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Venice

Travoley
Venice
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Venice Travel Guide

  • About Venice
It might be nicknamed La Serenissima (the most serene) but there’s little that could be described as calm about Venice. Home to some of the most iconic architecture on the planet, its ancient colonnades and meandering canals are very much part of a truly modern city.Built across 116 islands set in a formerly blue lagoon (now verging on brown), Venice benefits from a fascinatingly colourful past with scores of spectacular buildings and a sprinkling of stardust. The birthplace of Tintoretto and Titian has no shortage of artistic and cultural treats either, although the inspiration for many of their works – the city itself – is just as compelling.Despite its reputation for canals, Venice is a never-ending maze of tiny cobbled courtyards and winding back streets, linked by arched bridges and dotted with osterie (simple bars serving food and drink), traditional trattorias and frequently tacky souvenir shops. But its real beauty lies in its unique waterways and striking bridges, such as the iconic Rialto.Away from the canals, the city is dominated by the Saint Mark’s Basilica and for good reason: it’s truly one of the most impressive pieces of Renaissance architecture on the planet and its byzantine golden horses are nothing short of spectacular. Castello, the surrounding area, is just as magnificent with some eye-wateringly expensive palazzo hotels.San Polo, with its beautiful Santa Maria dei Frari church, is also worth making time for, not least because it is also home to the Scuola di San Rocco, noted for its collection of Tintoretto paintings.Quiet Santa Croce and arty Dorsoduro are not to be missed either, while Campo Santa Margherita is the place to go for late nights and interesting locals.You might be amid ancient buildings, but in bustling modern Venice, serenity is the last thing you’ll find.
  • Venice History
Venice began life as a refuge encampment as Roman refugees fled invaders during the decline and fall of the Empire in the 5th century. More marshland than lagoon, it was hardly the most obvious of locations, but the settlers created small colonies dotted around the coastline, which soon thrived.Over time, the colonies grew and began to intertwine, until they eventually formed one larger city that was historically connected to Byzantium via Ravenna. The city rebelled and elected the first doge in 726, whose successors would lead Venice for the next 1,000 years. It grew immensely as a trading centre and seafaring power, and was commissioned to build a fleet for the ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which ended in the looting and occupation of Christian Constantinople in 1204.By the 15th century, Venice had become the most prosperous city in Europe, with more than 3,000 ships using its ports. At this time, the grandest palaces were built and great artists were nurtured. The cosmopolitan city boasted German, Jewish, Armenia, Turkish and Greek inhabitants living on the Grand Canal, some of whom had been persecuted elsewhere.But the city that depended so much on the sea would soon fall victim to it. First, the rise of the Ottomans threatened the Adriatic trading routes, while the discovery of the New World in 1492, and Vasco de Gama’s trip around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in 1498, undermined Venice’s hegemony over the seas.Venice stayed on top with its art, style and legendary Carnevale. It was the place to be for Europe’s rich and famous in the 16th and 17th centuries. This changed by the time of the Napoleonic Wars and when Veneto passed into the hands of the Austrians through the Treaty of Vienna in 1815, many Venetians were poor. Revolt came in 1848, and unification with Italy in 1866.A century later, after surviving both World Wars, including a notable resistance movement to Fascism in WWII, a disastrous flood wrecked many of Venice’s priceless buildings. Restoration has been ongoing ever since, while millions of tourists now visit the sinking city each year.
  • Did you know?
Venice’s name is thought to come from the ancient Veneti people, who lived in the region in the 10th century BC. The city’s houses are built on long wooden stilts, or piles, driven into the lagoon bed, which have rotted very little. A new system of hollow, floatable barriers has been built as part of the MOSE project (Modulo -Sperimentale Elettromeccanico) to help Venice resist rising tides.
  • Weather in Venice
Venice has a Mediterranean climate, characterised by hot and muggy summers and cool and wet winters. The most popular tourist season is April to October, but crowds are common at any time of year as festivals and cultural events are always happening.Spring (March to May) is warm and pleasant, with temperatures gradually increasing to reach highs in May around 22°C (71°F).Summer (June to August) is beautiful but hot and humid, with temperatures in July and August hovering around 27°C (80°F).Autumn (September to November) starts off warm and temperatures steadily decrease to around 12°C (54°F) in November.Winter (December to February) is the driest season but low temperatures average around 5°C (41°F) for the season.

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