The peculiarity of the fresco is that, thanks to the artist’s skill, the low flat ceiling creates the feeling of a dome extending far into the sky. In addition, the picture without a frame smoothly goes onto the walls, and this only intensifies the impression of the depth of the vault.
Cathedral of Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Address: Castello, 6363
Entrance: €10
Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo- the largest cathedral in Venice, where 18 Doges of the Venetian Republic and a dozen more famous Venetians are buried. The interior of the cathedral does not look like a religious institution at all. The huge space inside, decorated with paintings, massive sculptures and colorful stained glass windows, is more reminiscent of a real palace. And, of course, the scale of the cathedral is impressive, which is so unusual for compact Venice.
Atypical sights
It would seem that in such a city so well-trodden by tourists far and wide there is not a single interesting and well-worn attraction left. But even in Venice, if you try, you can find real hidden gems, after visiting which you will fall in love with the city even more!
Cemetery Island of San Michele
Address: Isola di San Michele
Vaporetto fare in both directions: €15
The Venetian “island of the dead” is located exactly in the middle between the historical city center and the island of Murano. You can get to San Michele by vaporetto lines 4.1 and 4.2 . The entire island is occupied by a cemetery, which in turn is divided into 3 parts: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. At the Orthodox cemetery there are three points of attraction for tourists - the graves of Joseph Brodsky, Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Diaghilev. According to tradition, ballet admirers lay ballet shoes at Diaghilev’s grave instead of flowers.
Campo Santa Margherita Square
Address: Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro
The spacious (rare for Venice) central square of the Dorsoduro district with many hostels, clubs, cafes and restaurants and a favorite meeting place for Venetian students. Here local boys play football, young men and women make dates, and Italian donnas hang laundry to dry on lines stretched between houses. And, of course, in cafes and restaurants on Campo Santa Margherita you can order the famous Venetian black pasta with cuttlefish ink, local sparkling Prosecco as part of the equally famous Spritz cocktail, or a traditional Italian dessert at prices 2 times lower than on the central streets of Venice around the square San Marco.
Bookstore Libreria Acqua Alta
Address: Calle Longa S. Maria Formosa, 5176/b
The entrance is free
A bookstore that is amazing for us and typical for Venice, where, to protect against sudden floods, books are stored not on shelves, but in spacious cast-iron baths and even in real gondolas inside the sales area! What will happen to books if they are not stored in this way can be seen in a small shop yard. Where water-damaged books in colorful bindings are lined up into real “fortress walls.”
Venice is a unique city that has drawn a line unlike any other in world history.
The only city of its kind on the water with canals instead of streets. The only city of its kind, which at a certain period of history had the largest fleet in the world and the greatest political influence, despite its very small size.
And he is also very beautiful, unusual, fabulous...
The city is located in Italy, closer to the northeast. It cannot be said that the city is large, since the population is approximately 270 thousand people .
Location of the city: on an archipelago that includes 118 small islands. These islets are located between the Adriatic Sea and the mainland. In the Middle Ages, refugees lived here, mainly from Padua, fleeing the barbarians.
Venice lacks almost all public transport: trams, buses and, of course, the metro. Usually the means of transportation are various types of boats. There is water very close to the houses. There are about 150 canals and 400 stone bridges in Venice.
Christmas and New Year
Particular splendor and beauty can be seen here under Christmas and New Year . New Year holidays, a very good time to travel to Venice ( www.italy-spb.ru/novyi-god-2015/veneciya/ ), the atmosphere of Christmas in the city is magical, you can attend many festive events and do a lot of shopping.
The local craftsmen invent all sorts of things by hand. Murano glass works
– any type of vases, dishes, decorations, they can be purchased as a souvenir or gift.
Christmas carols - this celebration takes place on the night of January 6-7. Carols and chants on this day have a special meaning, which is intended to praise the exploits of the Savior and martyr before sinful people. Behind seemingly simple poems and chants there actually lies a deep meaning and sacred wisdom of the ancestors. This action usually takes place as if on the border between the space of the earth and the expanses of heaven.
