About Venice

Venice, or Venezia in Italian, is spread over a group of 121 small islands separated by a network of canals and connected by 435 bridges. Located in the middle of the Venetian Lagoon, the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is sometimes nicknamed the City of the Doges, the Serenissima, the Queen of the Adriatic, the City of Waters, the City of Masks, the City of Bridges, or the Floating City. Its famous gondolas are 10.8 m long, 1.38 m wide, and weigh 600 kg. There are 400 in circulation, and only 3 permits are issued each year. To get around, you can take a vaporetto, the local water bus. Among the famous Venetians are Marco Polo, Vivaldi, Casanova and also the first female graduate in the world, born in Venice in 1646. Saint Mark is the patron saint of the city; it is his winged lion on a red background that can be found on the Venetian flag.