History and attractions of the Venetian lagoon. Islands of the Venetian Lagoon What is the total area of Venice in the lagoon
Venetian Lagoon (Venice, Italy) - detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.
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The word “lagoon” was originally used to refer to one specific place - Laguna di Venezia, and only later was it extended to any bays cut off from the sea by reefs or sand spits. And one more condition - the water area must be beautiful. However, until the 6th century AD. e. The Venetian lagoon was a huge salt marsh with islands overgrown with reeds. Its beauty is the result of the activities of people who fled here from the Hun invasion, drained the soil and made it suitable for habitation.
Origin of the lagoon
7000 years ago the glaciers melted, the water rose and flooded the shores of the future Adriatic Sea. The sand carried by the flow of the Brenta, Deze and Sila rivers formed a barrier, broken by only three narrow channels: Lido, Malamocca and Chioggia. Inside the enclosed space there are about 100 islands, washed by the tides every 12 hours.
Venetian archipelago
The historical center of Venice is located in an area riddled with hundreds of natural and man-made canals that act as city streets. The largest is the Grand Canal, beautiful palaces and cathedrals have been erected along its banks, and most of the attractions of the “Princess of the Adriatic” are concentrated in the surrounding area.
The nearby large islands have already become part of Greater Venice, but each is interesting in its own way. Murano is the kingdom of glassblowers, the secrets of their craft were protected as state secrets, mirrors and lenses were worth their weight in gold. Burano was inhabited by artisans of lower rank - lacemakers, tailors, glovemakers, shoemakers, the products of their hands are still famous for the highest quality. Between them stretches across the fairway of Sant'Erasmo, the largest island of the lagoon, a Venetian vegetable garden supplying its population with fresh vegetables and fruits.
There are many islands scattered in the Venice Lagoon - tiny, abandoned, flaunting the ruins of fishermen's houses or hospitals - with screaming, broken, dark windows and walls corroded by wind, water and salt. There are also larger islands, but most of them are in poor condition, just waiting for their fate to improve. You could probably talk about the lagoon and its islands for a long time and in several parts, which could tire an uninterested person. Therefore, today a few words about the most interesting (in my opinion) pieces of land protruding from the Venetian waters and swamps.
Murano, and Torcello won't be here today. I already wrote about the mysterious one, since then its fate has changed - it was decided to build a luxury hotel in spite of eerie legends and traditions, which will invariably attract crowds of people wishing to the island, and millions of euros will flow into the treasury. Today we are talking about those islands where almost no one gets to, but their past, unlike the present, is of keen interest.
Santa Maria della Grazie. It rises near San Giorgio Maggiore - the active tourist center of Venice. Here was a real pilgrimage center, competently organized, conveniently planned and distinguished by the precision of its work. Among the employees there were people who knew different languages, so that the guest pilgrims would not have problems with explanations and understanding. The center brought Her Serene Highness good fees, and the pilgrims departing for the Holy Land were happy and satisfied, easily parting with money for the assistance provided in accommodation.
Over time, a monastery grew up on La Grazia, the main shrine of which was the sculpture of the Virgin Mary, made, according to legend, by the Apostle Paul himself. Then Napoleon came and turned the holy monastery into a gunpowder warehouse. One day, an accidentally lit match caused everything to fly up into the air, leaving a pile of stones instead of a monumental temple. There was nothing left on the long-suffering island, and a few years later an infectious diseases hospital was opened here, which ended the glorious and religious history of La Grazia with its unhealthy atmosphere.
San Clemente. This island is not so far from San Marco, but this did not prevent it from always being in the shadows and obscurity. Once upon a time there was a monastery on it, and its main church until recently was safe and sound - a madhouse was set up in it and its ancillary premises.
