It's unquestionable that Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with its elegant Renaissance architecture, romantic waterways and deep associations with bygone eras. Its narrow lanes and maze of canals are hiding fascinating secrets and stories that tell the tale of this great historic city, from its earliest origins to its uncertain future.
Click through this gallery for a whirlwind tour of the Floating City's past, present and future...
Most Italian cities can trace their beginnings to the Roman Empire, but Venice formed a little later around the 6th century, when German invasions from the north caused mainlanders to flee to the islands of the Venetian lagoon, previously inhabited by fishermen and salt workers. The first 'doge' (the city's chief magistrate) was probably elected in AD 697, kickstarting a long history of feuds between the city's leading families. Beginning in the 9th century, the doges were chosen by popular election, and the city state of Venice began to take shape.
Venice is literally built on water – wooden poles, made with timber transported from Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia, were driven deep into the clay of the lagoon, supporting platforms on which the foundations of houses were built. Whether the workers were aware of this at the time we'll never know, but the airless silt and soil of the lagoon hardened the wood into a stone-like consistency over the years, helping to avoid decay. Sadly, the city is now slowly sinking year on year, thanks mainly to compacting foundations and rising sea levels.
Today, Venice's canals are known around the world for being romantic and unique, but they were originally created to provide transport and protection. Parts of the lagoon were drained to dig the canals – an advanced technique for the time – and the banks were then strengthened with wooden stakes. Many of the canals are between five and 10 feet (1.5 and 3m) deep, with the Grand Canal the deepest at around 17 feet (5m). In total, there are roughly 150 canals in Venice, with more than 400 bridges leading across them.
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Spread across around 120 islands in the Venetian lagoon, facing the Adriatic Sea, Venice was perfectly located to be a link between mainland Europe and the sailing routes of the Mediterranean. This meant it could establish itself as a key trading port early in its history, and in 1082 the Byzantine emperor allowed Venice unrestricted trade throughout the Byzantine Empire (the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire) as a thank you for help in wars against the Normans. Venice's power increased, trading spices and silk from Constantinople and Alexandria; slaves, wood and fish from Dalmatia; and iron from the Alps.
The Republic was not only a trading centre but also a military power, whose influence stretched across the lagoon and along the coasts of modern-day Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Cyprus. Due to the extent of its territory, it was also an industrial republic famous for its medicines, shipbuilding industry and glasswork. The city's glassblowing industry eventually moved to the nearby island of Murano in 1291 after the hot furnaces caused repeated fires to break out amid Venice's wooden buildings. Murano glassware is still highly regarded today.
Starting in the 12th century, the Venetians engaged in a series of wars with the declining Byzantine Empire. They played a leading role in the ill-fated Fourth Crusade, which saw crusaders sack the Byzantine capital Constantinople when they were supposedly en route to the Holy Land. The army returned home with many riches, including the gilt bronze horses still seen today inside St Mark's Basilica. The basilica itself was originally built to house the stolen remains of Saint Mark, which Venetian merchants reportedly brought back from Alexandria in AD 828 by smuggling the bones in layers of pork fat. The current church was built in the 11th century, replacing one damaged by fire in AD 976.
During the height of its power between the 13th and 15th centuries, Venice was one of the richest cities in Europe – and indeed the world. During this time Venice developed a system of effective republican government, an enormous navy and even a supreme court – the Quarantia, or Council of Forty. In 1229 the senate was formed, followed in 1310 by the notorious Council of Ten, a sinister and secretive body with sweeping punitive power. It was these prosperous years that really shaped Venice into the city we know and love today.
Lucrative trade brought unprecedented wealth to Venice. By the 15th century, the city was at the heart of world commerce, operating perhaps the largest port in the world that sent ships across Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The city had over 200,000 inhabitants and around 200 powerful aristocratic families controlled imports and exports. The boom brought about a golden age in art and architecture, and the wealthiest families commissioned artists and architects like Veronese and Andrea Palladio to craft timeless masterpieces and build striking palazzos.
