Mediterranean Destinations
Venice, Italy

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Venice lies on the coast of northern Italy, As the capital of region Veneto, it has a population of nearly 300,000. Venice has been known by many names, including - "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light". It is considered by many visitors, to be one of the the most beautiful cities in the world.

The city stretches across 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po and Piave Rivers. The city is widely known for its canals and the nearly 400 bridges that span them. With no roads, except for a causeway that connects the northern edge of the city to the mainland, everything entering and leaving the city must be carried in on foot or by boat through the canals.

History

Venice owes its beginnings to refugees fleeing the barbarian invasions of Attila the Hun and later Germanic tribes during the final years of the Western Roman Empire. The islands where Venice now sits, offered a safe harbor upon which refugees could rebuild, while cities on the mainland were continously pillaged and destroyed.

It was during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that the Venetian Republic flourished. It served as a staging area for the Crusades, and later became an important center of commerce and art. The republic at its greatest, encompassed a large swath of northern Italy, and parts of what are today Croatia, Albania, Bosnia, and Greece.

Is Venice Sinking?

Because of the various practices that went into building Venice in the beginning, from the diversion of rivers to prevent the silting up of the Venitian Lagoon, to the wood piles that make up the foundation of much of the city, there is evidence that the city has begun to sink, and with global warming and the rise of sea levels that come with it, its very possible drastic measures may need to be taken to keep the city dry. Some have suggested pumping water into the seafloor beneath the city to raise it up, while others have proposed building a dike along the outer barrier islands to maintain the water level in the lagoon at its current levels. Only time will tell what measures are required to keep the city from being swallowed by the sea.