Criticism vs. Slander or Libel While the right to fairly criticize people or entities and publicly share information is one of the hallmarks of personal freedom, it is illegal in most places to malign the reputation of another through false information.
Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world for its celebrated art and architecture. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate). In 2006, it was the world's 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year.
For much of this period, Venice was known as the 'Queen of the Adriatic' (the sea which lies between Italy and the Dalmatian Coast of present-day Croatia) because of its strength in trade and commerce. It was also an important link between Western Europe and the Byzantine Empire to the east.