Where it's located
The Venice lagoon or Venetian Lagoon is located in the Northern Adriatic Sea, along the coasts of Veneto region, has long been under UNESCO protection.
The lagoon of Venice is nearly 6000 years old. In its place there was once a plain formed by sediments carried by rivers like the Brenta and the Piave, after the ice melting and the last glaciation. In later centuries there were, and still are, phenomena such as the lowering of ground for the gradual consolidation of alluvial deposits and the consequent rise of sea level.
The lagoon is an enclosed sea and is therefore subject to large shiftings of water levels, the biggest ones cause strange phenomena such as high tide especially during Fall and Spring time: water periodically floods low-lying islands and in these times different areas of Venice are flooded, thus creating some inconvenience to residents but lot of fun and wonder to tourists.
To help navigation across the lagoon and prevent boats from getting stuck in shallow areas, the viable waterways are marked by rows of wooden stakes called "bricole".
The Islands of the Lagoon
In north-central part of the Lagoon lies the beautiful and ancient city of Venice, just 4 km from the mainland and 2 km from the open sea. There are hundreds of islands in the Lagoon: some are large and others smaller, some are inhabited islands, sparsely populated and many more totally uninhabited, some islands seem stable, while others are being formed and more are being eroded or are even disappearing. Among the larger islands we include Venice Lido which today is a beautiful residential area and one of the most elegant seaside resorts in Italy with luxury hotels and the heart of famous Venice Film Festival. The Lido island is about 1.5 km away from Venice.
500 meters off the shore of Lido, there is the island of San Lazzaro degli Armeni, occupied by a small religious community of Armenians who own a multilingual typography, a rich library, a historical museum, an art gallery and of course a beautiful church.
Murano is one of the largest islands of the lagoon, the island of glasses is an island of artists, industrious and productive. Murano is spread over five islands not far from Venice.
Burano island is unique for its leaning bell tower. It is now a quaint fishing village, built on four lagoon island, known for the lace-making craft and for its colored houses.
Finally Torcello floating in the lagoon. The northernmost island in the lagoon, today an almost deserted place, is full of historical landmarks and myth.
The flora and fauna
The Venice lagoon is also home to unique flora and fauna.
Visiting the Venice lagoon with a special tour is the best way to discover a new, unusual, special landscape, which holds the beauty and colors of still unspoilt nature. The lagoon there becomes a large expanse of water dotted with half submerged lands, where the noise of the city gives way to an amazing silence.
Discover Venice and the three Islands of the Lagoon with only € 15, click here!
