Tourism in Venice

Venice has a very long and noble history. The birth of Venice is identified with the opening of its first church, which happened on  25 March 421. It was first a village of fishermen, but it expanded quickly and became the centre of the Republic of Venice. It was one of the biggest maritime powers during the Middle Ages. Art played a very important part in the expansion of the city from 13th to 17th century, making it one of the richest cities in history. Now the city resides on 117 islands which are connected by 409 bridges, most famous of which are the Rialto, Calatrava, Scalzi and Academia bridges.

Tourism is now the main source of income, as Venice is one of the most beautiful and most romantic cities in the world. In 2006 Venice saw almost 3 million international tourists, making it one of the most visited cities in the world. In 1980 the Venice Carnival was revived, increasing the flow of tourists. As a result, now many various conferences, major art exhibitions and classical music concerts are held in Venice.

However, this influx of tourists also has a negative effect. At some points in the year Venice is experiencing some heavy crowding, which resulted in some people calling it the ‘trap of tourists’. Venice heavily relies on cruises, as they bring many foreign tourists from all around the world. The downside of that is that big cruise ships damage delicate ecosystem and cause waves which cause the city to slowly sink.

There are many unique places to visit in Venice, such as numerous beautiful churches, lots of museums which hold some of the best works of art in the history of the world and of course, the canals, which make Venice a truly unique place. However, these objects are visited by every tourist. We hope to find and see some of the less popular locations in the area which hopefully will tell us a much more interesting story of the city.