Our location: the Locanda is situated
in “Castello”, the most easterly and largest district (Sestriere)
of the city. The name probably derives from an ancient tenth century
castle that was erected as a defence for the nearby port of San Nicolò.
This area was also called “Olivolo” either because the shape
of the territory was similar to an olive or for the abundant quantity
of olive trees that grew there.
The Castello district is the ideal place for those who wish to discover
a different Venice from the sumptuous splendours of St. Mark’s
or magnificent gothic architecture, however finding oneself not too
far from the crowded “Mercerie” always full of tourists
and busy venetians. |
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This area, less involved in the strategies
of the tour-operators, evokes even more the echoes of the distant
past for those who want to listen to its silences, and walk along
“Calli” and by canals, discovering interesting curiosities
reading on the house walls the names of ancient trades and the “ninzioleti”
(white rectangles painted on the walls) with their place-names. |
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This district is the most extensive of the city and includes one
of the largest and most important ancient ship-yards (Arsenale)
of Europe for the construction of the famous venetian ships: the
“Galere”. The name “Arsenale” probably comes
from the Arabic “darsinâa”, that is in Italian “Darsena”
(Dock): it was founded in 1104 and by the beginning of the Renaissance
represented the expression of venetian might and supremacy in the
Adriatic.
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There are some splendid churches situated
in Castello: the Cathedral of San Pietro (St. Peter), San Francesco della
Vigna (St. Francis), San Zaccaria (St. Zachary), Santa Maria Formosa (St.
Mary) and the imposing twelfth century Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo
(St. John and Paul). The last one can be defined the Pantheon of the noble
Venetians as it encloses the monuments to Doges, Commanders and famous men
of the Venetian Republic whose mortal remains are buried there in splendid
tombs.
The church is adorned with paintings of Bellini and Lorenzo Lotto and also
has a magnificent gothic window with splendour stained-glass made by the
furnaces of Murano representing a Madonna and Child and numerous Saints
among which the Saints John and Paul (SS. Giovanni e Paolo) two brothers
martyred in fourth century Rome. |
The venetian lagoon is the largest marsh zone in Italy
and with its 55,000 hectares, represents a unique environment of incomparable
beauty. The lagoon ecosystem is a complex of environments forged by the
contrasting action of the tides and marine currents in one direction and
in the water ways with their sediments in another and in part modified by
man with the construction of embankments, canals and other water outlets.
The different concentrations of salt determine the characteristics of the
flora and aquatic and land fauna and the numerous varieties of birds, which
are found there.
The islands of Murano, Burano, Torcello and the Lido merit a visit not only
for their artistic and historical treasures, for the skilled crafts of glass-blowing
and lace, but also for the variety and beauty of the natural landscapes.
Sportsmen who love nature can pass unforgettable hours in the natural oasis
of the Lido Golf Club (18 holes with some of the most suggestive and technical
greens in Italy) among the dunes and sheets of water where pheasants, woodpeckers,
herons, and numerous other species can rest freely. |
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For those who prefer the seaside, the Lido offers the fine golden
sand of its beaches and comfortable well-equipped bathing establishments.
For cinema-lovers, between the and of August and the beginning of
September the “Biennale” of Venice proposes the prestigious
International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art, founded in 1932
and to where artists flock from all over the world.
List
of the most important events in Venice
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