Venice_1: Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

The Grand Canal is the widest canal in Venice and divides the city into two parts. It is just over 3800 meters long with an average depth of 4-5 meters.

Venice_2: Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

The Grand Canal banks are lined with more than 170 beautiful buildings, most of which date to 13th/18th century and demonstrate the welfare and art created by the "Republic of Venice"

Venice_3: View of the Castello Sestiere, Venice, Italy

View of the Castello sestiere (Area). The district grew up from the thirteenth century around a naval dockyard on what was originally the Isole Gemini. The district is divided between the Arsenale, then the largest naval complex in Europe and the monasteries in the north of the quarter.

Venice_4: Venice Street Scene, Cannaregio Sestiere

Venice is divided into six districts, known as 'Sestieri'. Each 'Sestiere' is subdivided into Parishes, the smallest administrative and social units of the city as early as the 11 centaury.

Venice_5: Venice Street Scene, Cannaregio Sestiere

Cannaregio is Venice's second largest sestiere, stretching across the north-west of the city from the station almost to the Rialto bridge. The name has two possible origins: it may derive from Canal Regio, i.e. the main canal for communicating with the mainland or else it may refer to the extensive reed beds found there in the past.

Venice_6:Venice Street Scene, Cannaregio Sestiere

Cannaregio was settled well before AD 1000, when the first dwellings were built on the islands of San Giovanni Crisostomo and Santi Apostoli, close to the Rialto. The areas adjacent to the Grand Canal were built up next. The urban sprawl proceeded northwards, engulfing the convents and monasteries on what were, until then, remote islands.

Venice_7: Venetian Masks

Traditionally masks served an important social purpose of keeping every citizen on an equal playing field. Masked, a servant could be mistaken for a nobleman - or vice versa. Today many shops sell them as souvenirs to the many visitors to Venice

Venice_8 Gondolier on the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

Gondolas are hand made using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and are composed of 280 pieces. The oars are made of beech wood and the left side of the gondola is made longer than the right side to counterbalance the weight of the gondolier.

Venice_9 Venetian Masks

Due to the anonymity provided by the wearing of Masks the Venetian Republic fell into a state of luxury, indolence, and moral decay. Eventually the wearing of masks in daily life was banned and limited only to certain months of the year. It was gradually shortened into the week-long festivities that now comprise Carnevale, elsewhere known as Mardi Gras.

Venice_12 Church of San Giogio Maggiore

San Giorgio is one of the most impressive Venetian buildings by Andrea Palladio. The First stone was laid down in 1566 but the construction of this building was brought to a end after his death by Simon Sorella. San Giorgio Maggiore keeps many masterpieces of the Venetian Renaissance: Ultima cena by Tintoretto (1594), in which the artist, with the artificial light, annihilated the colors of the canvas.

Venice_11 View from the Bell Tower of the Church Of San Giogio Maggiore

View of the Ventitian landscape taken from the Bell Tower of the Church Of San Giogio Maggiore, first built in 1467, subsequently fell in 1774 and the reconstruction was completed in 1791.

Venice_10 St. Mark's Campanile (Bell Tower)

The first tower standing at the site of the campanile was built in the 7th century, possibly as a lighthouse. The first clock tower dates from around the year 900. Throughout the centuries, it was rebuilt a number of times, finally reaching its current look around 1513, after a restoration following a damaging earthquake.

Venice_13: Ponte di Rialto, Venice, Italy

The Ponte di Rialto is constructed of marble and was constructed between 1588 and 1591 to replace a wooden bridge at the same location which was built in 1255.

Venice_14 Canal Scene, Venice, Italy

The city of Venice is made up of 117 different islands linked by a series of over 150 interconnecting canals and 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or foot.

Venice_15 Canal Scene, Venice, Italy

Venice wasn't meant to be built on water but on small islands in the lagoon. Barbarians, after pillaging villages and towns needed to find a safe place. The safest place was the lagoon which was easy to hide in and easy to protect from invaders. A culture developed over the years and people began to settle.

Venice_16 Venice City View From St. Mark's Campanile

The city of Venice, Italy, lies in the Lagoon of Venice (Laguna Veneta) which is connected to the Northern Adriatic Sea through the port entrances of Lido, Malamocco, and Chioggia

Venice_17 Laundry Drying, Venice

Laundry hanging on a washing line above a canal on one of the islands in the Venetian lagoon.

Venice_18 Vaporetto (Waterbus) Stop, Venice

All transportation within Venice is entirely by water or on foot. In this image the reflection of the Venice skyline on the opposite river bank is seen reflected in the window on the Zitelle Vaporetto Stop.