The most visited Italian city of Venice is made up of 118 islands, connected by 150 sea canals and 403 bridges, with a little under a hundred of them privately owned. The city's tourist industry notes 20 million tourists per year. Mass tourism is the leading economic activity in the metropolitan area of the Veneto region, which is experiencing mass tourism every year, with the arrival of more and more tourists. Venice is spread across 414,57 square kilometers, with 258.325 inhabitants on the Venetian Lagoon. The floating city of Venice is the eleventh largest city in Italy, and one of the most visited cities of the country, making Italy the fifth most visited tourist destination in the world. Travel with the latest travel tips to the Italian city of Venice and discover the city's history of more than 1600 years with the development of its cultural heritage.
Venice was founded on March 25th 421, when the oldest catholic church on the island, San Giacomo di Rialto, is said to be consecrated. The name comes from the expression Rivo Alto, which eventually becomes an independent name Rialto, denoting the central part of Venice. The structure of the city, as we know it today, was created in the 7th century. Settlers from the mainland have combined the islands' existing fishing communities with sandbanks and mud decks. The fish-shaped urban plan is based on the characteristic pattern of the city's streets, which represent birth and death. The city is divided into six districts, San Marco, San Polo, Santa Croce, Dorsoduro, Castello and Cannaregio. There are a number of smaller islands in the immediate vicinity of Venice.
The Grand Canal in Venice is the main S-shaped waterway for the city's water traffic. The water route is 3.86 kilometres long and 30 to 90 meters wide. The depth of the Grand Canal is 5 metres. The easiest way to get around the city and the Grand Canal is by water bus, called vaporetto, water taxi, gondola and traghetto. The city's architecture along the Grand Canal is built in Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles, as well as in the classical Greek style from the 5th century BC. The Rialto, Accademia, Constitution and Scalzi bridges span the Grand Canal, linking the left and right banks of the Venetian metropolis.
The Italian metropolis of Venice, once known as La Serenissima, has given visitors a sense of the sublime or the noble. The entire city and the Venetian lagoon are under the care of UNESCO, where they are protected by the Convention on the Protection of Monuments and Sites. Between 697 and 1797, the Republic of Venice was independent. During the Counter-Reformation period in the 16th and 17th centuries, many Slovenians emigrated to the independent Venetian Republic, whose government encouraged the development of trade. The tourism of the 21st century in Venice is not only focused on island activities and services in the central city of Venice, but is also developing on the many islands of the Veneto region. Famous islands for travelling are Burano, Murano, Lido, Torcello, San Michele, Pellestrina, Sant'Erasmo and others.
The Rialto Bridge, the oldest bridge in Venice, is located on a large canal in the center of Venice. It was designed by Antonio da Ponte and his nephew Antonio Contino. The Rialto Bridge is 31.80 metres long, 22.90 metres wide and 7.32 metres high. The dividing Rialto Bridge is made of stone and in the shape of an arch. The dividing constructing is designed in a way, that makes the arch shape the supporting element of the structure. Supporting the load-bearing element are timber piles, that support the dividing bridge on each side. Sightseeing of this attraction is possible with a gondola or on foot.
Saint Mark's square allows travellers to visit several of Venice's cultural landmarks, which define the rich history of the Venetian metropolis' cultural heritage. Next to Saint Mark's Basilica, built between 829 and 1094, stands The Campanile. The founding of the independent bell tower next to the basilica dates back to the 16th century. The tower is 98.6 meters high, while the exterior of the basilica is 43 meters high. The Basilica was designed in Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic styles. The architecture of the Doge's Palace overlooks the sea in the typical Venetian Gothic style. It was built in the 9th century, but was reconstructed in 1340 due to a fire.
The smaller Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, with its typical dividing spiral staircase, is a famous tourist attraction, built in the 15th century by the Contarini family. The palace was designed by the architect Giovanni Candi and Giorgio Spavento. The meaning of the name Bovolo is connected to the spiral staircase, since Bovolo in translation means spiral or snail. Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is built in Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance styles. The spiral staircase, Scala Contarini del Bovolo, counts 80 steps, which lead to the sixth floor on 28 meters, where visitors can enjoy the beautiful view of Venice and the symbolic Campanille.
Each year, Venice hosts the city's traditional Venetian Carnival, where thousands of people gather to present the Venetian costumes with the typical Venetian mask. The carnival dates back to 1162, while today's version was officially celebrated in 1979. Every year, the Venice Carnival hosts the selection of the most beautiful mask – the maschera più bella – chosen by a group of fashion designers. Enjoy a two-hour visit of three local pubs, known as Bacari, where you can be dressed in a Venetian costume and try Venetian cichetti, with a relaxing glass of wine. The staff awaits you with a sign ''I’m doing it Venetian Style''.
When we hear about sustainable and eco-friendly way of travelling, we surely think of pollution, which is causing plenty of problems on planet Earth. Travelling to the metropolitan Venetian area, where they are facing mass tourism, can present a challenge to each traveler who wishes to approach travel in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Planning your trip to Venice should be based on the principle of green way of travelling, which helps to resolve environmental pollution and the problems associated with mass tourism. Here are the following key tips for, that make green travelling to Venice truly sustainable and environmentally friendly:
Sustainable travel to Venice enables a green approach that is meeting the needs of modern time through sustainable development. What sustainable development is and what the representatives of the problematics of sustainable starting points are dealing with, you can find out in the article from Jochen Dallmer – Sustainable development. By developing a sustainable green way of living and a sustainable green way of travelling, each one of you contributes to sustainable tourism and its development. Why, at times, mass tourism seems problematic and why sustainable tourism is more and more present, you can find out on this website, which is also the case in the Veneto.
How to prepare your trip to the Italian Veneto region and the metropolis of Venice, which offers travellers sightseeing of touristic attractions and taking part in the traditional Venetian Carnival. Venice city map, with travel information, presents you the language with basic questions to communicate in Italian, touristic attractions, public transport, the streets etc. Many useful travel tips can be found in the articles of Hostelling International Slovenia, where a wide range of benefits await travellers to make travelling worry-free. Get to know the city of the Veneto region, with the article Venice, which was written within a series of articles of additional content about cities around the world and solo travelling. Choose your destination and plan your trip the way you want.
Make your trip safe with World Nomads travel insurance to protect you and your family. Travel insurance covers you for accidents in more than 150 activities, such as skiing, sledding, sailing, diving, bungee jumping, skydiving, camping, mountain biking, basketball or tennis. An emergency team is available 24 hours a day, all year round. Have a worry-free journey where you don't have to worry about being left without adequate assistance in the event of an accident. More about insurances can be read in the article Travel insurance, where you can get more information, which lead you to a care-free trip.
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