Venice Carnival
Venice is a cultural, educational and entertainment center that often hosts major music, film and art festivals. At the end of winter, Venice traditionally hosts Venice Carnival . People put on a variety of elegant costumes, make themselves masks and go have fun.
Carnival in Venice is a holiday that will stay with you for life!
Some attractions
Venice can be described as the most romantic city. It has a great atmosphere. The streets of the city are almost always calm and quiet. Residents of Venice prefer to drink coffee in the morning, so the smell of this invigorating drink is often present in the air. It is for this reason that you can find many cafes and restaurants in the city.
The most popular and famous all over the world - cafe "Florian", opened in 1721, some notable people visited it, for example, Hemingway, Carlo Goldoni, Lord Byron, Joseph Brodsky .
Every visitor will find something to do, something to see and something to have fun with. Art lovers can visit famous museums such as Naval, Archaeological, Peggy Guggenheim Museum and others.
There is an opportunity to get to know better the outstanding architectural styles of Venice, it is possible to do this in St. Mark's Square - This is the main city square of Venice. There you have the opportunity to see various buildings such as: Clock Tower, Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Cathedral .
At the end of the square there are two columns that serve symbol of the Gateway to Venice . On the first is statue of st. Theodora , and on the second – lion with wings . It is considered a symbolic work of the city, and its image can be seen on various brochures, publications, and magazines.
- October 21, 2016
So what is Venice worth?? How does this miracle city manage to float on water for centuries? How deep are Venetian canals? How were Venetian palaces built? These are the questions that arose for many who read the article about. Also, these same questions are asked by everyone who has visited this city on the water.
I found a very interesting video on YouTube that answers these and many other similar questions. The only downside to this video is the fact that it is in Italian and, by the way, is used in Italian language tests.
The basis for the construction of Venetian buildings is wooden piles, the number of which was required for the construction of Venice over a million. For the Rialto Bridge alone, over 30 thousand piles were used.
Rialto Venice
What kind of wood are the piles made of in Venice?
Venetian piles required only special wood, namely oak and larch. Because only these tree species have the necessary margin of strength and resistance to adverse influences. These trees were floated to Venice because they did not grow in the immediate area.
Depth of canals in Venice
In order to see how deep the canals in Venice are, it is enough to wait for the period of their shallowing, which has been used for several years now both to clean the bottom of the canals and to restore ancient medieval Venetian palazzos.
As we see in the film, The depth of the channels is not great at all.She reaches 2.5, maximum 3 meters. Only the Grand Canal in some places reaches a depth of 6 meters.
Grand Canal in Venice
In the film you can see fountains gushing out from the walls of houses (which are usually under water). This is the water that the building draws into itself when it is under water.
In the last part of the film, we find ourselves at the excavations of one of the Venetian suburbs in order to discover the most important secret of the construction of Venice, and also to understand Why are piles (even made of high-strength wood) resistant to destruction and rotting?.
Here are piles that were installed here at the time when Christopher Columbus set out to discover America. As you can see, they are quite alive and not even very destroyed.
So what is the main secret?
Piles of Venice
And the secret lies in the type Venetian mud which the local soil is rich in. It is these muds that fit the pile so tightly that block the access of oxygen to it, and accordingly prevent the penetration of animals and insects, corrosion from water and natural destruction.
Thanks to these muds, which stuck to the pile 7-8 meters deep, it remains intact and unharmed, and can serve for centuries. As we see in the film, only the top part of the pile which opens into open space, susceptible to aging.
How buildings were built in Venice
For construction Venetian buildings, the piles were buried 7-8 meters deep into the mud until it reached solid soil, into which it was driven to a certain depth. Then the logs were laid on top of the wooden piles in an intersecting manner.
This method gave maximum stability and allowed the mass of the building to be evenly distributed around the entire perimeter. Either brickwork was made on top of the wooden logs, or marble slabs were laid.
