Video: Tour of Venice, Italy

Our Venice video tour features some hidden parts of the city as well of some of the mainstream Venice attractions. Venice highlights include the gardens of the Biennale Exhibition of Modern Arts, Palladio’s Church of San Pietro in Castello, the Naval Museum with a model of the Bucintoro (Doge’s Boat) and the Pavilion of Gondolas housing Peggy Guggenheim’s own vessel.

The Veneto, the mainland province around Venice, takes its name from the Veneti, the pre-Roman inhabitants of the region. The region bore the brunt of fierce and destructive barbarian attacks that began in the 4th century. Fleeing the Goths, the people of the Veneto sought refuge among the wild and uninhabited islands of their marshy coast.

Building on a patchwork of more than 100 low-lying islands in the middle of a swampy lagoon they formed villages and the city of Venice rose in 421 AD. By the 13th century Venice ruled Byzantium. At its height, Venice was one of the greatest military and commercial powers on earth. In population it was four times the size of Rome and London combined. In 1508 the Pope, the kings of France and Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor joined forces to stop the advances of this powerful empire.

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