Origins
There are no surviving records about the origins and the foundation of the city of Venice. It is assumed that the city was randomly inhabited and therefore founded by fleeing local population of the nearby cities and countryside under the invasions of Germanic tribes and Huns. At that time the area was a part of the Western Roman Empire.
The first sources describe Venice as islands on which inhabitants lived in houses like “marine birds” with their boats tied next to the houses “like they are domestic animals”. The same resources claimed that local population was little developed in comparison to the nearby cities and that they lived only from fishing and salt production.
What is sure is that the origins of Venice stay unknown and hidden under the vail of uncertainty and that the process ofdevelopment of the city lasted for a long period of time (probably from 7th to 9th century).
Under Octavian August, Roman Imperator, together with the Veneto Region and Istria, Venice became the 10th province of the Empire. After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, this region often changed hands between Goths, Lombards, Francs and Byzantine. This period was followed by continuous movements of the people from the mainland, because most of these tribes were not able to use ships and organize fleets. Byzantine (The Eastern Roman Empire) tried to take back the lost territories after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. After long lasting wars (during 7th century), the territory under the control of Byzantine in this region was reduced only to the Venetian Lagoon and some towns on the banks of the lagoon.
A new force was rising in this region, the Franks. The Franks defeated the Lombards and a war broke out between Byzantine and the Venetians on one side and the Franks on the other. In 812, a peace treaty was signed in which Byzantine acknowledged Carlo Magno as the emperor but in return Venice remained under the rule of Byzantine.
When exactly Venice became independent is unclear, because this event came without violence, it was more an evolution process. Most probably this happened somewhere between 9th and 11th century, but Venice remained closely tied to the Byzantine Empire for a long period of time. This close relationship started to deteriorate in the 12th century and ended in the 13th century when the Venetians with the 4th Crusade never reached the Holy Land but instead conquered Constantinople and divided Byzantine territory together with other conquerors.
All until the permanent fall of The Eastern Roman Empire to Turks (the Ottoman Empire) in 1453, Venice fought viciously with Genoa for the trade supremacy in the East.
After this event, the Venetians turned to conquering inland the Italian Peninsula to the West and managed to substantially increase their influence in this region.
In the first years of the 16th century, an alliance was created between the Austrians, France and new Pope Giulio II in order to stop the expansion of Venice. This resulted in a war in which Venice lost a large part of its territories in the North of Italy which was then occupied by France. Realizing that the North of Italy now belonged to France, Pope Giulio signed a peace treaty with Venice and included it in a new alliance, this time to fight against France. Venice refused and turned to France signing a treaty to fight against the newly formed alliance. In this conflict Venice managed to consolidate its territories but at the end it was located between very powerful states: the Hapsburg, Spanish, French and Ottoman Empire, without any possibility of expansion. Even though the majority of Venetians were Catholics, the other religions were allowed in the Republic. This fact was the reason for hostile behavior of the Papal State towards the Republic. With the discovery of America, the trading routes dominated by Venetians became little important. On the other hand, constant advances of the Ottoman Empire resulted in loosing of a large part of the Venetian territory in the East. Both these two factors marked the decline in the importance of the Venetian Republic on the world scene.
On 12th May 1797, Venice surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte and the last Duke of Venice, Ludovico Manini, abdicated. The same year, according to the treaty of Campoformio, Venice fell under the rule of Austria along with other territories.
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, one of the greatest composers of all times, was born in Venice. He was a Baroque composer mostly known for its instrumental concertos, choral pieces and more than 40 operas. His best work is a number of concertos known as The Four Seasons.
The name of the city Venice was derived from the people “Veneti” who lived in this area before the whole region was incorporated into the Roman Empire, around 220 BC. The territory occupied by these people is not known for sure nowadays, it occupied the area of modern Veneto region (a part of modern Italy) but other areas as well.
The whole city of Venice together with the Lagoon is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The city of canals and alleyways, numerous islands and bridges, the city of gondolas and wondrous vistas, jaw dropping architecture, postcard - perfect palaces, the city of the carnival and the masks, in a nut shell – a city one can fall in love with quite easily. All of these words seem to describe Venice as one of the most well-known tourist destinations in the world. Venice offers loads to visitors: stunningly beautiful palaces and superb buildings that will take you on a trip through the rich history of this unique city, numerous canals to cross either on foot or by a gondola, a number of islands that still seem to stay hidden to most tourists, as well as a huge number of tourist sights and museums. As the saying goes, even the Venetians get lost in Venice.
