Venice

Venice is located in the High Adriatic Sea in the Veneto region. It is commonly thought that Venice opens up into the sea, but actually, it is on the sea, in the middle of sandy dunes and lagoons. This worldwide famous city is an art and history treasure. The province of Venice comprises 44 comunes (municipalities) with 815,000 inhabitants, but only 271,000 of them live actually in Venice. Venice is easily reached thanks to the Marco Polo International Airport that is obviously prepared to provide tourists with transportation services- a variety of shuttles buses and pullman coaches to go downtown. If travelling by car, the Milan-Venice motorway is the only way to get to Venice. The most important parking sites are located in Piazzale Roma, Tronchetto, Mestre, San Giuliano and Punta Sabbioni. If coming by train, you arrive at Saint Lucia train station. The only way to reach downtown from there is by sea, taking vaporetti (motorised water-buses), which are like the common buses running along city streets. However, for a more romantic ride, take a Gondola. Although slower than vaporetti, these classical Venetian boats are undoubtedly more original. Talking about the Arts, Venice is a true artistic jewel that remains almost as it was in the 16th century. The most well-known square is “Piazza San Marco”, the Procuratie Vecchie (buildings of Roman procurators), the Procuratie Nuove and also the Torre dell’ Orologio (Clock tower). The Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) is undoubtedly among the most important buildings. It is a Gothic masterpiece made of marble from Verona and stone from Istria. Surely, one of the unquestioned symbols is the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), which was built by Antonio Da Ponte around the 15th century, together with the well-known Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs). If wanting to visit wonderful, and great museums, the Galleria dell’ Accademia, the Museo del Settecento Veneziano at Cà Rezzonico, the Museum at Cà Pesaro and the Grassi Palace, are worth visiting. Different exhibitions are held all year round. The most important Events in the city are: first, the Carnevale (famous all around the world); then, in June, the Festa della Sensa (Ascension Day) with parades of all the Venetian small boats, and in July, the Festa del redentore celebrated with a gondola regatta. Other important events of international prestige are the Festival del Cinema (Film festival) that takes place in September and also the Biennale di Venezia, an exhibition of modern and contemporary art. Venice has 271,000 inhabitants over a surface of 412 km² , with a population density of 646 people/km. Venice is exactly at sea level.