Items found at these excavations allow scientists to assert that in Venice, since the time of Marco Polo, there existed separate waste collection and. Which has just begun to be introduced in our countries.
Eh... we still lag behind mother Europe... 🙁
Also, the excavations gave scientists a lot samples of glass, pottery, and Chinese ceramics that were found here. It is believed that the samples of Chinese ceramics found here are the oldest in Europe.
Venice is still fraught with many secrets and mysteries., which generations of our descendants will have the opportunity to discover.
I can’t help but recommend unusually interesting excursions around Venice from local residents. All excursions are in RUSSIAN! For this article, I specially selected the most thematic excursions that will help you not only see everything you read in practice, but also tell and show Venice from completely unexpected angles.
Cities similar to Venice
Spanish Venice - Epmuriabava
Epmuryabawa- a small resort town on the Mediterranean coast of the Costa Brava.
Thanks to a dense network of canals, more than 25 kilometers long, which form a shipping system, this place is very popular for yacht lovers. The number of berths reaches five thousand. Unlike Venice, local residents can use not only water, but also land transport to get home.
Portuguese Venice - Iveru
Walking on water can also be done in Portugal, in a town called Iver. The main water channel is the gateway to the city. The most famous boats are the Moliceiros boats, which used to be popular with seaweed collectors. Another highlight is the Convento de Jesus, which became famous thanks to one of the princesses who rejected court life.
American Venice - Fort - Lordale
There is also a place in the USA where people move on water. It is located in a resort town Fort Lauderdale, in Florida. A modern network of water channels allows even small vessels such as yachts to move smoothly. This type of boat is very popular, and one of the attractions is the Christmas Yacht Parade, which is held every year on December 14th.
Chinese Venice - Zhounzhuang
Zhounzhuang one of the most picturesque places in China. The town is surrounded on all sides by many rivers and lakes, which feed the water canals. The city itself is so ancient that the history of its foundation goes back nine centuries. The bridges of this city are famous among tourists. And also the beautiful architecture will not leave anyone indifferent.
If you look at a map of Northern Italy, Venice appears to be an ordinary coastal settlement. In fact, it is an island. More precisely, a group of islands in the Adriatic Sea, located close to the mainland of the country. There are canals instead of streets, so the main transport in Venice is water buses and slightly more expensive water taxis. Gondola services will cost even more. This type of transport has been preserved since ancient times and is still in demand. It is used mainly by tourists who want to get in touch with the history of the city, get acquainted with its sights, numerous museums, and see the life of Venetians today.
Most Serene “Queen of the Adriatic”
Venice is one of the oldest cities on our planet. It owes its name to the Veneti tribe, which inhabited this area even before our era, during the existence of the Roman Empire. It was the Romans who enslaved the Veneti in the 3rd century BC, founding here the colony of Aquileia, which later became the center of the province of Venetia and Istria. Actually, Venice was founded in 421 AD by the inhabitants of the region, who sought salvation from the warlike Goths and found refuge here on the Rialto Islands. So says the legend, which also names the exact date: March 25, the day of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. A document has been preserved confirming the veracity of the legend: according to it, the settlement was officially founded by three consuls - natives of Padua.
In 452, Venetia and Istria were invaded by warlike tribes of the Huns under the leadership of Attila. The main city, Aquileia, was destroyed. Some residents, seeking salvation, also fled to the islands. The harsh conditions taught the settlers a lot, and above all the art of survival. They built houses on stilts, fished, and farmed. There were twelve village settlements in total, and in order not to live in disunity, they decided to form a common local government - the Venetian government (the agreement on this came into force in 466). But, despite the actual independence, the settlements were formally subordinate to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). In 539-551, the Venetians openly supported the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the war with the Ostrogothic kingdom, providing him with their fleet, the most powerful at that time in the Adriatic. The Eastern Roman Empire did not remain in debt and granted Venice many privileges in trade.
