Venice
The traditional founding of Venice is identified with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo on the islet of Rialto. This event is said to have taken place at the stroke of noon on the 25th of March 421. Refugees from nearby Roman cities such as Patavium and Aquileia fled successive waves of Germanic and Hun invasions to find refuge in the shallow Venetian Lagoon. King Attila of the Huns besieged Aquileia before its inhabitants fled to a sea island and then founded Venice on the island of Rialto. The original population consisted of fishermen referred to as incolae lacunae or lagoon dwellers who lived in the marshy lagoons. Some late Roman sources reveal these early settlers were part of twelve founding families known as apostolic families. These families elected the first doge and traced their lineage back to Roman families. New ports were built including those at Malamocco and Torcello within the Venetian lagoon. The tribuni maiores formed the earliest central standing governing committee of the islands in the lagoon dating from an unspecified period. The traditional first doge of Venice was Paolo Lucio Anafesto who was elected in 697 according to the oldest chronicle by John deacon of Venice. In 751 the Lombard King Aistulf conquered most of the Exarchate of Ravenna leaving Venice a lonely and increasingly autonomous Byzantine outpost. During the reign of duke Agnello Particiaco between 811 and 827 the ducal seat moved from Malamocco to the more protected Rialto. Charlemagne ordered his son Pepin of Italy to expel the Venetians from the Pentapolis along the Adriatic coast. This siege lasted six months with Pepin's army ravaged by diseases of the local swamps before being forced to withdraw in 810. An agreement between Charlemagne and the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in 814 recognized Venice as Byzantine territory and granted trading rights along the Adriatic coast.
From the 9th to the 12th centuries Venice developed into a powerful maritime empire known as an Italian thalassocracy. Its strategic position at the head of the Adriatic made Venetian naval and commercial power almost invulnerable. The Republic seized places on the eastern shores of the Adriatic before 1200 mostly for commercial reasons because pirates based there were a menace to trade. By the standards of the time Venice's stewardship of its mainland territories was relatively enlightened. Citizens of towns such as Bergamo Brescia and Verona rallied to the defence of Venetian sovereignty when it was threatened by invaders. In 1204 the Fourth Crusade culminated in capturing and sacking Constantinople establishing the Latin Empire. Considerable Byzantine plunder including gilt bronze horses from the Hippodrome of Constantinople was brought back to Venice. These horses were originally placed above the entrance to St Mark's Basilica though originals have since been replaced with replicas. Venice subsequently carved out a sphere of influence in the Mediterranean known as the Duchy of the Archipelago and captured Crete. At the peak of its power and wealth Venice had 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships dominating Mediterranean commerce. The city was governed by the Great Council which appointed all public officials and elected a Senate of 200 to 300 individuals. A smaller Council of Ten controlled much of the administration of the city. One member of the great council was elected doge or duke to be the chief executive who usually held the title until his death. War was regarded as a continuation of commerce by other means leading to early employment of large numbers of mercenaries for service elsewhere. The state of Venice was notable for its freedom from religious fanaticism executing nobody for religious heresy during the Counter-Reformation. By 1482 Venice was the printing capital of the world where Aldus Manutius invented paperback books that could be carried in a saddlebag.
Venice's long decline started in the 15th century when it confronted the Ottoman Empire in the Siege of Thessalonica between 1422 and 1430. Vasco da Gama's voyage from 1497 to 1499 opened a sea route to India around the Cape of Good Hope destroying Venice's monopoly. The Black Death devastated Venice in 1348 and struck again between 1575 and 1577 killing some 50,000 people in three years. In 1630 the Italian plague killed a third of Venice's 150,000 citizens. Portugal became Europe's principal intermediary in trade with the East striking at the very foundation of Venice's great wealth. France and Spain fought for hegemony over Italy in the Italian Wars marginalizing Venetian political influence. The Republic lost its independence when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice on the 12th of May 1797 during the War of the First Coalition. Napoleon removed the gates of the Ghetto ending restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city. Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio on the 12th of October 1797. Austrians took control of the city on the 18th of January 1798. In 1848 a revolt briefly re-established the Venetian republic under Daniele Manin but this was crushed in 1849. In 1866 after the Third Italian War of Independence Venice along with the rest of Veneto became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy. During World War II Operation Bowler was a successful Royal Air Force precision strike on German naval operations in March 1945. On the 29th of April 1945 British and New Zealand troops liberated Venice which had been a hotbed of anti-Mussolini partisan activity. Trieste and papal Ancona competed economically with Venice from the middle of the 18th century. Habsburg Trieste boomed serving trade via the Suez Canal which opened in 1869 while Venice quickly lost its competitive edge.
Venice is situated on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by 438 bridges within the shallow Venetian Lagoon. Building foundations were constructed by driving closely spaced piles consisting of alder tree trunks into mud and sand until reaching compressed clay layers. Plates of Istrian limestone rested on top of these piles to support structures above the water. Subsidence has contributed to seasonal Acqua alta or high water when lowest lying surfaces may be covered at high tide. St Mark's Basilica sits only above sea level making it one of the most flood-prone parts of the city. In May 2003 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE Project an experimental model for evaluating performance of hollow floatable gates expected to be completed by end of 2025. The project involves fixing 78 hollow pontoons to the sea bed across three entrances to the lagoon. When tides rise above specific levels the pontoons fill with air causing them to float while hinged at the sea floor blocking incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. On the 13th of November 2019 waters peaked at 1.94 meters the highest tide since 1966 covering more than 80% of the city damaging cultural heritage sites including over 50 churches. Studies indicate the city continues sinking at a rate of 1, 2mm per year due to tectonic plates shifting below the Italian coast combined with climate change effects. A Reuters report stated corruption scandals caused delays in the MOSE Project which cost approximately €2 billion lost to mismanagement instead of the planned €800 million.