An interesting story also happened during the Second World War. Two Venetians, called up for military service, escaped from army authorities and hid in a dilapidated boat repair shop on San Clemente. Friends and parents periodically brought necessary things and food, which helped the children live on the island for several years and remain undetected until the very end of the war. And then return to the city to their families and live happily ever after, perhaps even with slight remorse :)
San Sevrolo. Few Venetian islands escaped the fate of hospitals, insane asylums, infirmaries or prisons. San Servolo is also no exception. In the 18th century, it opened its doors to the insane, but not the simple ones - but the very noble and rich. Patients came here only at the direction of the Council of Ten, which could quietly get rid of noble, but unwanted people of high position. Shelley called San Servolo the most famous madhouse on earth, the existence of which was interrupted by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Benedictine monks are also associated with the island, who founded their monastery here, where a historical event also took place. The Emperor of the Western Roman Empire, Otto III, arrived there incognito to collect information about the growing power of the Venetian Republic, and at the same time to be curious. Of course, he had political motives, and he undoubtedly wanted to have a general picture of Venice. So, carefully wrapped in black, Doge Piero Orseolo II himself met him in the monastery and gave him all the information Otto needed, which surprised the emperor.
Neither a tour of the glass factories in Murano nor a short walk to Torcello gives an idea of the diverse life that once flourished on the islands of the Venetian lagoon. In the “Most Serene”, as the Venetians called their republic, each island was an outpost of a magnificent civilization, which, as they wrote in the 16th century, “was founded on waters, surrounded by waters and protected by waters instead of fortress walls.”
For more than ten centuries, not a single enemy could overcome these “walls.” On the islands of the lagoon, residents united around the church parish. Along with religious activities, members of these communities were also engaged in practical activities: each island had a harbor for ships, shelters for pilgrims to the Holy Land, residences for noble guests, lighthouses, offices for officials, quarantines to prevent epidemics that were frequent in those days, warehouses, hospitals , greenhouses and vegetable gardens, gardens and cemeteries... In addition, the specialization of each island was determined by its location.
In 537, Cassiodorus, a high-ranking confidant of the Ostrogothic king, described life in the lagoon this way: “The houses here are like seabird nests... you feel as if you are in the real Cyclades...”. Cassiodorus does not mention who the inhabitants of the lagoon were - refugees from mainland Italy, seeking refuge from barbarian conquerors, or indigenous inhabitants, whose way of life had long evolved under the conditions of a gradual increase in the water level in the lagoon.
The second hypothesis is based on the discoveries of archaeologists who discovered the remains of ancient Roman settlements around Torcello. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, "bad air" (malaria) forced religious and secular communities from the islands of Ammiana and Constantiaco to move to the Rialto area, leaving behind ruins that are now almost submerged. Life on the islands was possible thanks to tireless work; this was the only way to overcome nature, which deprived people of their usual life resources. This work gave birth to Venice and the complex civilization of the islands that developed until the end of the 18th century. In 1797, the period of stability ended: on April 20, a cannon shot rang out, with which the Serene One responded to the approach of the French brig. This was the last attempt of the Venetians to resist Bonaparte’s army: after 22 days the Venetian Republic was abolished...
Venice was annexed, then came under Austrian rule and eventually became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1866. To an even greater extent than Venice itself, the islands of the lagoon lost their importance and were plundered. The only one of them that was almost unaffected by the changes was San Laza ro degli Armeni. In 1717, the Armenian community took over the island as a concession. It is still considered the cultural center of the Armenian diaspora. The monastery on San Francesco del De Zerto also survived. San Giorgio Maggiore has undergone few changes since the 18th century.
Alas, most islands cannot boast of such a happy fate. Many of them were converted into barracks, warehouses and casemates, and buildings and property were looted. This was the case under the Austrian Empire, and even in the Italian state. The artistic riches of the lagoon were scattered throughout the world, especially actively in the first half of the 19th century.
However, the islands themselves were protected to some extent by the presence of various occupying armies. Paradoxically, the catastrophe began with their departure: nothing further prevented the robbery. Of the 34 “small islands”, 22 are now uninhabited and reduced to ruins, even if they are located, like Santo Spirito, a kilometer from San Marco. Their shores are washed away by waves from motorized vessels. The islands are covered with dense thickets. Only the walls remained, and the marble statues, ancient bas-reliefs and friezes were plundered... The island of San Giorgio in Alga is an example of such destruction.
