For most of us, Venice means “Canals”, “bridges”, “Gondola” and famous Venetian “Masks”. But that’s not all about it. It is a paradise of a million exciting facts & tales. It doesn’t matter, whether you’ve visited Venice already, or you are planning a trip in the future, below are a some of the fascinating things you may want to know and wonder. I learnt these things only after visiting Venice. Let’s see how many of these things you’ve heard before😉:

1. VENICE IS BIGGER THAN WHAT YOU IMAGINE:

When I first visited, I thought Venice is too small, presuming just the place where Mark’s Basilica is in and around. But, IT IS NOT. 

Venice is one of the larger cities in North-eastern Italy. It comprises of 6 main districts (called as "Sestieri"), collating more than a hundred tiny islands. San Marco is the main district, where all the top monuments and sights are situated. But there are other districts: Cannaregio, Castello, Santa Croce, San Polo, and Dorsoduro. The main island or Venice which also guards the Venice centre is the "Lido" Island. Other remarkable islands are Murano, Burano, and Torcello.

2. VENICE IS SINKING EVERY YEAR AND MAY BECOME A GHOST TOWN SOON!

Due to its geographical/construction limitation, the whole city of Venice is continuously sinking into the waters for the last few decades (at an approximate of 1 to 2 millimetres per year). On the other hand, the sea-level is also gradually increasing (global warming?). This is a serious concern for all the inhabitants of Venice, so why they are also constantly evacuating the city😔.

There were nearly 120, 000 people lived in the year 1966, whereas the latest census shows only 56,000 residents living across the Venice. When this “depopulation” trend continues, Geologists & archaeologists believe that the whole of Venice will be abandoned in another 30-40 years. When that day comes, Venice will be seeing only the tourists - who visit during the day and run-away in the evening, like a Ghost town😨.

Other than the fact that it is sinking every year, the city of Venice did not change much in the last 600 years (amidst 20 million+ visitors a year). Yes, indeed there are some new cafes/ restaurants and shops, but the houses, streets and structures/constructions still remain the same as it was in the 15th century. That’s a unique thing that makes the city special.

4. THE WHOLE VENICE IS STANDING ON WOODEN PILES

I knew already that the whole Venice archipelago (a group of islands) is not natural, I was assuming it something like the “Polders” of The Netherlands – where the land reclaimed from the sea. But Venice has totally a different build-up, that made me awestruck.

Venice land was not directly reclaimed by evacuating the sea water; but was built over millions of wooden-piles. In the late 16th century, the Venetians tunnelled 4-5-meters-long wooden piles across the sea-bed to form “wooden-platforms”. These platforms together made a sturdy basement and the entire city build over it.

5. VENICE USED TO BE ITS OWN COUNTRY!

Venice is pretty much a part of Italy today; however between 8th and 18th century, the “Republic of Venice” used to be its own country, with its own legislation, flag and all unique national identities. Country of Venice was traditionally known as “Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia (translated as the Most Serene Republic of Venice)., which comprised today's Croatia, Bosnia, Ionia, Crete and many other places.

The Republic of Venice was once a magnificent economic powerhouse of eastern Europe till the 17th century, all the sea-way transport and trading on Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean waters were controlled by the Republic of Venice; literally there can’t be any trade between Europe and Asia possible without the knowledge of merchants, bankers and brokers of Venice. 

Lately, when the Turks invaded Venice (Turkish–Venetian War,) and the opening of new sea trade route to the Americas through the Atlantic Ocean started the decline of such a powerful economic empire of Venice.

Hope you enjoyed reading the above facts and found them interesting; Let me know what you think and suggest more interesting things that I can add to the list.