The historic center of Venice is divided into six districts or sestieri named Cannaregio Castello Dorsoduro San Marco San Polo and Santa Croce. In 2021 there were 254,850 people residing in the Comune of Venice with 50,434 living in the historic city of Venice Centro storico. The population declined by 2.7% between 2016 and 2021 while Italy as a whole declined by 2.2%. The population in the historic old city fell from about 120,000 in 1980 to about 60,000 in 2009 and to 50,000 in 2021. 84.2% of the population was Italian with largest immigrant groups including 7,814 Bangladeshis and 6,258 Romanians. Since 1991 the Church of San Giorgio dei Greci has become the see of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta. There is also a historic Jewish community where the Venetian Ghetto originally compelled Jews to live under the Republic. During World War II Jews were rounded up in Venice and deported to extermination camps reducing the population from 1500 to about 500 today. Only around 30 Jews live in the former ghetto which houses major Jewish institutions. Many locals are leaving the historic centre due to rapidly increasing rents creating an overpriced theme park effect according to an October 2016 National Geographic article. Each sestiere has its own house numbering system ranging from one to several thousand generally numbered from one corner to another without readily understandable patterns.
Venice hosts up to 60,000 tourists per day with annual estimates varying from 22 million to 30 million visitors causing overcrowding and environmental problems. By 2017 UNESCO considered adding Venice to its In-Danger list including historical ruins in war-torn countries. The city relies heavily on cruise business with Cruise Venice Committee estimating passengers spend more than 150 million euros annually though other reports suggest day-trippers spend relatively little during few hours of visits. Over 1.5 million people arrive in Venice on cruise ships each year. A 2013 ban allowed only ships smaller than 40,000 gross tons to enter Giudecca Canal and St Mark's basin but a regional court scrapped it in January 2015. On the 2nd of June 2019 the cruise ship MSC Opera rammed tourist riverboat River Countess injuring five people and causing property damage leading to renewed demands to ban large ships. The Italian government decided to divert large cruise ships beginning August 2021 requiring ships over 25,000 tons to avoid passing the Giudecca Canal. An unofficial referendum held in June 2017 saw more than 18,000 voters at 60 polling booths with 17,874 favoring banning large ships from lagoon when population was about 50,000. On the 28th of February 2019 Venice City Council voted for new regulation requiring day-trippers visiting historic center and islands in lagoon to pay access fee between €3 and €10 depending on expected flow. New charge of €5 started imposed on tourists not staying overnight coming into force the 25th of April 2024 charged only on peak visitor days.
Venice has been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 covering an area described in official documentation. Two most noted Venetian writers were Marco Polo who voyaged to Orient and Giacomo Casanova whose autobiography Histoire De Ma Vie links colorful lifestyle to city. Marco Polo's books co-written with Rustichello da Pisa titled Il Milione provided important knowledge of lands east of Europe including Middle East China Japan and Russia. Venetian playwrights followed old Italian theatre tradition using commedia dell'arte with Ruzante Carlo Goldoni and Carlo Gozzi employing Venetian dialect extensively in comedies. Shakespeare set Othello and The Merchant of Venice in city while Thomas Mann wrote Death in Venice published 1912. The city features prominently in Henry James works including Aspern Papers and Wings of Dove visited also by Marcel Proust in Search of Lost Time. City was location of one of Italy's earliest printing presses called Aldine Press established by Aldus Manutius in 1494. Around fifteen percent of all printing fifteenth century came from Venice even as late as 18th century responsible for half Italy's published books. Birthplace of Baroque music composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi the city played important role history instrumental operatic music. Carnival revived 1980s becoming major center international conferences festivals like prestigious Venice Biennale and Venice Film Festival attracting visitors worldwide theatrical cinematic artistic musical productions.
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Common questions
When was Venice traditionally founded according to historical records?
The traditional founding of Venice took place at the stroke of noon on the 25th of March 421. This event marked the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo on the islet of Rialto.
Who were the early settlers and leaders of Venice during its formation?
The original population consisted of fishermen known as incolae lacunae or lagoon dwellers who lived in the marshy lagoons. Some late Roman sources reveal these early settlers were part of twelve founding families known as apostolic families who elected the first doge Paolo Lucio Anafesto in 697.
What caused the decline of Venetian power and wealth from the 15th century onward?
Venice's long decline started in the 15th century when it confronted the Ottoman Empire in the Siege of Thessalonica between 1422 and 1430. Vasco da Gama's voyage from 1497 to 1499 opened a sea route to India around the Cape of Good Hope destroying Venice's monopoly.
How many islands and bridges make up the city of Venice today?
Venice is situated on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by 438 bridges within the shallow Venetian Lagoon. Building foundations were constructed by driving closely spaced piles consisting of alder tree trunks into mud and sand until reaching compressed clay layers.
When did Napoleon Bonaparte conquer Venice and what happened immediately after?
Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice on the 12th of May 1797 during the War of the First Coalition. He removed the gates of the Ghetto ending restrictions on when and where Jews could live and travel in the city before Venice became Austrian territory on the 12th of October 1797.
What are the current population statistics and tourist numbers for Venice as of recent years?
In 2021 there were 254,850 people residing in the Comune of Venice with 50,434 living in the historic city of Venice Centro storico. The city hosts up to 60,000 tourists per day with annual estimates varying from 22 million to 30 million visitors causing overcrowding and environmental problems.