Monastic orders have maintained hotels here since the 11th century. In 1799, Napoleon ordered the monasteries to be closed, a prison was set up on the island, and the monks removed only a small share of their wealth. The buildings with Byzantine friezes were still somehow preserved, but several decades ago the island was completely deserted. In 1973, a 1522 bas-relief depicting St. disappeared from here. George - he was later found in the warehouse of a certain antique dealer. The best preserved islands are in the district of San Marco, which have remained the functions of hospitals since the time of the Republic - San Clemente, San Servolo, Lazzaretto Vecchio. By the way, the word “infirmary” comes from the name of Lazzaretto-Vecchio, at one time the largest medical institution in the world. Today these islands are looking for a new specialization. Others are completely abandoned.
A cycle characteristic of many civilizations: people built here, lived, destroyed... And ended up turning their places of residence into quarries for stone extraction. Perhaps today the most reasonable solution would be to clear the islands of the “ruins of civilization”, return them to nature and finally create a lagoon natural park in Venice, which is poor in greenery. An example of future prosperity is the island of Sacca Sessola. Under the auspices of UNESCO, it was decided to build a “Center for Marine Science and Technology” and create a park with olive trees.
San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Byron's favorite island. In 1717, the Armenian colony in Venice, led by the monk Meshitar, began to rule this island. Its attraction is the ancient monastery library, which contains 40 thousand volumes, including very rare ones.
Burano, fishermen and lacemakers. In the lagoon, the island of Burano, with its lopsided bell tower and brightly colored facades of fishermen's houses, is visible from afar. The art of weaving the world-famous Venetian lace, which flourished here in the 16th century, is now mastered by only a few craftswomen in Burano.
Torcello, ancient Venice. On the island located in the northern part of the lagoon, the Venetians took refuge from enemy raids in the 5th-7th centuries. Today there are only 50 inhabitants on the island. Two architectural masterpieces in the Byzantine style have been preserved from the past - the Cathedral of Santa Maria and the Church of Santa Fosca.
San Servolo, Center for Applied Arts. The psychiatric hospital located here was closed in 1979, and the European Center of Applied Arts was located on San Servolo. Here they teach ancient crafts - fresco painting, stained glass making and artistic forging.
You can see some of the islands of the Venetian Lagoon on our tour
If you come to Venice for 1 day, then the city itself will have enough impressions for a walk. You can walk around Venice and ride a gondola on your own, or with a guide. But if the stay program is longer than a few days, then new ideas cannot be avoided. And here you can remember that in the Venice lagoon there are a number of interesting islands. We will talk about the most notable ones in this article.
Murano
Perhaps one of the most famous and visited islands of the Venetian Lagoon, a place that has been a center of glassmaking for more than seven centuries. There is probably not a single person who has not heard of the famous Murano glass.
It was here from the end of the 13th century. there are workshops of the best Italian glassblowers, and production secrets are still passed down from generation to generation and are kept under the heading “Top Secret”.
Centuries ago, when the art of glassmaking was in its prime, craftsmen enjoyed privileges unprecedented for artisans at that time. They even had the right to marry their daughters to members of the upper classes. True, such advantages had to be paid for with their freedom: glassblowers could not leave the island under any circumstances, so that the secrets of the craft would not leave the borders of Venice.
The famous Murano glass has been made here since the end of the 13th century.
Of course, the most interesting thing on the island is the numerous workshops where you can watch the process of creating glass products, and maybe even take part in it.
But besides them, there are other attractions: the Glass Museum, located in an ancient palazzo, as well as several equally ancient churches (the Basilica of Santa Maria e Donato in the Veneto-Byzantine style on the main square, the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and Church of San Pietro Martire).
How to get to Murano from Venice: The most convenient way to get there is at Fondamente Nove station. Lines 12, 13, 4.1, 4.2 are suitable. The journey will take approximately 10 minutes.
Burano
Burano is the second most popular island in the lagoon (not counting Venice itself, of course). This small settlement attracts with its incredibly cheerful atmosphere, which is created by the facades of gingerbread houses, painted in all the colors of the rainbow. It is believed that the streets of Burano acquired this unusual appearance to make it easier for fishermen to navigate in search of land in the fog.
