Venice is more romantic, more beautiful and more surprising than you could expect. It is still a jaw-dropping experience seeing Venice's canals, palaces and squares for the first time. That first cruise down the Grand Canal is one of life's unforgettable experiences.
For centuries Venice was a republic of great power; controlling trade routes in the Adriatic Sea, and waging successful wars with rival states. Ruled by a doge, Venice was a proud and rich republic (la Serenissima). Every year the Doge would take part in a symbolic ceremony, the Marriage of the Sea. But Venice's glory was followed by a decline.
Venice has more than 200 churches, distributed in every corner of the city.
These churches, besides being wonderful architectural examples, hold art masterpieces such as pictures, frescoes and sculptures realized by artists like Tiepolo, Tiziano, Veronese, Bellini, Tintoretto, Sansovino and many more.
The only true square in Venice is Piazza S.Marco (the others open areas are "campi" ). Someone called St.Mark's Square "the drawing room of the world".
It has been the scene of some of the most important political and religious and activities of the Serenissima.
St.Mark's Square is the center of Venetian social life for almost a millennium.
A small new Square was built with the columns of S.Marco and S.Teodoro, the city's patron saints, overlooking St. Mark's Basilic. . The present form of the square is the results of the works of any famous architects such as Sansovino, Longhena, Scamozzi, Rizzo and Tirani.
The first patron saint of Venice was St.Teodoro.
Curiosities about Venice
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