Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto. The city stretches across 118 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. Because the Adriatic is part of the larger Mediterranean Sea, Venice is the northermost major city and seaport on the Mediterranean. Venice is world-famous for its canals. The islands on which the city is built are connected by about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of transport is on water or on foot. Venice is the worlds only pedestrian city, is beautifully walkable, and the absence of cars makes it a particularly pleasant experience. The Rialtine islands - the 'main' part of Venice - are small enough to walk from one end to the other in about an hour. The classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. If you want to get around a bit more quickly, there are numerous vaporetti (water buses) and water taxis. The city also has many private boats.
The only gondolas still in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges.
Venice has decayed since its heyday and is heavily touristed (there are slightly more tourists than residents), but the romantic charm remains. Two of Venice’s most famous piazzas are St. Mark’s Square and Campo San Polo. There are also many palaces and palazzi including the Doge's Palace, Palazzo Grassi, Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, Fondaco dei Turchi and Palazzo Malipiero. Important churches include Basilica di San Marco and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute. While in Venice you’ll see the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, Accademia Bridge and Scalzi Bridge.You should also consider visiting some of the nearby islands including Burano, Lido, Murano, San Michele, Sant'Erasmo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and San Servolo.
The villas of the Veneto, rural residences for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside. They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. Most of these villas were designed by Palladio, and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
