Venice is a peculiar city defined by all those who have seen it as one of the
most beautiful in the world. It consists of more than a hundred tiny islets,
packed closely together around canals. The city is in a lagoon, protected by
the longer island of Venice Lido.
Venice is on the north-west of Italy. Because of its popularity amongst tourists,
the best season to visit the “City of Gondoliers” is probably winter,
when hotel rates are more accessible and the city streets are a little less
full. However, it does tend to get quite icy and misty in this season. There
are also two major events in Venice such as the Venice Carnival in February
and the “Biennale” (a world famous modern arts festival that takes
place in summer every two years) which really should not be missed. August is
definitely not the best time to go because it gets really hot and humid.
Venetians decided that the best way to safeguard them from foreign occupation
was to conquer the malaria-ridden swamps to build a city from nothing. Indeed,
for nearly 1400 years, the two or three miles of shallow water, which separated
Venice from mainland Italy, not only protected Venice from invaders but also
effectively isolated the Venetians from the turbulent Italian political life.
Venice became a republic of immense power, controlling trade routes in the
Adriatic, and waging successful wars with rival states. Ruled by a doge, Venice
was a proud and rich republic, known as la Serenissima (the most serene). Every
year the Doge would take part in a symbolic ceremony, the Marriage of the Sea,
to celebrate Venice's mastery over the ocean.
Like most great powers, however, Venice's glory was followed by a decline.
Various battles were lost, notably against the Turks, and the city's trade routes
declined in importance after the discovery of the New World.
By the eighteenth century, Venetians decided to take advantage of the beauty
of their city and of their palaces by concentrating on the tourist trade.
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