Venice and its Lagoon - The Islands: Lido, Murano, Burano, Giudecca...

Aerial view of Venice italy and its lagoon
Aerial view of Venice italy and its lagoon
You know the principal islands of Venice: Giudecca, Murano, Lido, Burano but it is necessary to know that the lagoon of Venice contains dozens of others, usually small but sometimes also of significant size.

Before becoming established on the Realtine islands which form the historical center of Venice, where the name of its most famous bridge is derived, (today called Rialto) the heart of the city was in Torcello, ancient Venice.

Besides, there remain some architectural vestiges including an imposing church and its bell tower. For the rest, nature completely took back its rights and “swallowed” what the men had worked hard to build there over the course of the centuries.

The desertion of Torcello is linked, according to the historians, to mosquitoes. Therefore, it was these small animals and disease which they carried that is the reason the inhabitants of this ancient Venice left and pushed the Venetians to permanently settle on the Realtine islands.

But Venice remains another city which beats to the rhythm of its lagoon, to its tides, to its moods.

It is this maritime character which has forged for ages the destiny of Sérénissime, sailors' Republic, fighting and trade in all Mediterranean Sea and beyond, but also, more modestly, city of fishermen.

And this history, over the course of centuries these privileged bonds with water formed the particular Venetian character, gave them a characteristic specific to the islanders to feel different and to protect at all costs their independence from those of the "continent", of "Terra Ferma" as they say here.

Therefore, many of the islands which surround Venice have created their own identity and are loaded with their own history which is often quite as enthralling as that of Venice.

Murano, the city of the Art of Glass where, for reasons quite simply related to the fire hazards, the furnaces of the glass Masters had to be exiled.
The discrete charm of the island of Burano
Island of Burano
Burano, city of the lace, a city where the women, from the maestros to the worker, forged all history and reputation.

Lido, city as such, became the “beach” from Venice and where the famous film “Death in Venice” was filmed.

Giudecca, first Jewish quarter and later city of the poor people, workers, and now valued by the artists and writers for its peace and its particular charm.

Finally the lagoon itself, a garden in the sea where it is good to sail on water around its dozens of small charming islands.

Venice and its lagoon it is all that at the same time.

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