Venetian Lagoon

<< Veneto

The Venetian Lagoon (Laguna di Venezia) is the largest wetland in the Mediterranean, and it covers a large section of the coast of Veneto. It features a unique and fragile environment and it mostly consists of tidal shallows and mud flats. Inhabited since ancient times, it provided a natural barrier that separated its islands from both and mainland and the open sea, creating the ideal conditions for the flourishing of the Republic of Venice. Beside Venice, the coastal strip, and the popular tourist destinations of Murano, Burano, and Torcello, there many other small islands featuring a range of interesting attractions. At the southern end of the lagoon is Chioggia, a town sometimes referred to as a smaller Venice.

Murano

Murano is located on a series of islands north of Venice and it has been known for its prestigious glass since the Middle Ages. Originally just a small town in the Venetian Lagoon, in 1291 all the facilities that produced glass were required to move here to avoid to risk of fires in Venice. Other than the many workshops of glass artisans and souvenir shops that dot all of Murano, the town also features some interesting churches and palaces among the various canals and bridges.

✪ Murano Glass Museum

The Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro di Murano) is a museum dedicated to the history of glass and its manufacture in Venice. Housed in a historic Gothic palace, the museum features one of the largest collections of glass objects in the world, spanning several centuries and also including ancient Greek and Roman glassware in its rich archaeological section.

Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato

Also known as: Duomo of Murano

The Basilica of Santi Maria e Donato is the main religious building in Murano and it is a wonderful example of Romanesque architecture. Founded around the 7th century, the current building was completed in the 12th century and features an elaborate apse. The interior is decorated with mosaics and it hosts some bones that, according to a local legend, belonged to a dragon slain by Saint Donatus of Euroea.

Burano

Burano is an island in the northern part of the Venetian Lagoon, located just south of Torcello and linked to Mazzorbo with a bridge. Despite being a small town, it is a very popular tourist destination, mostly famous for the bright colors of its houses, which are truly a sight to see. Every street of this quiet town features houses painted in different colors, creating a very peculiar environment made even more unique by the various canals and bridges. Burano is also renowned for the production of lace.

Lace Museum

The production of delicate handmade lace in Burano dates back several centuries and it is displayed in the exhibitions of the Lace Museum (Museo del Merletto), located inside the former lace school in the main square of the town. The museum houses various examples of lace and explains its development and production.

Torcello

Torcello is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, located north of Burano. It was inhabited since the last decades before the fall the Western Roman Empire, and in the Early Middle Ages it became a flourishing town and the main center in the area. Venice gradually became more important but Torcello remained a relevant town for a long time. By the 15th century, a worsening environment, with the area becoming more swampy, and the constant plagues brought Torcello to its decline. Now it has only a handful of residents but it is still visited by tourists for its artistic and archaeological heritage.

✪ Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta

The Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta was once one of the most important religious sites in the Venetian Lagoon. Originally founded in the 7th century, it is one of the greatest works of Late Paleochristian architecture and it was renovated multiple times before gaining its current appearance in the 11th century. Inside, it features some magnificent and huge Byzantine-style mosaics, the oldest still preserved in the area around Venice.

Torcello Museum

The Torcello Museum (Museo di Torcello) is located in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and it hosts a collection of archaeological artifacts showcasing the long history of the island, with findings dating from prehistory to the late Roman age. Another section of the museum houses instead works mainly of religious art that span from the start of the Christian era to modern times.

Church of Santa Fosca

The Church of Santa Fosca is located next to the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. This small round church is a great example of the Venetian-Byzantine style and it was built around the 11th or 12th century.

Attila’s Throne

Attila’s Throne (Trono di Attila) is an ancient stone chair located in front of the Torcello Museum. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with the King of the Huns. It was built around 100 years after Attila’s death and it was likely the seat of a local governor or bishop.

Lido di Venezia

Lido di Venezia is a long and narrow barrier island that divides the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. It is was one of first inhabited areas of the lagoon, being first settled during the Roman age. During the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, it was mostly used for military purposes to defend the entry points toward Venice. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable destination full of gardens and it was turned into a tourist resort with hotels, villas, and fancy buildings. Now it is mostly renowned for hosting the Venice Film Festival, the oldest and one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.

Palazzo del Cinema

Palazzo del Cinema is the main seat of the Venice Film Festival and it is located on a seaside avenue along the beaches of Lido on the Adriatic Sea. It was built during the 1930s and it features various theaters. Next to it is Palazzo del Casinò, once hosting the Venice Casino and now part of the complex that hosts the Venice Film Festival.

Ancient Jewish Cemetery

The area of the Ancient Jewish Cemetery was granted to the Jewish community during the 14th century as a burial ground. Used until the 18th century, it features various decorated historic tombstones.

Malamocco

Malamocco is one of the earliest settlements in the Venetian Lagoon, dating back to the Roman age, and it is located about halfway along the barrier island of Lido di Venezia. Once a flourishing port, it declined during the Middle Ages and it is now a small village crossed by canals almost like a tiny version of Venice.

Oasi Dune degli Alberoni

Oasi Dune degli Alberoni is a natural reserve located at the southern tip of the island of Lido di Venezia. It features one of the best preserved areas of the Venetian Lagoon, with a pinewood and sand dunes along the coast.

