Venice (Venezia) is considered one of Italy's artistic and cultural centers, and one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the world. The city's architecture, waterways, natural ecology and artistic achievements have attracted numerous artists and tourists throughout the centuries. Its captivating history is apparent in the city's buildings, institutions and people. And, its location in northeastern Italy makes Venice the ideal base for study and travel in Europe.
Venice is uniquely situated on 120 islands, connected by over 400 bridges and formed by 177 canals in the Venetian Lagoon. The Grand Canal (the main water artery) winds through Venice from northwest to southeast, dividing the city into two equal parts. Automobiles and motorcycles are not permitted in the city proper. For centuries, the most common method of transportation was the gondola -- a flat-bottomed boat propelled by a single oar. Today, gondolas are used mainly by tourists. Motor boats carry almost all the freight and passenger traffic in Venice. The city is connected to the mainland through a highway and railroad pipeline.
Venice has many attractions and activities. At the center is Piazza San Marco, Basilica of San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and the bell tower of San Marco. The Grand Canal is lined with architectural wonders from the Byzantine to the Renaissance periods including Venetian palaces, churches and historic monuments. Famous art galleries and museums, quaint shops and gardens, and outdoor cafes and restaurants can be found throughout the city. Venice has numerous theaters, restaurants and cultural centers, and hosts several festivals each year.
However, Venice is not just palaces, churches, and art museums. The city sits in the middle of a lagoon that is rich in wildlife and tradition. The Venetian Lagoon is one of the most ecologically saturated bodies of water in the Mediterranean. The island of Lido, a short boat ride from Piazza San Marco, has one of the world's most compelling beaches and an 18-hole golf course. With a local year-round population of around 27,000, Venice has been able to preserve much of its natural beauty and artistic heritage that has made it the "jewel of Europe".
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Pop: 27,200
Area: 412 km˛ (159 mi˛)
Number of islands: 117
Average high temp: July: 24°C
Average high temp: January: 2-3°C
Venice has attracted artists since its origin. But it was not until the 16th century, with the rise of the Venetian School of Art, that Venice flourished in to a center for the arts. Throughout the centuries, the Venetian school has enjoyed a progression of great masters like Jacopo Bellini, Giovanni Bellini, Titian, Jacopo Tintoretto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Although each artist contributed new elements to Venetian art, one characteristic remained constant -- a love of light and color.
The Renaissance painter Jacopo Bellini is credited with the founding of the Venetian school. He brought to painting a new degree of realism, a new wealth of subject matter, and a new sensuousness in form and color. Although only two of his sketchbooks are preserved, there is reason to suspect that many of the compositions made famous by his sons Gentile and Giovanni were derived from him. Gentile Bellini has the distinction of having been painter to the court of Mehmed II in Constantinople. But, it is Giovanni Bellini who is considered to be the most important artist and teacher of the High Renaissance. His works incorporated Flemish elements of landscape and his later works were filled with a hazy, brownish light that enhance the romance of their mood. Among his pupils were Giorgione, Titian, Jacopo Vecchio and Sebastiano del Piombo. Although the Bellini dynasty was most influential during the Renaissance period, other painters from the Vivarini and Bassano families also contributed to the Venetian school. Their mixture of Byzantine and Gothic elements with a marked feeling of color helped the Venetian school rise to its greatness.
Upon Giovanni Bellini's death, Titian became the dominant force in Venetian painting. His rich colors and painterly technique were widely imitated. Although interested in both religious and classical subjects, Titian was most sought after for his psychologically-penetrating portraits. Jacopo Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese and El Greco were strongly influenced by Titian. Tintoretto was most interested in Titian's use of dramatic light and the depiction of heightened emotion. He made use of the rapidly receding diagonals and dramatic foreshortenings popular among Mannerist painters, but brought to these elements the Venetians' love of light as a means of defining form and heightening the sense of drama. Veronese is best known for the rich color and inter-weaving compositions that he used in large paintings. The Spanish style of El Greco may be regarded as an extension of the Venetian school's colorist tradition, rather than as a mere variety of Mannerism.
The last period of significance for the Venetian school occurred in the 18th century, during which time several painters of quality enjoyed international reputations. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo was the last important Venetian figure painter and one of the greatest decorative artists of the Rococo. While, Francesco Guardi developed a tradition of landscape painting based on views of Venice. The Venetian school's contributions to light and color are undeniable and continue to influence the works of contemporary artists throughout the world.
Venice has a rich and interesting history. The city was founded in 452 AD when inhabitants of northern Italy took refuge from Teutonic tribes on the Venetian islands. In 697 the Venetians organized Venice and the surrounding region as a republic under an elected doge (president). Its strategic location on the Adriatic Sea, flourishing trade economy with Asia, and the Crusades of the 13th century established Venice as the greatest commercial center and political power in the Mediterranean region. Wars of conquest with Genoa and Constantinople enabled Venice to expand its territories and, by the late 15th century, Venice become the leading maritime power in the Christian world. Because of its historic role as a naval power and commercial center, the city is known as the "Queen of the Adriatic."
However, repeated invasions by the Turks and Italian states and the discovery of a sea route to the Indies around the Cape of Good Hope contributed to the decline of Venetian economic supremacy. In 1508, the Holy Roman Empire, the Pope, France, and Spain joined together against Venice in the League of Cambrai and divided the Venetian possessions among themselves. Although Venice reacquired its Italian dominions through astute diplomacy in 1516, it never regained its political power. In 1797 the Venetian Republic was conquered by Napoleon, who turned the territory over to Austria. During the next century, Venice changed hands between Austria, Italy and Lombardy before finally being reclaimed by the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.
Although we are accustomed to thinking of Italy as a place with a very long history, the Republic of Italy is actually quite young. Unified in 1861 by Giovanni Garibaldi from a variety of warring kingdoms, city-state and republics, Italy took its present-day shape.
The Renaissance is said to have begun in 14th-century Italy and spread throughout Europe and the rest of the Western world. Nearly every artistic movement since then has had an impact on Italy.
Today, Italy has the 7th-pargest economy in the world, although the economic health of the country varies greatly from region to region. Tourism, fashion and automotive industries remain the pillars of the Italian economy.
Pop: 59.3 million
Language: Italian
Currency: Euro
National holiday: Festival of the Republic, June 2
Local time: GMT+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC)
Just after WWII, the governing leaders of France and Germany realized the need for a cooperative organization that would essentially make war in Europe impossible. In 1951 the first European organization was born, the European Coal and Steel Community, with six members. As one of the six, Italy has been a pillar of the European push for integration and unity.
The EU represents perhaps the most successful intragovernmental and supranational cooperation in history. In a territory that extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern border of Russia and from the Arctic Circle to the small islands of the Mediterranean, member states of the EU have pledged to:
free movement of persons within the territory
free movement of capital within the territory
a common currency and common monetary policies
a common foreign and security policy
Currently, the European Union has 27 member countries. The euro is not yet the official currency in all of them, but is slated to become so within approximately ten years.
