A city housing infamous works of art, brilliant architecture, an alluring cityscape and world class museums hoarding artifacts from the days of yore. Ring a bell? Well, it's none other than the most romantic and charming city of Venice. With a gelato in one hand and an Italian leather handbag in the other, gallivanting down the alleyways of this spellbinding little island can sometimes paralyze you with awe. Right from the Basilica di San Marco to the Ponte dei Sospiri, there is so much history to be seen and endured, captivating your mind for eternity.
One of the world’s oldest cultural and tourist avenues, Venice, an island city is a leading seaport and capital of the region of Veneto in Northern Italy. Known to the world as the most sublime and serene city, for good reason, Venice is sui generis in all ways, be it the architecture, history or even just the environment. Holding the status of being the greatest seaport during the medieval times, this beautiful city was once the most important cultural and commercial link between the continents of Europe and Asia.
The fame held by the city of Venice, other than its dazzling landscape, can be attributed to its endless mentions and descriptions in various verses, prose, books and films. A notable contribution to this would include Shakespeare’s comedy, The Merchant of Venice, set up in 16th century Venice. However, what steals the spotlight is the incandescent display of embroidered marbled and frescoed bell towers, domes and palaces emulated in the scintillating waters of the lagoon under a blue sky which has been photographed, painted and filmed to such an extent making it impossible to differentiate the real city from its charming representations. Thus, the city of Venice truly holds an incomparable spot in the dome of imaginations from the West.
Venice today is a result of its independence from a thousand year political and economic subjugation, all possible due to the city's role as a global trader. Rightly so, Venice is now identified as a pioneer and trend setter for some of the architectural and artistic patrimony of all human kind. A city with a history, whose sensitive conservation is what has allowed it to stay almost unchanged and unhampered by modern day agendas and political strife. The location of this serene city on islands, has proven to be more beneficial in modern times than anticipated, as it has prevented the historic center from seeing a larger modern suburban spread. Furthermore, narrow streets and alleys as well as its groundwork of canals has interrupted the encroachment of clusters of automobiles, and its unparalleled wealth of great monuments and buildings dating back to its era of commercial dominance has promoted a strong desire for universal conservation. While initially the depths of conservation encompassed just the city’s monuments, in recent times quickly rising water levels and abatement of the land holding the city of Venice has extended the realms of safe keeping and conservation to the whole city as the threat of extinction continues to exist in its present form.
Described as a once in a life-time opportunity, saving a place on numerous bucket lists, the city of Venice and its lagoon, have numerous visitors every year. However, the peak tourist season for this UNESCO World Heritage site lies within June to August, due to the otherwise extreme weather holding the city. The city of Venice has often been described as fabrics of enchantment piled to heaven, so until you get the opportunity to enjoy this view with your bare eyes, you might very well have yourself imagining this magical marvel.