Venice Quarters: i Sestieri
20/09/2020
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History & Traditions Did you know that?

One of the many peculiarities of Venice is the way the city is structured. The city is divided into 6 areas called Sestieri (from latin word “sex” = six). The house numbers refer to the local Sestiere and not to the street, so a typical Venetian address will be Cannaregio 3210 or Dorsoduro 2541. This system is very old, probably it was estabilished in 1169 for taxation purposes.

 

The Sestieri

The Sestieri were divided into Citra (on the left side of the Grand Canal) and Ultra (on the right side of the Grand Canal)

The Sestieri di Citra are:

 

  • Castello
  • San Marco
  • Cannaregio
The Sestieri di Ultra are:

 

  • Dorsoduro
  • San Polo 
  • Santa Croce

 

Castello


It once was one of the main islands on which Venice was built. Its name, meaning Castle, comes from a defensive castle that was built anciently in the area. It is the area where the Biennale takes place.



San Marco (St.Mark)

Anciently known as Morso (lit.Bite), because its ground was the hardest in town or Brolo (in Venetian small orchard) because it was full of trees.  When the body of St.Mark was brought in the city from Alexandria and the Basilica was established the whole area took the name of St.Mark (from the square surrounding the Basilica).


Cannaregio

Coming from Canal Regio (Royal Canal) as the Grand Canal in this area is very wide or more probably from the groves of reeds (canneti in Italian) present in the area. It is the area going from Rialto to the Railway Station.

Dorsoduro

It litterally means hardback and it is so called because its soil was hard (duro in Italian) and the island has the shape of a back (dorso in Italian). It is the area of the Church of Santa Maria della Salute and the Accademia Galleries.


S. Polo

Coming from the Church of St.Paul (in Venetian San Polo) built in 837. It is the smallest Sestiere in Venice. It is the Frari area.


Santa Croce

Coming from the name of Santa Croce (holy Cross) Church built by the inhabitants fleeding from the Longobard Invasion. It is the area of Venice harbour and docks.

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