The eternal city, a city of glorious past, a city of chequered history, the cradle of Roman Catholic Church - are just some attributes that distinguish Rome from other popular tourist destinations. Tourists will be able to take a peek at the beauty and glory of once the most important city in the world and to enjoy its more modern architectural marvels, mostly built by a number of different popes in quick or slow succession. Don’t just visit Colosseum and Saint Peter’s Cathedral, Rome has so much more to offer.
Ravenna is a city of history, numerous monuments that stand in silent testimony of its turbulent past as well as its fame and glory as the capital city of many an empire and kingdom. The main attractions of Ravenna are certainly its churches and mosaics that all date back to the 5th and 6th century and the early Christian societies in Europe. The scale and splendour of colorful Byzantine mosaics, their historical significance as well as monuments that date back to the Ostrogoths were even recognized by UNESCO who included eight sites in this small city on their World Heritage list. Ravenna is a city which lets its visitors to embark on a journey through history and especially through the history of Byzantine, from the civilization of which only but a faint remnant has survived throughout the world.
Milano is a city of fashion, a city fascinated with the idea of beauty, a city of stunningly beautiful Gothic architecture, a city of compelling culture, a city of the young, city of fabulous fairs and architectural accomplishments. All of these attributes seem to describe Milan, which is the business capital of Italy, which oozes its charm to its visitors in a matter of seconds. To a contemporary tourist Milan offers grand, awe inspiring buildings, a multitude of museums, riveting religious buildings, its culture as a mixture of the modern trends and the tradition that goes all the way back to the Roman Empire, glitz and glamour of its shopping malls and different nightlife zones that will appeal to the tastes of all visitors.
This is the page dedicated to Lake Garda on which you can find a complete tourist guide and suggestions about what to visit while planning your trip to the lake. Lake Garda is one of three great lakes in the northern Italy. Its lovely little towns on the shores of the lake draw an incredible number of tourists each year, who flock there for its mild and mellow climate, strolls on the lake shores, traditional Italian cuisine and of course to stand in awe before the heritage of this region laid bare for us to gaze at in a host of castles, wondrous villas and picturesque villages and dainty little towns.
The city of Pisa rises above the docks of Arno river. Pisa is one of the most important cities in Tuscany and it is well known in the world thanks to the city’s famous symbol, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We could say that Pisa is both, an ancient city, proud of it’s middle ages past, when Pisa was one of the leading naval force in Europe, and a modern city, full of positive energy that comes from its numerous students, as Pisa has three of the most important universities in Italy. Even if most famous monument in Pisa is the leaning Tower, it is not the only one in this city. Bell Tower of San Nicola Church and the church of San Michele of Scalzi are the other two leaning towers in Pisa.
With its gardens with a riot of colour, wonderful villas and splendid panoramic views Lake Como has become one of the most visited tourist places in Italy. The compellingly beautiful Lake Como seems to have enchanted artists and travelers for centuries: from famous Giuseppe Verdi and Vicenzo Bellini who apparently wrote his opera “Norma” here, to Gioacchino Rossini and a French writer Flaubert.
Lake Maggiore represents the most beautiful jewel of Piemonte region in Italy. Located between mountains and valleys, Lago Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy (after Lago di Garda), covering the surface of 212km². Almost 80% of the lake’s surface is located on Italian territory, between regions Piemonte and Lombardy, while the remaining 20% belongs to Switzerland. Here, you will have a chance to enjoy such artistic landscapes that everyone should see at least once in a lifetime. Between the emerald green vegetation and the shining blue sky stand numerous castles, sumptuous palaces and prestigious Italian gardens. These monuments testify about the link between the two noble families, which, for years, marked the history of the lake: families Visconti and Borromeo.
The city of Palermo was founded in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians. They named the city Zyz, after a flower, dedicated to the beauty of this area surrounded by mountains and four rivers: Kemania, Oreto, Pannaria and Papireto. Later on, the Greeks tried several times to conquer the city, but all their attempts were thwarted. Finally, only the Romans succeeded to occupy Palermo, during the First Punic War in the 3rd century BC.
Florence is the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, a city of over 400 thousand inhabitants. This city is famous for its art, its priceless and unique art heritage, which includes cultural monuments of various styles, rich museums such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, as well as magnificent villas, most of which used to belong to the famous Florence Medici family.
Bari is the capital of the Italian region of Puglia, in southern Italy. The city is facing the Adriatic Sea. After Naples, Bari is the most important economic center in southern Italy. Bari is a port city and an important university center. Bari is the city of Saint Nicholas, with a population of about 350,000 people. It is made up of four urban parts of the city, each of which is special in its own way - the old town (citta vechia di Bari), two modern ports on the peninsula, the southern district of Murat and the commercial district with a promenade by the sea.