Pellestrina

Pellestrina is the southernmost of the two narrow and long barrier islands dividing the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, located between Lido di Venezia and Chioggia. Not really a tourist destination, it is a more quiet area where the unique environment of the lagoon can be enjoyed.

Murazzi

The seafront of Pellestrina is protected from the water by the Murazzi, a massive 18th-century wall that runs along the entire island. The strucure also divides the town, located on the Venetian Lagoon, from the beaches on the Adriatic Sea.

Minor Islands of the Venetian Lagoon

Several small islands dot the Venetian Lagoon, both north and south of Venice. A few of these house historic religious sites and other interesting attractions, while others are mostly rural.

✪ San Lazzaro degli Armeni

San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island located just off the coast of Lido di Venezia, in the Venetian Lagoon. The island hosted a monastery during the Middle Ages, but it was later used as leper colony and then leased to various religious groups. In the 18th century it was given to a group of Armenian monks who founded a new monastery and, soon afterwards, a publishing house. The structure was expanded several times and it is now the headquarters of the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist Congregation and one of the most important and influential sites of Armenian culture. The complex features various decorations and artworks, and it houses a large library with thousands of ancient books and manuscripts. Hosted here is also a rich museum of Armenian history.

San Servolo

San Servolo is an island south of the main island group of Venice. Throughout the Middle Ages, San Servolo hosted a Benedictine monastery, one of the oldest ones in the Venetian Lagoon. The area was later turned into a hospital, and in the 18th century it became an insane asylum. The psychiatric hospital was closed only in 1978 and now it hosts the Insane Asylum Museum (Museo del Manicomio), a chilling display of history of this structure that hosts instruments and machines used to treat the patients. Some buildings on the island also host the local university and arts academy.

San Francesco del Deserto

San Francesco del Deserto is a small island located next to Sant’Erasmo and it is almost entirely occupied by a monastery. The hermitage was founded by Saint Francis, that landed on this island in 1220. The area was abandoned in the 15th century due to a malaria outbreak, but it was later restored.

Sant’Erasmo

Sant’Erasmo is an island located northeast of Venice. It is known as a garden and mostly agricultural island and it is a great spot for birdwatching. Located on the southern tip of Sant’Erasmo is the Torre Massimiliana, one of the many forts erected over the centuries to protect the entrance to the Venetian Lagoon. This sturdy circular tower was built during the 19th century and was abandoned for a long time before being recently restored.

Lazzaretto Nuovo

The island of Lazzaretto Nuovo, located near Sant’Erasmo, used to host a monastery during the Middle Ages, but the area was turned into a lazaret and quarantine station during the 16th century. Later abandoned, it has now been fully restored and it can be visited.

Lazzaretto Vecchio

Lazzaretto Vecchio is an island located close to Lido di Venezia. Between the 15th and the 17th century it was used as a quarantine station, plague hospital, and leper colony, and it is the origin of the English words lazaret and lazaretto.

Le Vignole

Le Vignole is a group of islands located between La Certosa and Sant’Erasmo. It is a mostly rural area and it features Forte di Sant’Andrea, a 16th-century fortification which is the best preserved in the Venetian Lagoon.

La Certosa

La Certosa is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, situated between Venice and Le Vignole. It used to host a Carthusian monastery, built between 1490 and 1505 restoring an older religious site. The area was abandoned during the 19th century and it is now mostly occupied by a park.

Chioggia

Chioggia is a city located at the southern end of the Venetian Lagoon, with the main area placed on a set of small islands, while the neighborhood of Sottomarina is along the Adriatic coast to the east. Inhabited since ancient times, Chioggia rose to prominence during the Middle Ages and was later governed by Venice, following its history until today. Chioggia is known to tourists as being a smaller version of Venice, with the city center crossed by a long canal and featuring many Venetian-style bridges and palaces.

Chioggia Cathedral

Also known as: Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta

The Chioggia Cathedral is the main religious site in Chioggia. It was originally a Romanesque medieval church, but it was destroyed by a fire in 1623, and the current building was erected over the following the decades. It features a simple facade and some artworks. It is located near the southern edge of the old town, near the medieval city gate Porta Garibaldi.

Church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo

The Church of Sant’Andrea Apostolo is a church of ancient origins that was rebuilt during the 18th century. While it hosts some artworks, it is mostly known for its bell tower, which features a wonderful 14th-century astronomical clock. Initially placed on another palace and moved here only in the 19th century, this timepiece is among the oldest still working medieval clocks in the world.

Museum of Adriatic Zoology

The Museum of Adriatic Zoology (Museo di Zoologia Adriatica) is a natural history museum featuring a collection of specimens of fish and aquatic creatures from the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian Lagoon. It is hosted in the historic Palazzo Grassi, built during the 18th century.

Civic Museum of the Southern Lagoon

The Civic Museum of the Southern Lagoon (Museo Civico della Laguna Sud) is focused on the history and culture of Chioggia and the surrounding area. It hosts a rich archaeological collection with artifacts from the pre-Roman, Roman, and medieval period, and exhibitions on local life until recent times.