Venice

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This article is about the city in Italy. For the place in California, see Venice, Los Angeles. For
other uses, see Venice (disambiguation).
"Venezia" redirects here. For other uses, see Venezia (disambiguation).

Venice

Venezia  (Italian)
Venesia  (Venetian)

Comune

Comune di Venezia

A collage of Venice: at the top left is the Piazza San Marco, followed

by a view of the city, then the Grand Canal and interior of La
Fenice, as well as the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Flag
 Coat of arms

show
Location of Venice

Venice

Location of Venice in Veneto

Show map of Italy Show map of Veneto Show all

Coordinates:  45°26′15″N 12°20′9″ECoordinates:  45°26′15″N 12°

20′9″E

Country Italy

Region Veneto

Metropolita Venice (VE)
n city

Frazioni Chirignago, Favaro

Veneto, Mestre, Marghera, Murano, Burano, Giudecca, Lido
, Zelarino

Government

 • Mayor Luigi Brugnaro (I)

Area

[1]
  • Total 414.57 km2 (160.07 sq mi)

Elevation 1 m (3 ft)

Population

 (2018)[2]

 • Total 260,897

 • Density 630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)

Demonym(s) Veneziano
Venetian (English)

Time zone UTC+1 (CET)

 • Summer UTC+2 (CEST)
(DST)

Postal code 30100

Dialing code 041

ISTAT code 027042

Patron saint St. Mark the Evangelist

Saint day 25 April

Website Official website

Venice and its Lagoon

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Venice in autumn, with the Rialto Bridge in the background

Criteria Cultural: i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi

Reference 394
 Inscription 1987 (11th session)

Venice (/ˈvɛnɪs/ VEH-niss; Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsja] (
listen); Venetian: Venesia or Venexia [veˈnɛsja]) is a city in northeastern Italy and the
capital of the Veneto region. It is on a group of 118 small islands[3] that are separated by
canals and linked by over 400 bridges.[3][4] The islands are in the shallow Venetian
Lagoon, an enclosed bay lying between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers
(more exactly between the Brenta and the Sile). In 2018, 260,897 people resided in
the Comune di Venezia, of whom around 55,000 live in the historical city of Venice
(centro storico). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-
Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE), which is considered a statistical
metropolitan area, with a total population of 2.6 million.[5]
The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the
10th century BC.[6][7] The city was historically the capital of the Republic of Venice for a
millennium and more, from 697 to 1797. It was a major financial and maritime power
during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and
the Battle of Lepanto, as well as an important center of commerce—especially silk,
grain, and spice, and of art from the 13th century to the end of the 17th. The city-state of
Venice is considered to have been the first real international financial center, emerging
in the 9th century and reaching its greatest prominence in the 14th century.[8] This made
Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.[9] After the Napoleonic Wars and
the Congress of Vienna, the Republic was annexed by the Austrian Empire, until it
became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866, following a referendum held as a result of
the Third Italian War of Independence.
Venice has been known as "La Dominante", "La Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic",
"City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of
Canals". The lagoon and a part of the city are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and
artwork.[3] Venice is known for several important artistic movements—especially during
the Renaissance period—has played an important role in the history of symphonic and
operatic music, and is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.[10]
Although the city is facing some challenges (including an excessive number of tourists
and problems caused by pollution, tide peaks and cruise ships sailing too close to
buildings),[11][12][13] Venice remains a very popular tourist destination, a major cultural
centre, and has been ranked many times the most beautiful city in the world. [14][15] It has
been described by the Times Online as one of Europe's most romantic cities[16] and
by The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". [17]

Contents

Etymology[edit]
The name of the city, deriving from Latin forms Venetia and Venetiae, is most likely
taken from "Venetia et Histria", the Roman name of Regio X of Roman Italy, but applied
to the coastal part of the region that remained under Roman Empire outside of Gothic,
Lombard, and Frankish control. The name Venetia, however, derives from the Roman
name for the people known as the Veneti, and called by the Greeks Enetoi (Ἐνετοί).
The meaning of the word is uncertain, although there are other Indo-European tribes
with similar-sounding names, such as the Celtic Veneti and the Slavic Vistula Veneti.
Linguists suggest that the name is based on an Indo-European root *wen ("love"), so
that *wenetoi would mean "beloved", "lovable", or "friendly". A connection with the Latin
word venetus, meaning the color 'sea-blue', is also possible. Supposed connections
of Venetia with the Latin verb venire (to come), such as Marin Sanudo's veni
etiam ("Yet, I have come!"), the supposed cry of the first refugees to the Venetian
lagoon from the mainland, or even with venia ("forgiveness") are fanciful. The
alternative obsolete form is Vinegia [viˈnɛːdʒa];[18] (Venetian: Venèxia [ve
ˈnɛzja]; Latin: Venetiae; Slovene: Benetke; Croatian: Venecija).