Now this feature of Burano is even protected by the government - house owners are prohibited from repainting them without permission. And the color can only be chosen from the approved list, so as not to disturb the overall harmony.
The facades of the local houses are painted in all the colors of the rainbow.
In addition to its bright “appearance”, the island is famous with your lace. Once upon a time, only nuns, novices of monasteries and girls from noble families, who were often sent there to live, mastered the art of lace making. One of these monasteries was located on this island. Just like Murano glass, the finest Burano lace is the heritage of the region, and the details of its production are kept secret.
You can admire the elegant napkins, tablecloths, umbrellas and other items woven from snow-white threads by local craftswomen at the Lace Museum in Piazza Galuppi. Right there you will see how these masterpieces are created.
On the same square is the Church of St. Martin, which you immediately notice because of its leaning bell tower.
How to get to Burano from Venice: by vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nove station. Travel time is about an hour.
Giudecca
In the old days, the island served as a haven for exiles and wanderers who found shelter in one of the 7 monasteries.
Later, the local nobility fell in love with Giudecca, and lush gardens and residence palaces began to grow throughout the square, often serving as the venue for grand balls and parties that brought the island not the best fame.
The island's landmark is its beautifully preserved basilicas.
Nowadays, little remains of the island’s former history, but beautiful temples designed by the architect Andrea Palladio have been preserved: Il Redentore and Santa Maria della Presentazione. In addition to them, the medieval church of Santa Eufenia is also worth a look.
Today, on the territory of one of the Giudecca monasteries there is a women’s prison, where a small market opens every Thursday. There you can buy inexpensive fruits and vegetables that are grown in the prison garden, as well as various souvenirs and natural cosmetics produced by prisoners under the reintegration program.
How to get to Giudecca from Venice: by vaporetto lines 2, 4.1, 4.2 from Piazzale Roma, San Zaccaria or Ferrovia station.
Lido
A long island south of Venice, stretching 13 km in length. It is here that the famous Venice Film Festival is held, where the entire elite of the world film industry gathers every year. In the northern part of the Lido, which hosts festival guests, there are some of the most fashionable hotels in the commune.
This is where the famous Venice Film Festival takes place every year.
The Adriatic coast of the island is famous for its sandy beaches, which have been awarded the blue flag for their cleanliness. They are the main attraction of the Lido.
True, most of the beaches are private and belong to hotels, but there are also two large public beaches - in the south and in the north.
How to get to the Lido from Venice: from any of the stations on the Grand Canal on vaporetto line 1.
Torcello
Once this island was the most prosperous in the Venetian Lagoon, and despite its modest size, as many as 20,000 people lived here. Now it is a quiet and secluded place where you can hide for a while from the annoying crowds of tourists.
It’s worth going here to see the unique early Christian basilicas, many of which have survived to our time almost in their original form - over the centuries, these churches have not undergone any reconstruction.
Here you can see unique early Christian basilicas
Be sure to visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, dating back to the early 11th century. Inside, Byzantine mosaics depicting the Virgin Mary and Child and the Last Judgment have been preserved. Nearby is the Church of Santa Fosca, a rare example of Romanesque architecture with a plan in the form of a Greek cross. And right there, nearby, you can look at the ruins of Roman-era buildings and ancient statues located throughout the area.
How to get to Torcello from Venice: by vaporetto line 12 from Fondamente Nove station. Travel time is a little over an hour.
San Giorgio Maggiore
A very small island, completely surrounded by greenery, on which a Benedictine monastery used to be located. Now all that remains of it is the Cathedral of San Giorgio Maggiore, which is still in use today. Its tower offers a magnificent view of the lagoon and nearby islands.
The island is small, but very pretty and is completely surrounded by greenery.
The monastery was closed and converted into barracks at the behest of Napoleon Bonaparte, and later turned into a museum by Count Cini, who bought it in 1951. The museum exhibits, among others, works by Tintoretto, one of the most significant artists of the Italian Renaissance.
