Get closer to Venice

The Italian original name for Venice is Venezia, pronounced as /ve'nεttsia/. The capital of the Veneto region, Venice's whole municipality (Comune di Venezia) is made up of the historical center, an area in the mainland (Mestre, Marghera district) and several island in the lagoon, some of which are quite big and/or famous for cultural and touristic reasons: the Lido, the Giudecca island, Burano, Murano. The population sums up to about of 270,000 pdeople, with the historical center of venice losing inhabitants day by day; they are presently less than 60,000 (31st October 2009).
In past centuries, and before surrendering to the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Venice was an independent nation, known as the "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic".

By convention, 118 small islands linked with bridges form the historical center, properly called Venice and divided into six quarters called "sestieri". Its special position and the local attitude to commerce made it possible for Venice to become a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades; it was also home town to Marco Polo, starting the trades with China. The international Venice airport is thus entitled to "Marco Polo"

"Venice from Above" lets us discover and appreciate a number of details, and witness a glorious past, an uncertain present, and a challenging future.
R.Giorcelli