Anna--Venice

Venice, Italy Venice is a work of art in itself, being one of the most unusual and beautiful cities in the world. Built more than 1,000 years ago on a cluster of mud banks and marshy islands in the middle of a shallow lagoon in the Northern Adriatic Sea, Venice is now almost completely surrounded by water. There are more than 159 canals all over Venice and more than 400 bridges that cross those canals. This explains exactly why Venice is called “the city of boats and bridges”. Venice is a city that has always had very rich culture. In the middle ages and early renaissance, 1200- 1600 A.D., Venice was a strong and wealthy city state known as “The Serene Republic.” Rome, Florence and Venice all were prosperous city states, in this period that held a renewed interest in culture. During this time, Venice was the leading sea power, and enjoyed the advantages of being a very stable republic. Later in 1886, Venice was presented to Italy as a gift from Prussia, who was one of Italy’s allies. This is a city where you will not find any cars or buses. Instead, on the many canals of Venice, there are thousands of little boats, called gondolas which are still used today to travel from one place to another. Other methods of transportation for Venetians are motorboats and steamboats. Steamboats are the water buses of Venice and boats are even used as ambulances here. The Grand Canal is the main and biggest canal in Venice which spans most of the city. Venice is a very popular vacation spot that many people come from all over to see. One popular tourist attraction is the main square in Venice, the famous Piazza San Marco, with St. Mark’s basilica at one end. Coffee shops line the sides of the canals, and many old homes in Venice have been converted into hotels. “The city is consumed by tourism.” says Andrea Salvadori. Many locals of Venice resent the continuous onslaught of tourist. The carnivals of Venice once a charming neighborhood event are now a commercialized frenzy, where most of the sensible locals leave town. Most Venetians are resigned that tourist will always be the life of Venice. Venice is in peril, currently sinking more and more than ever before. In 1870-1879 the water only rose four times higher than 3.6 feet that is considered the flooding point, but more recently in 1990-1999 it rose above flooding forty-four times. For centuries it has been threatened by the water it was built upon but now Venice has an increasingly serious flooding problem. Engineers are researching ways to control the flooding in Venice before the city is destroyed. Venice is a very important city because of its rich culture, all its history from the Renaissance, and a city that represents Italy, and it’s past. This popular tourist destination is not just a beautiful city, but a city with a crisis that lives with the city and its residents. Venice, Italy is a completely out of the ordinary place that will live on forever, as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. __ Works Cited __ Kish, George. //Life in Europe: Italy.// Grand Rapids, Michigan: The Fidler Company, 1964 Angelillo, B. //Italy.// Austin, Texas: Steck- Vaughn, 1991 Kubly, H. Italy. New York City: Time, 1961 Nickles, Greg. “The Beautiful City of Venice.” //Italy: The Land// 2001 Sewell, Brian. “Postcards from Venice.” //Evening Standard// 10/13/2010 “Venice in the Renaissance.” //Venice in the Renaissance// 2oo9 “History Timeline” //Time for Kids.// 2010, Accessed on 5 November 2010 