At the end of the 7th century, the Most Serene Venetian Republic, or the Republic of St. Mark, was formed - a state with its capital in Venice, located in the northeast of modern Italy and which had colonies in a number of Adriatic countries and the basins of three seas - the Aegean, Marmara and Black. Since 697, Venice began to elect the highest official - the Doge (king), who was endowed with broad powers. Its heyday occurred during the period of the Crusades (XI-XV centuries). The state had extensive trade relations, essentially controlling trade between East and West. Meanwhile, the internal political struggle did not subside within the state. Disputes, in particular, revolved around the idea of transforming the republic into a de facto monarchy, so that the doges who ruled for life would not be elected, but would receive power by inheritance. There were even uprisings. During one of them, one of the Doges, Vitaly II, died. After this, in 1172, elections of deputies to the Great Council (something like a parliament) were announced. It became the highest representative and deliberative body, whose powers significantly reduced the power of the doges.
The Republic of Venice reached the peak of its power under Doge Enrico Dandolo (13th century). Relying on the French crusaders, she conquered Constantinople in 1204, and ruled this city for a short time. When the Byzantine lands were divided, three-eighths of this territory, including the island of Crete, went to the “Queen of the Adriatic”. In 1256, Venice began to fight with the Genoese Republic. The fighting was prolonged and gave an advantage to one side or the other. In 1381, Genoa was defeated and the territory of Venice began to gradually grow with new possessions. In the second half of the 15th century, the Ionian Islands were conquered, and already in 1489 the island of Cyprus was annexed to the republic.
The end of the 15th century was remarkable for the Serene “Queen of the Adriatic” in many ways. The state was very rich. It was strong from within and commanded respect on the international stage. Venice's enemies were openly afraid of her. Ordinary people also lived very prosperously, since trade and industrial production flourished, and taxation was not burdensome. By modern standards, governance was generally democratic. True, political crimes were still punished.
Difficult times began for the Republic of St. Mark starting in the 16th century. Moreover, due to objective circumstances. Just before this, the Portuguese navigator Vasco de Gama discovered the sea route to the East Indies (1498), which gradually deprived Venice of its monopoly on this trade route. Then the warlike Ottomans captured Constantinople, and step by step began to take away their previous territorial acquisitions from the Venetians. In 1571, Venice had to cede Cyprus to the Turks, and in 1669, Crete. The republic’s relations with the Catholic Church also developed coolly. Pope Paul V at that time founded the League, which encroached on the independence of the maritime republic. Defending her right to exist, she survived this struggle and brushed aside all claims.
However, the Venetian Republic still lost its independence. Napoleon Bonaparte, then still the commander of the Italian army, entered the territory of Styria in 1797. After the invasion, Terraferma (the so-called mainland possessions of Venice) remained in the rear of his troops, whose population rebelled against the invaders. In response, the future emperor of France declared war on the republic, whose government tried in every possible way to maneuver, but in vain. On May 12, 1797, Doge Ludovico Manin, together with the Great Council, signed an act of abdication. And already on May 16, the victorious troops entered Venice, which they occupied without resistance. On October 17 of the same year, a peace treaty was concluded in Campo Formio, according to which part of the territory of the former republic went to Austria, part to the Cisalpine Republic, which later became the Kingdom of Italy. France acquired the Ionian Islands.
Famous people and Venice
The life and fate of many famous people, world-famous personalities - artists, composers, writers, travelers, scientists - was connected with Venice. Some of them were born in this wonderful city, others developed their creativity here, and others lived their last years in it. Let us briefly introduce you to some of these famous personalities.
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni. Born on June 8, 1671 in Venice, where he died on January 17, 1751. Famous composer and violinist, contemporary of the Baroque era. He gained fame by writing about fifty operas. In his hometown, 28 of them were staged between 1723 and 1740. Today, the instrumental music he wrote is popular and is regularly performed in many halls.
