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Modern
era Venice became Austrian territory when Napoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio on 12 October 1797. The Austrians took control of the city on 18 January 1798. It was taken from Austria by the Treaty of Pressburg in 1805 and became part of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, but was returned to Austria following Napoleon's defeat in 1814, when it became part of the Austrian-held Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. In 1848-1849 a revolt briefly reestablished the Venetian Republic under Daniele Manin. In 1866, following the Third Italian War of Independence, Venice, along with the rest of the Veneto, became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy. During the Second World War, the city was largely free from attack, the only aggressive effort of note being Operation Bowler, a precision strike on the German naval operations there in 1945. Venice was finally liberated by New Zealand troops under Freyberg on 29 April 1945.[20] GEOGRAPHY The city is divided into six areas or "sestiere". These are Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro (including the Giudecca and Isola Sacca Fisola), Santa Croce, San Marco (including San Giorgio Maggiore) and Castello (including San Pietro di Castello and Sant'Elena). Each sestiere was administered by a procurator and his staff. These districts consist of parishes — initially seventy in 1033, but reduced under Napoleon and now numbering just thirty-eight. These parishes predate the sestieri, which were created in about 1170. Other islands of the Venetian Lagoon do not form part of any of the sestieri, having historically enjoyed a considerable degree of autonomy. Each sestiere has its own house numbering system. Each house has a unique number in the district, from one to several thousand, generally numbered from one corner of the area to another, but not usually in a readily understandable manner. At
the front of the Gondolas that work in the city there is a large piece
of metal intended as a likeness of the Doge's hat. On this sit six notches
pointing forwards and one pointing backwards. Each of these represent
one of the Sestieri (the one which points backwards represents the Giudecca). Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment. During the 20th century, when many artesian wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. It was realized that extraction of the aquifer was the cause. This sinking process has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods (called Acqua alta, "high water") that creep to a height of several centimetres over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking,[21][22] but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. In May 2003 the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi inaugurated the MOSE project (Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), an experimental model for evaluating the performance of inflatable gates; the idea is to lay a series of 79 inflatable pontoons across the sea bed at the three entrances to the lagoon. When tides are predicted to rise above 110 centimetres, the pontoons will be filled with air and block the incoming water from the Adriatic Sea. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2011. A University of Chicago physics graduate has suggested that the best way to protect Venice is to physically lift the City to a greater height above sea level, by pumping water into the soil underneath the city.[23] This way, some hope, it could rise above sea levels, protecting it for hundreds of years, and eventually the MOSE project may not be necessary (it will, controversially, alter the tidal patterns in the lagoon, damaging some wildlife). A further point about the "lifting" system would be that it would be permanent; the MOSE Project is, by its very nature, a temporary system: it is expected to protect Venice for only 100 years. In
1604, to defray the cost of flood relief Venice introduced what could
be considered the first example of what became elsewhere a 'stamp tax'.
When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608 Venice introduced
paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions which
was to be used for 'letters to officials'. Initially this was to be
a temporary tax but in fact remained in effect to the fall of the Republic
in 1797. Shortly after the introduction of the tax Spain produced similar
paper for more general taxation purposes and the practice spread to
other countries. Economy Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major centre for the grand tour, due to its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the rich and famous, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century[27] In the 1980s the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic and musical productions[27] Today there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, to name a few. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities and mainly people in the cinematic industry.[27] However,
Venice's popularity as a major worldwide tourist destination has caused
several problems, including the fact that the city can be very overcrowded
at some points of the year. It is regarded by some as a tourist trap,
and by others as a 'living museum'.[27]
The competition for foreigners to buy homes in Venice has made prices
rise so highly, that numerous inhabitants are forced to move to more
affordable areas of Veneto and Italy, most notably Mestre. Waterways The
classical Venetian boat is the gondola, although it is now mostly used
for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Many gondolas
are lushly appointed with crushed velvet seats and Persian rugs. Gondoliers
typically charge between 80 and 100 euros for a 35 minute "giro"
or excursion around some canals. The Gondoliers, by law, must be of
Venetian birth. Most Venetians now travel by motorised waterbuses (vaporetti)
which ply regular routes along the major canals and between the city's
islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still
in common use by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries
crossing the Grand Canal at certain points without bridges. Visitors
can also take the water taxis between areas of the city. The Venice People Mover (managed by ASM) is a cable operated public transit system connecting the Isola del Tronchetto with Piazzale Roma. Venice
also has water taxis, which are fast but quite expensive. Venice is served by the newly rebuilt Marco Polo International Airport, or Aeroporto di Venezia Marco Polo, named in honor of its famous citizen. The airport is on the mainland and was rebuilt away from the coast; however, the water taxis or Alilaguna waterbuses to Venice are only a seven-minute walk from the terminals. Some
airlines market Treviso Airport in Treviso, 30 km from Venice, as a
Venice gateway. Some simply advertise flights to "Venice"
without naming the actual airport except in the small print.[31] Car The
maritime portion of Venice has no streets as such, being composed almost
entirely of narrow footpaths, and laid out across islands connected
by staired stone footbridges, making transportation impossible by almost
anything with wheels. Cars can reach the car/bus terminal via the Ponte
della Liberta bridge. It comes in from the West from Mestre. There are
two parking lots which serve the city: Tronchetto and Piazzale Roma.
Cars can be parked there anytime for around €30 per day. A ferry to
Lido leaves from the parking lot in Tronchetto and it is served by vaporetti
and buses of the public transportation. As of 2009, 91,14% of the population was Italian. The largest immigrant group comes from other European nations (Romanians, the largest group: 3.26%, South Asia: 1.26%, and East Asia: 0.9%). Venice is predominantly Roman Catholic, but because of the long standing relationship with Constantinople there is also a perceptible Orthodox presence, and due to immigration it now has some Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist inhabitants. Culture |
