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Venice, Italy. Annie McManness 8R October 24, 2012. Geography.
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Venice, Italy Annie McManness 8R October 24, 2012
Geography • Venice is located in Italy and is the capital of the Veneto region and of Venice province. Lying in a protected lagoon at the north end of the Adriatic Sea, it’s built on wooden pilings on top of 118 islands that make it almost look like it’s floating. There are about 160 canals and a few narrow walkways, but no roads. In addition to this, there are also about 400 bridges, which are mostly arched to allow boats to get through. Gondolas are widely used as transportation, but people also use powerboats as buses and taxis. Most of the time, buildings are directly on canals and have entrances barely above water.
Economy • The economy of Venice is built mainly on tourism. • Many people make handcrafted items (ex. glassware, jewelry, and leather goods). • Many people work in shipyards, machine shops, petroleum refineries, and chemical plants.
History • Venice was founded by Italians fleeing Attila the Hun in the 5th century. It started as a wretched village on mud flats. After later being part of the Byzantine empire for centuries, Venice became its own republic in the 9th century. During the time of the Crusades, Venice became a commercial shipping center. In the 15th century, Venice was at its most powerful. The decline of Venice started in the 16th century after costly wars took place. Napoleon took control of it in 1797, and in 1866, Venice became part of Italy.
Language In Venice, people mainly speak the national language of Italy, Italian. Some people also speak Venetian, a Romance language (ex. Catalan, French, Romanian) that’s spoken by about 2 million people mainly in Venice and the surrounding area. It’s also spoken in Trieste, Croatia, Slovenia, Mexico, and Brazil. It’s like Italian, but more closely related to French and Spanish. Between the 9th and 18th centuries, when Venice was an independent republic, Venetian was a popular language.
Government • Venice is part of Italy. It has a mayor, whose name is Giorgio Orsoni and is 63. Venice also has an Executive Board, a city council, and is separated into districts.
Tourist Attractions: St. Mark’s Basilica • St. Mark’s Basilica was built in the 11th century, and is Venice’s most famous church. It’s located on Saint Mark’s square and since 1807 has been the seat of the archbishop of Venice. St. Mark’s Basilica is famous for its Byzantine architecture and mosaics. Since the 11th century, it has been nicknamed the “Church of gold”.
Tourist Attractions: Carnival of Venice • The Carnival of Venice is an annual open-air festival in Venice that lasts for ten days leading up to Ash Wednesday. It’s now celebrated all over Italy, but started in Venice in the 15th century. It fell into decline in 1797 when Napoleon was in control of the city, and ended when Mussolini banned wearing masks. In 1979, it was revived again. People have parades through the city, watch street performers, dance, wear masks and costumes, and listen to live music.
Tourist Attractions: Grand Canal • The Grand Canal forms one of the major water traffic corridors in Venice. Water taxis, water busses, and gondolas are the main ways people get around on it. The canal leads on one side to the lagoon near Santa Lucia railway station and on the other side leads into Saint Mark Basin. It makes an S-shape through the central districts of Venice. The canal is about five meters deep.
Tourist Attractions: Gondolas • Gondolas are popular forms of transportation in Venice. They’re traditional rowing boats that have been in use for centuries, and presently are mainly used as tourist attractions.
Tourist Attractions: Saint Mark’s Square • Saint Mark’s Square was built in the 9th century as a square with a few trees. It was put in front of Saint Mark’s Basilica, which, at the time, was a small chapel. The square was renovated in 1174 to make it bigger. Saint Mark’s Square is the only space in Venice called piazza; the others are called campi.
Tourist Attractions Doge’s Palace • The doge’s palace is a gothic palace that was once the residence of the Doge of Venice. It was built in the 14th century and was designed to look “light” like most other buildings in Venice. The palace is heavily ornamented and is decorated with historical and Biblical scenes.
Facts: • Venice is sometimes called “La Serenissima” (the most serenely beautiful one) and “Queen of the Adriatic”. • Venice is sinking; the sea level is rising and the land is lowering. • Almost every time you go over a bridge in Venice you go from one island to another. • Over 15 million tourists visit Venice every year.
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