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova. Born April 2, 1725 in Venice, died June 4, 1798 in Bohemia. He went down in history with his numerous adventures in the love field, which he himself described in his autobiographical book “The Story of My Life.” He is also known as a traveler and adventurer. His piquant memoirs made his name a household name and now every female seducer is called “Casanova”.
Clement XIII(in the world - Carlo della Tore Rezzonico). Pope from 1758 to 1769 (for life). Born March 7, 1693 in Venice. During his pontificate, persecution of the Jesuits began, as the growth of their influence in the royal courts of Europe caused alarm among the Catholic clergy. But the head of the church himself took a wait-and-see attitude. He went down in history as an opponent of the Enlightenment.
Marco Polo. Famous Italian traveler, merchant. Born on September 15, 1254 in Venice, died there on January 8, 1324. The author of the famous work “The Book of the Diversity of the World,” which he wrote after his trip to Asia. To this day, it serves as an invaluable source of information on the history and geography of countries such as China, Mongolia, Iran, India, Armenia, and Indonesia during the Middle Ages.
Richard Wagner. Born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, died February 13, 1883 in Venice. Famous German composer and outstanding art theorist. He is also known for his reformations in the field of opera. With his creativity he had a significant influence not only on German, but also on the musical culture of the Old World in general. He was also known for his anti-Semitic views.
Titian(Titian Vecellio). Born around 1488-1490 in Pieve di Cadore, Republic of Venice. Died in Venice on August 27, 1576. Famous Italian painter, personification of the Renaissance. Author of paintings on biblical and mythological themes. He also gained fame as a portrait painter, whose clients were kings, popes and other august persons.
Christian Doppler. Austrian scientist, physicist. Born in Salzburg on November 29, 1803, died in Venice on March 17, 1853. He established and substantiated such a phenomenon as the dependence of the frequency of wave oscillations perceived by an observer on the speed and direction of their source and observer in relation to each other, called the “Doppler effect.” Now used in ultrasound diagnostics.
Venice today
Venice today is one of the largest tourist, cultural and industrial centers in Italy. The population of the city, which is the administrative center of the Veneto region and the Venice region, is 270.4 thousand people according to the 2009 census. As before, it occupies the territory of 118 islands in the Adriatic. They are connected to each other by canal “streets” branching off from the Canal Grande (Grand Canal). It is considered the main “street” here and one of the main attractions. It is impressive with its “dimensions”: length 3.8 km, width - from 0.3 to 0.7 m, depth about 5 m. It seems to divide Venice into two parts, but not equal in size. On both sides of it there are picturesque palace buildings and houses, which creates a unique panorama.
The group of Venetian islands is fenced off from the bay of the same name by islands-spits, long and narrow (Lido, Alberoni, Malamocco, etc.). They are connected to the Italian mainland by two- and four-kilometer bridges. Highways and railway tracks run parallel to each other along them, ending at the city borders. In Venice itself there are no buses, no trolleybuses, no trams, no taxis, no metro, and this circumstance makes it one of a kind and inimitable.
Modern Venice is an open-air museum. Let's name just some of the attractions of this ancient city. This is the central square San Marco , cathedral of the same name, Golden House , Doge's Palace , city Museum Corner, Bridge of Sighs, Campanile (Bell tower), Rialto Bridge, Clock Tower, church Santa Maria della Salute , gothic church Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (second in importance after the Cathedral of San Marco), Naval Museum and others.
Every year the famous Venice Carnival takes place here - a costume festival that precedes the forty-day fast before Catholic Easter. The first mention of the carnival dates back to 1094. The Venice International Film Festival is also held here, which is the oldest in the world: it was founded back in 1932 by the Italian Duce Benito Mussolini.
Another interesting fact about Venice. In the city there is the Cathedral of St. George the Victorious. It is he who is the repository of the right hand of St. Basil the Great. This Orthodox shrine was acquired in Constantinople in 1528 by Father Gabriel, who later became the first Metropolitan of Venice.