In 1987, UNESCO recognized Venice and its lagoon as a World Cultural Heritage property. Many other cities have tried to model themselves on Venice - its architecture and urban design, but also its history and legends have inspired artists and urban planners for centuries. All the while, Venice has remained unique for its inimitable atmosphere and its exceptional lifestyle that make Venice an irresistible magnet for tourists from all corners of the earth.
Venice is a city that rises up from the sea. In fact, Venice is an archipelago of over 100 islands separated by narrow canals. Over time, more and more of these canals were filled in or laid still. This contrast between land and waterways persists on to today. Rare are the canals that remain open to traffic - the main artery is the Canal Grande.
In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Venice was among the most prominent cities in the world of art. Building an antipole to Florence, it was home to many a great painter such as Carpaccio, Giorgione, Giovanni Bellini, Titian, Veronese and later Tintoretto, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Guardi and Canaletto. The Venetian style ideally complements the Florentine - while the latter focused on the drawing and the composition of a painting, in Venice the focus was on light and color.
The Venice Biennale is one of the world's most important art exhibitions, and has been run every two years between June and November since 1895 - with longer interruptions during the war years. Today the Biennale is divided into separate events showcasing art, music, dance, theater, film and architecture. The Art Biennale is held in the odd years, the Architecture Biennale in the even ones. The Film Festival as well as a festival for music, dance and theater are held annually.
Venice has two main railway stations - Venezia-Santa Lucia as the terminus on the island, and Venezia-Mestre as a railway junction in the eponymous mainland part of the city. by Wikipedia
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