The monuments

Venice is in itself a work of art, an authentic box of art treasures coming from all around the world. Travelling along the Canal Grande on a boat will be an unforgettable experience that will allow you to admire the refined palaces and the wonderful churches. Then there's the heart of Venice, St. Mark's square, one of the most beautiful places in the world with the marvellous Basilica, the Campanile and the Ducal Palace…
The works of art that are kept in the churches and museums, but also the less well known places that you may come across as you walk between bridges and squares, are incredibly fascinating and full of charm.

The history

When in the fifth century a.C. the barbarians invaded the Po Valley, the people took refuge on the islands of the lagoon. After this episode, about 421 a.C., Venice was founded. The city developed around one of the oldest centres, Rialto, and quickly became a rich merchant harbour, an important link between the west and east markets. At the end of the thirteenth century Marco Polo started to trade with China, though the Serenissima Republic with its institutional system based on the "dogato" was already spreading towards the mainland thus starting centuries of prosperity and of shrewd government. The decline arrived in the sixteenth century when the trade routes to America were moved and begun to favour the Atlantic harbours. In 1797 Napoleon conquered the city and gave it over to Austria; Venice stayed under the Hapsburg rule up to 1866 when it became part of the Italian kingdom.