Interesting Facts About Venice

GUEST POST OVERVIEW: It’s been nearly 20 years since I was last in Venice. With its winding canals, singing gondoliers and uber-romantic vibe, the floating city is high on my list of places to revisit. Now, thanks to my friend Jennifer, we can all prepare for a trip to Venice with these interesting facts and destinations.

Are you looking to go on a vacation any time soon?

Well, holidays to Venice are absolute must tries for travelers and vacationers who want to achieve an eventful getaway that is just one for the books.

The following are some interesting facts about the city that you should know about before visiting.

Venetian Geography

Venice is an Italian city that is set on some 117 submerged islands in the Venetian Lagoon. They are interconnected by bridges, with canals serving to separate them.

Renowned for its beauty, artworks and architecture, the whole city, and its lagoon is listed as a World Heritage Site.

The Gondola

Upon visiting Venice, Italy, you will encounter Gondolas, which are traditional boats used to ferry passengers through the narrow waterways, especially where there are no interconnecting bridges.

They are a part of the city’s heritage, having been used by locals for centuries.

Nowadays, they are mostly popular among tourists, and in ceremonies such as weddings. Most feature beautiful Persian rugs and velvet seats.

They are only operated by licensed oarsmen, with just three to four licenses being issued each year. Extensive training is usually undertaken to acquire one.

Ca’ Dario: the city’s cursed palace

Situated in the Dorsoduro district in Venice, the Ca’ Dario castle was built towards the end of the 15th century.

It is magnificent and distinctive, and was originally owned by the Dario family. However, it is deemed to be haunted due to the sheer number of owners that have died just shortly after buying it, numbering up to ten at least.

The first person to die was Giovanni Dario’s (original owner’s) daughter, who committed suicide. The second person was his son, Vincenzo, who was murdered, and over the past fifty years, the list has continued to grow.

It includes the famous Mario Del Monaco, who died after having a serious car accident, Count delle Lanze, and Christoper Lambert who was at the time manager of The Who rock band.

The word “Ciao”

Interestingly, the word Ciao’s origins can be traced back to Venice.

In the ancient times, the Venetian people greeted each other by saying s-ciavo vostro, which translated to “your servant at your service”, but as time went by, it evolved to s-ciao, then ciao.