Venice-La

Serenissima
MY EVER-FOREVER FAVOURITE
DESTINATION
Introduction
I think that you all know the famous city of Venice. Well, I have chosen this destination because I think
that it has some unique features. Venice is s a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto
region, but one of the most impressing things is that it is built of 118 small islands. Can you believe
that?!
A little bit of history
Maybe some of you wonder where its name came from. The name is derived from the ancient Veneti
people who inhabited the region by the 10th century BC.(I didn’t think it is so old). The city was
historically the capital of the Republic of Venice for over a millennium, from 697 to 1797. 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.(quite impressive though)
Further more information
Besides “La Serenissima”, Venice is also known as "La Dominante“; "Queen of the Adriatic“; "City of
Water“; "City of Masks“; "City of Bridges", “The Floating City“ and "City of Canals“. Did you know
that the lagoon and a part of the city are listed today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Also, parts of
Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. It has also played
an important role in the history of instrumental and operatic music, and is the birthplace of Baroque
composers Tomaso Albinoni and Antonio Vivaldi.
The bad “parts”
Well, when I mean “bad parts” I didn’t mean that Venice has a worse part, but during the years the city
has faced some terrible challenges including an excessive number of tourists and problems caused by
pollution, tide peaks and cruise ships sailing too close to buildings.
Painting in Venice
Venice, especially during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and Baroque periods, was a major centre
of art and developed a unique style known as the Venetian School. In the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance, Venice, along with Florence and Rome, became one of the most important centres of art
in Europe, and numerous wealthy Venetians became patrons of the arts. Venice at the time was a rich
and prosperous Maritime Republic, which controlled a vast sea and trade empire.
Venetian architecture
Venice is built on unstable mud-banks, and had a very crowded city centre by the Middle Ages. On the
other hand, the city was largely safe from riot, civil feuds, and invasion much earlier than most
European cities. These factors, with the canals and the great wealth of the city, made for unique
building styles. Venice has a rich and diverse architectural style, the most prominent of which is the
Gothic style. Venetian Gothic architecture is a term given to a Venetian building style combining the
use of the Gothic lancet arch with the curved ogee arch, due to Byzantine and Ottoman influences.
In films
Venice was a filming location for so many famous movies including Three James Bond films: “From
Russia with Love” (1963), “Moonraker” (1979), and “Casino Royale” (2006); “Lara Croft: Tomb
Raider”(2001); “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” (2003); “The Italian Job (2003)”; “The
Tourist” (2010) and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019).
The Carnival of Venice

You must have heard about the “Carnival of Venice”. The “Carnival of Venice” (Italian: Carnevale di
Venezia) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy. The carnival ends with the Christian celebration of
Lent, forty days before Easter, on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso or Mardi Gras), the day before Ash
Wednesday. The festival is world-famous for its elaborate masks. Venetian masks can be made of
leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. The original masks were rather simple in design,
decoration, and often had a symbolic and practical function. Nowadays, most Italian masks are made
with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted using natural feathers and gems to
decorate.
Well, I think you enjoyed my presentation and I also hope that I didn’t bore you. You should definetly
add Venice to your traveler’s list.(You won’t regret it)