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A Visit to Venice – The City built on water.

When you first arrive in Venice from the long airport drive across the lagoon, the maze of streets and canals can be quite confusing, however after a day or two the geography of Venice becomes clear.

The city of Venice is divided into six areas or “sestiere” spreading over a wide area of the lagoon that forms the North westerly corner of the Adriatic sea.

These are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant’Elena). Each sestiere was administered by a procurator and his staff.

These districts consist of parishes — initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about 1170.

Other islands of the Venetian Lagoon do not form part of any of the sestieri, having historically enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy.

The rising water and sinking City

Sometimes the Tide reachs levels which causes difficulties for the residents. With very high tide the sea water floods sidewalks and ground floor of buildings, and boats do not pass under the bridge (blocking of public transport, etc.) With very low tide, motorboats can not move (public transport, ambulance, firemen vehicles, taxi, etc.). For this, the Tide Forecast in Venice has an office that plays an important role, because the accuracy of prediction is very important.

In the fall, especially in October and November, it very often happens that the tide rises and the water overflows the banks of the canals, flooding the city: the foundations, the alleyways, the fields, the ground floor of the houses, the churches and the shops. The rising water is a problem for the Venetians but it is an unusual, exciting experience for tourists as it is a unique event. Seeing Piazza San Marco flooded by a still lake of water is most certainly a unique, magical moment, which has been immortalized several times over the years by famous photographers.

Finding your way around a maze of alleys, bridges and side streets

The names of the calli, campi and campielli (lanes, squares and little squares in Venice)
Each sestiere has its own house numbering system. Each house has a unique number in the district, from one to several thousand, generally numbered from one corner of the area to another, but not usually in a readily understandable manner.

The Venetian Calli have unusual names that are usually either taken from the city’s history or from an event that took place right on the very spot, or from the jobs of the people who lived in that lane or square. The names of the streets are written on small white squares that are placed on the outside of the buildings and that are called “nizioleti” (tissues).

Take a trip on the Gondolas
Gondolas are one of Venice’s most famous symbols worldwide. This typical Venetian boat is extremely ancient and is the result of a series of extremely complex craft techniques. A gondola is 11 meters long and weighs 600 kilograms. In spite of its considerable weight it is quite ease to maneuver by just one person using a single oar. We recommend you visit the Squero (boatyard) at San Trovaso where gondolas are still made today by the master craftsmen using the ancient techniques.

Venice hotels and Accommodation

Finding suitable Venice Hotels for your vacation is easy if you visit a hotel comparison website where you can choose your Venetian location and compare room rates for virtually all the hotels in Venice. Venice offers a complete range of hotels from the five star luxury hotels located around St Marks Square and the Waterfront to more homely small hotels dotted across the city.

Getting there!

Getting to Venice is easy with flights to Marco Polo airport from most international destinations. If you are looking for last minute cheap flights to Venice check out the low cost european airlines such as Bmibaby.com or Easy jet.