By the early 15th century the mighty Republic controlled vast swathes of northern Italy, its tentacles stretching west through Padua and Verona as far as Bergamo, south to Ravenna and across the entire northeastern region of Friuli. The weakness of the Byzantine Empire allowed Venice to conquer land as far afield as Cyprus and Crete, and control most of the Adriatic.
The doge was usually elected for life, and today the magnificent Doge's Palace, built in the 14th century, remains one of Venice's premier landmarks. Contrary to popular belief, during the height of the Republic the doges didn't have that much power – the role was strictly supervised, and most meaningful decisions were made by the senate. The last doge abdicated in 1797 when Napoleon conquered Venice, and the palace became an administrative office until it was turned into a museum in 1923.
During the time of the Republic, Venice came to be known as La Serenissima ('the most serene', in English). This was not only a reference to Venice's appearance but also its remarkable stability, peace and prosperity – particularly in contrast to the medieval period's many monarchies. During the Renaissance, Venice retained its reputation as a haven for art and culture thanks to the patronage of merchant families, the senate and the doge. The days of the Republic are long gone, but Venetians today are still known for their independent spirit and local pride.
Born in the mid-1200s, Marco Polo hailed from a wealthy merchant family. His father and uncle travelled through Asia to pioneer trading connections, which inspired the young Marco. All three then went on an epic journey together, leaving Venice for Constantinople in 1271 before travelling through the Middle East and the Mongol Empire, where they were received by the court of Kublai Khan, before eventually reaching China, where Marco spent 16 or 17 years. After 24 years of travelling, Marco returned to Italy and dictated perhaps the world's most famous travelogue, The Travels of Marco Polo. This 14th-century painting depicts the Polos departing Venice.
Popular souvenirs for modern tourists, intricately decorated masks are seen as a symbol of Venice. Their story probably starts around the 12th century, when people from different classes started wearing masks so they could mingle – and sometimes engage in illicit romantic activities – without recognising each other. Mask-wearing was later restricted to the time between Christmas and Lent by the Council of Ten in 1608. Eventually, this evolved into part of the famous Venice Carnevale.
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The Venice Carnevale has roots in the Middle Ages, but it was then banned by the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II in 1797 after the fall of the Venetian Republic. It wasn't until 1979 that the vibrant Venice Carnevale was fully brought back and today it's one of the city's most beloved events, featuring elaborately dressed attendees with ever more extravagant masks.
Having enjoyed centuries of prosperity, Venice's luck turned in the 16th century. The Republic lost its commercial dominance after Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama became the first European to navigate a sea route to India around Africa's Cape of Good Hope in 1498. The city then lost first Cyprus and then Crete in costly wars with the Ottoman Empire, and faced resurgent opposition in Italy, before losing a third of its population to the Italian Plague in the early 1700s. In 1797 the last doge was deposed by Napoleon, and Venice ended up under Austrian control, before finally becoming part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.
Nearly 30 years after the unification of Italy, the mayor of Venice announced the first Venice Biennale in 1895. Intended as a national art exhibition to showcase the latest artistic trends and perspectives, the exhibition happens every other year and has become one of the most important in the world – sometimes called "the Olympics of the art world". Now over 125 years old, the Biennale today takes over the Arsenale area of Venice – a former shipbuilding site once home to one of Europe's largest industrial complexes.
At the turn of the century, it was decided that an inspection of St Mark's Basilica's famous campanile (bell tower) was needed. Restoration work started in 1902, but a large crack subsequently formed on the side of the tower, and later that year it suddenly collapsed. In 1903 work began to rebuild the tower exactly as it had been, and by 1912 the structure was completely finished.
For a few days each year, between October and January, Venice experiences a high tide like no other. Called acqua alta (high water), it’s a natural phenomenon that has always been part of Venice life. St Mark's Square, the city's lowest point, becomes one with the lagoon for a few hours, but public transport generally continues and designated pedestrian routes continue to carry people around the city. Typically only around 12% of the city is affected, though exceptional tides can see up to half the historic city underwater. Rising sea levels paired with more violent weather, as well as the city's sinking foundations, mean that the acqua alta is becoming slowly more severe.