How to get to San Giorgio Maggiore: from San Zaccaria station on vaporetto line 2.
San Michele
It is often called the island of the dead because San Michele is an island cemetery. Previously, there was a monastery here, which was abolished in the 19th century, and its entire territory was allocated for burial grounds.
Many prominent personalities rest on this island.
Many outstanding personalities rest on the island, including Russian cultural figures: Igor Stravinsky, Joseph Brodsky, Sergei Diaghilev, etc. Their graves are visited annually by thousands of travelers from all over the world, paying tribute to the great talent of these people.
How to get to San Michele: on vaporetto lines 4.1 or 4.2 from Fondamente Nove station.
Poveglia
A place that is definitely worth visiting for lovers of mysticism and scary stories. This uninhabited island of the Venice lagoon is overgrown with many horror legends.
It was once inhabited, but was soon abandoned and has since often been used as a quarantine zone, protecting Venice from epidemics. It is even believed that back in the days of the Roman Empire, a colony for plague patients was organized here, and since then the ghosts of the dead have been walking around the island.
At the beginning of the 20th century. A psychiatric clinic was opened on the island, the stories about which create even more fear. There are rumors that terrible experiments were carried out on patients, led by a cruel and fame-hungry chief physician.
The island will be of interest to lovers of mysticism and scary stories.
In general, for almost its entire history the island has been considered cursed, and no matter what they try to arrange on it, it ceases to exist.
How to get to Poveglia: no way. Officially, Poveglia Island is closed to visitors, and even fishermen try to avoid it. But if you really want to tickle your nerves, someone will probably agree to take you there for a tidy sum.
Useful articles about Venice
Photos by: O Palsson, Graeme Churchard, pixabay.com, Historic Mysterie, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra.
The Venetian Lagoon is geographically an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, on the shores of which Venice stands. It stretches from the Sile River in the north to Brenta in the south. The total area of the lagoon is approximately 550 sq. km. About 8% of the lagoon's territory is occupied by small islands and, in fact, Venice, and 11% is constantly covered with water. The remaining, large part of the lagoon - about 80% - is silted plains (the so-called wattles), tidal shallows and salt marshes. The entire Venice Lagoon is the largest wetland in the Mediterranean basin.
The lagoon is connected to the Adriatic Sea by three small narrow bays - Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia. In the spring, the water level in the lagoon rises significantly, causing floods that regularly inundate Venice - a phenomenon in Italian called "aqua alta" (high water).
The Venetian Lagoon is also the most important surviving part of the entire system of estuarine lagoons, which in Roman times stretched from Ravenna to Trieste. It was on its banks that in the 6th century the Romans took refuge from the warlike Huns. Later, the geographical location of the lagoon contributed to the formation and flourishing of the powerful Venetian Republic, whose possessions extended far beyond the Adriatic Sea. Today, on the shores of the Venetian Lagoon, there is a large seaport and the Venetian Arsenal (dock), and in recent years, fish farming has developed.
It must be said that the Venetian Lagoon itself was formed 6-7 thousand years ago, when part of the Adriatic coastal plain was flooded as a result of the advance of the sea onto land after the Ice Age. River sediments gradually “compensated” for the land that had disappeared under water, and sediments brought from the mouth of the Po River created sandbanks. The current appearance of the lagoon is the result of human activity. In the 15th and 16th centuries, various hydraulic projects by the Venetians to prevent the lagoon from becoming a swamp completely changed its natural evolution. Experiments with the aquifer, beginning in the 19th century, increased subsidence. Most of the lagoon's islands were originally swampy, but successive drainage projects have made them habitable. Some of the smallest islands are completely artificial (including the area around the seaport of Mestre). The rest are essentially dunes - the coastal strip of Lido, Pellestrina and Treporti. The largest islands of the Venetian Lagoon are Venice, Sant'Erasmo, Murano, Chioggia, Giudecca, Mazzorbo, Torcello, Sant'Elena, La Certosa, Burano, Tronchetto, Sacca Fisola, San Michele, Sacca Sessola and Santa Cristina.