Venice (Italy) (Italian Venezia), city and seaport in northeastern Italy, in Veneto Region, capital of Venice Province. Venice is situated on 120 islands formed by 177 canals in the lagoon between the mouths of the Po and Piave rivers, at the northern extremity of the Adriatic Sea. Because of its historic role as a naval power and commercial center, the city is known as the "Queen of the Adriatic." A railroad and highway causeway connect Venice with the mainland. Long sand bars, or barrier beaches, on the outer side of the lagoon serve as protection against the sea. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges.

Grand Canal as seen from Rialto bridge

The Grand Canal, about 3 km (about 2 mi) long, winds through Venice from northwest to southeast, dividing the city into two nearly equal portions. The Giudecca Canal, about 400 m (about 1310 ft) wide, separates Giudecca Island, on the extreme south, from Venice proper. No motor vehicles are permitted on the narrow, winding lanes and streets that penetrate the old city, and the bridges are for pedestrians only.

gondolas along St. Mark's canal
(Della Salute church in background)

For centuries the most common method of transportation was by gondola, a flat-bottomed boat propelled by a single oar. Today, the gondolas are used mainly by tourists; motor launches carry almost all the freight and passenger traffic in Venice.

family on gondola ride

 Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city buildings and decorations, from Byzantine to Renaissance styles, show great artistic achievement. The works of the Venetian school of painting and art are represented throughout Venetian palaces, public buildings, and churches.

Doges' Palace

The center and most frequented part of the city is Saint Mark’s Square. At the eastern end are Saint Mark’s Cathedral and the Doges’ Palace (Palazzo Ducale), the two most important and imposing structures in Venice.

St. Mark's cathedral

The cathedral—begun about 828, reconstructed after a fire in 976, and rebuilt between 1047 and about 1071—is considered an outstanding example of Byzantine architecture.

mosaic over cathedral doorway
commemorating the arrival of St. Mark's body from Alexandria

mosaic over cathedral doorway

restored mosaic over central doorway

the elaborate stonework below this mosaic

my favorite statue
(a corner stone of the St. Mark's cathedral)

The palace—begun about 814, destroyed four times by fire, and each time rebuilt on a more magnificent scale—is a remarkable building in Italian Gothic with some early Renaissance elements. The northern side of the piazza is occupied by the Procuratie Vecchie (1496) and the southern side by the Procuratie Nuove (1584), both built in Italian Renaissance style. During the time of the Venetian republic these buildings were the residences of the nine procurators, or magistrates, from among whom the doge, or chief magistrate, was usually selected.

London Hotel and Victor Emmanuel statue along St. Marco canal

Along the two palaces and their extension, the Atrio or Fabbrica Nuova (1810), extend arcades with cafés and shops.

winged lion of Saint Mark

Near the Doges’ Palace stand two famous granite columns erected in 1180, one bearing the winged lion of Saint Mark and the other Saint Theodore of Studium on a crocodile.

winged lion of Saint Mark and Saint Theodore of Studium on a crocodile