As Venice's popularity and trade economy boomed, the overcrowded canals became harder to navigate, so the gondola's design started to take on a narrower shape that was easier to manoeuvre. Many private gondolas at the time were fitted out as luxuriously as possible to display the wealth of their owners. The trend got so out of hand that in the 16th century officials imposed a law mandating that all gondolas be painted black. Today, there are around 400 gondolas and gondoliers in Venice, and the industry is strictly regulated by a guild.
While you wouldn't peg Venice as a gambling destination these days, the city's wealthy used to enjoy the occasional flutter. The Casino di Venezia was founded in 1638 and is widely considered to be the oldest in the world. Set on the banks of the Grand Canal, the equally grand building was a favourite spot of legendary German composer Richard Wagner, who died there in 1883.
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Whispers of history can be heard in every footstep in the Rialto Market, a few steps away from the Rialto Bridge. There are records of a market on this spot from as early as 1097, and it was once one of the largest in the world, selling everything from spices and jewels to cloth and cattle to merchants from all over Europe. Today, it's better known as a food market, often displaying the morning's catch from the lagoon.
Born into a family of Venetian theatre actors in 1725, Giacomo Casanova became a symbol of seduction in part thanks to his autobiography, which detailed his encounters with over 120 women. Word was quick to spread and soon the Floating City had a reputation for romance. Pair that with the mysterious masked encounters during Carnevale and intimate gondola rides, and it's easy to see why its romantic reputation has endured. Pictured is Venice during Casanova's time.
Since the 18th century and perhaps even earlier, Venice has lured visitors. The patronage of wealthy foreigners, often from Britain, France and Germany, helped establish high-end spots like the Danieli Hotel and Caffe Florian. In the post-war years Venice became a place to see and be seen, with Hollywood A-listers like Kirk Douglas, Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor frequenting its streets and waterways. The real boom came in the 1980s with the revival of the carnival, and it never stopped.
Since the advent of high-speed rail and the rise of cheap flights, Venice has been buckling under the weight of its own popularity. Its visitor numbers are on a par with any European capital, but Venice has a fraction of the space. Prior to a ban in 2021, large cruise ships would glide into Venice every day, bringing as many as 1.5 million extra visitors every year and damaging the city's foundations. The daily visitor count is said to exceed 100,000 during the high season, and to limit day-trippers a small 'entry fee' now has to be paid to access the city.
The muddy floor of the lagoon is expected to move a little, but change is now happening faster than ever before. Due to the city's damaged foundations and rising sea levels, Venice sinks by one to two milimetres every year, and if the rate continues to increase, some estimates suggest that the city could sink by as much as eight centimetres in the next 20 years. During the acqua alta season that means unprecedented flooding. In November 2019 the city experienced one of its worst floods in the last 50 years – over 80% of the city was affected, and St Mark's Basilica was under nearly five feet (1.5m) of water.
Put together, Venice's troubles have caused serious concern that the city could all but disappear by 2100. Many of the buildings are poorly maintained, sea levels are rising, the city's foundations are crumbling and it's routinely overwhelmed by tourists. However, work is nearing completion on the MOSE (Experimental Electromechanical Module) project, a defensive system that consists of two rows of mobile gates installed on the seafloor that can be temporarily lifted to seal off the lagoon from the Adriatic during high tides.
Steps are being taken to curb tourism and protect the city from the effects of climate change, but many fear the damage has already been done. Bloomberg reported in 2019 that "Venice is dying a long, slow death". In the last 50 years the city's population has more than halved, and in 2022 it dropped below 50,000 for the first time in centuries. Some experts believe that by as early as 2030 Venice could become a ghost town, visited only by daily tourists and hospitality workers. Nevertheless, the remaining residents still hope to return La Serenissima to its former glory.
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