Venice City FactsVenicePopulation:324,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)ItalyPopulation:57,253,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision2003)Venice Area:457.5 sq km (178 sq miles) Currency: Euro (€, EUR)TimeZone: GMT plusone hour Language: Italian Telephone Area Code: 041forVenice, precededby +39 for Italy
Venice Districts Central Venice has six Sestieri, or districts, with the Grand Canal forming a giant question mark that threads through the city's compact centre. It is easy to get lost amongst the mazy alleyways and inadequate signposting: take a good map.
San Marco: Bustling San Marco is to many Venice's core – historically important in the social, political and religious life of Venice, and containing some of the city's crowning attractions: amongst them glorious Piazza San Marco with the golden Byzantine masterpiece
Basilica San Marco and the Gothic Palazzo Ducale, backed by the
Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri). Other highlights in San Marco include the
Correr Museum, the recently restored
La Fenice opera house, several major theatres and Campo Santo Stefano, home to a leaning campanile and host to summer classical music concerts.
San Polo: San Polo's muddle of streets may make you curse medieval town planners - but the Rialto markets, fine cuisine and historic attractions invariably delight. Facing San Marco across the Grand Canal, this compact district is crammed full of restaurants and bars, making it one of Venice's few districts offering decent late night entertainment, along with Dorsoduro. San Polo has long been the banking and business centre of Venice. It's showpiece attractions are the Rialto Bridge and its nearby fish market, several beautiful churches such as the historic San Giacomo di Rialto and the Campo San Polo - Venice's second largest square.
Carlo Goldoni's House, the church of
Santa Maria dei Frari and the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi are also well worth a visit.
Dorsoduro: Popular as a base for visitors, residential Dorsoduro is a large district strong on art and restaurants, most attractive on its eastern side near the Grand Canal. Attractions include the unmissable Galleria dell'Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice Ca' Foscari university and the Zattere promenade. Other must-sees in Dorsoduro include the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute, the Ariani, Ca' Rezzonico Dario and Zenobio Palazzi. Evenings come alive at the café-lined Campo Santa Margherita.
Santa Croce: Occupying north-west Venice, on the south bank of the Grand Canal, Santa Croce serves as a welcome contrast to frenetic San Marco and San Polo: here you have space to roam and soak up authentic Venetian neighbourhood atmosphere. San Croce's historic eastern segment is notable for its fine pizzerias and absorbing churches including San Nicolo da Tolentino, the Fondaco dei Turchi and gothic San Giacomo dell'Orio in the eponymous and attractive square. San Croce also connects travelers to the mainland at Piazzale Roma and houses the impressive Modern Art museum at Ca Pesaro.
Cannaregio: The ancient Jewish Ghetto, beautiful canals and open spaces, and an impressive collection of monastries, churches and palaces characterise the tranquil residential district of Cannaregio. Dominating the Grand Canal's north bank, this authentic Venetian neighbourhood has the outstanding palace of Ca' d'Oro; Tintoretto masterpieces at the beautiful Madonna dell'Orto plus the more prosaic Stazione Ferroviaria transport hub. The Ghetto's Jewish Museum (Museo Ebraico) runs tours which explain the history of the first
Jewish ghetto in history, with access to the five synagogues in Campo del Ghetto. A wide range of restaurant cuisine is avaiable on the Fondamenta Misercordia.
Castello: Bordering San Marco's eastern edge, leafy Castello is Venice's largest sestiere that contains several essential Venice attractions including the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), the vast Naval Museum, the churches of La Pietŕ and San Zaccaria and the former military shipyard of the Republic at Arsenal.
