City guide · Venezia
Venice
A maritime republic built on a lagoon: St Mark's, the Doge's Palace and Carnival
Venice has no cars — only canals, little bridges and stone lanes. Around St Mark's Square stand the Republic's thousand years of power and faith: the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Basilica; and every winter, Carnival puts the whole city back behind masks.
History
How the city came to be
The first Venetians are generally believed to have been people from Roman cities such as Padua and Aquileia who fled to the lagoon to escape invading Germanic tribes and Huns. By tradition, the first doge was elected in 697. Around 828 merchants brought back from Alexandria what were said to be the relics of St Mark, raising Venice's standing; from the 9th to the 12th century Venice grew into a powerful maritime republic. When the Fourth Crusade took Constantinople in 1204 Venice brought home vast plunder, and by the late 13th century it was the richest city in Europe. In 1482 Venice became the printing capital of the world. It then declined with the rise of the Ottoman Empire and Portugal's opening of the sea route to the East; on 12 May 1797 it was conquered by Napoleon, ending the Republic. 'Venice and its Lagoon' became a World Heritage Site in 1987.
- 697By tradition, the first doge was elected
- 828The relics of St Mark arrived in Venice from Alexandria
- 1204The Fourth Crusade took Constantinople and Venice became an imperial power
- 1340Work began on today's Gothic Doge's Palace
- 1482Became the printing capital of the world
- 1797Napoleon conquered Venice, ending the Republic
- 1987'Venice and its Lagoon' became a World Heritage Site
Stories
Stories of the city
Bronze horses brought from Constantinople
History · St Mark's Basilica
The Fourth Crusade strayed from its intended course and in 1204 captured and sacked Constantinople, with the aged, blind Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, playing a decisive role. Great quantities of Byzantine spoils were shipped back to Venice, including four gilded bronze horses that had stood in Constantinople's Hippodrome; they were installed above the main entrance of St Mark's Basilica. Since 1974 the originals have been kept indoors, replaced by copies on the balcony.
A saint shipped from Alexandria
History · St Mark's Basilica
Several medieval chronicles record that in 828–829 two Venetian merchants carried the body of St Mark (without the head) from Alexandria in Egypt to Venice. The relics were first placed in a corner tower of the Doge's Palace, then moved into the first St Mark's church when it was completed before 836. St Mark's symbol — the winged lion — has spread across Venice ever since. In 1968 some of the relics were returned to the Coptic Church in Alexandria to be reunited with the head.
The angel's prophecy
Legend · St Mark's Basilica
The basilica's mosaics tell a story of 'predestination': an angel once foretold to St Mark that one day he would be buried in Venice. This legend gave Venice's possession of the saint's relics a 'divine mandate'. The basilica also has a pillar where, it is said, the relics were miraculously found again in 1094, a scene depicted in the mosaic opposite.
People
People connected with Venice
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
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Festivals
Festivals & celebrations
Before you go
Rules to know in Venice
Italy: don't drive into historic-centre limited traffic zones (ZTL)
Do
- Park outside restricted zones and walk into town
Don’t
- Driving into a ZTL zone without a permit
You will be fined.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: validate your ticket before boarding
Do
- Validate your ticket in the machine before using public transport
Don’t
- Travelling with an unvalidated ticket
Inspectors will fine you on the spot.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: don't buy from unlicensed street vendors
Do
- Shop at proper stores
Don’t
- Buying from unlicensed street vendors
It is illegal, and local police may stop and fine you.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Italy: rules around monuments and fountains
Do
- Keep the area around monuments clean and quiet
Don’t
- Going into or splashing in public fountains (Florence, Rome and elsewhere)
- Swimming in Venice's canals
- Eating and drinking next to major churches, monuments and public buildings
- Sitting on monument steps, littering, or scratching or writing on monuments
All are local offences; urinating in public can bring a fine of up to €10,000.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: Italy travel advice
Rome's Spanish Steps: no sitting, eating or drinking
Do
- Walk up the steps and keep moving after your photo
Don’t
- Sitting, resting, eating or drinking on the steps
Banned by Rome's urban police regulations since 2019; media report fines of €250, rising to €400 for dirtying or damaging the steps.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: ANSA: Rome bans sitting on the Spanish Steps (2019)
Regional deep dives
Read deeper into each place
Italy · Piazza / historic city
St Mark's Square, Venice
The "finest drawing room in Europe," as Napoleon called it: the golden mosaics of St Mark's Basilica, the campanile and the Doge's Palace enclose a marble floor that floods.
Read more
Location
Venice, Veneto, Italy
Stories and legends
The remains of St Mark were brought back from Alexandria by Venetian merchants in 828 (the detail that they were hidden in a barrel of pork to slip past inspection is a much-retold anecdote).
History and context
The square took shape from the 9th century, when the first chapel of St Mark was built, and was enlarged to its present scale in the 12th century; the campanile stands 98.6 metres tall and was rebuilt exactly as it had been, in 1912 (after collapsing in 1902 — rebuilt "where it was, as it was"); the Doge's Palace is a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic from the 14th–15th centuries; the piazza is one of the lowest points in Venice and is the first to flood during the autumn–winter acqua alta ("high water"), when temporary walkways are laid and the city government runs a water-level forecasting system.
Local life
St Mark's has the air of a republic's state room: in republican times this was the stage for affairs of state, trials and festivals, and today Caffè Florian (opened in 1720, among Italy's oldest cafés) still has musicians playing beneath its arcade. Venetians treat the square as their own front door rather than a sight — the square at dawn, with delivery boats unloading and elderly residents strolling under the Procuratie arcade, is its true negative.
Customs
During Carnival (usually late January to February, subject to official announcements) masked crowds fill the square; in the flood season, tall rubber boots are standard kit for residents.
Beliefs
St Mark's Basilica is the cathedral of the Catholic Patriarchate of Venice, an active place of worship, with sightseeing and worship kept in separate zones.
Local etiquette
Sitting on the ground or picnicking in and around the square is strictly forbidden (municipal rules; fines apply), as is feeding the pigeons (banned since 2008); dress inside the basilica must cover shoulders and knees, and large bags must be checked before entering; never wade barefoot through floodwater (the water is dirty).
Visiting notes
Best in spring and autumn and early in the morning; book the basilica and the campanile ascent separately through official channels; avoid the cruise-ship peak (10:00–14:00); stay on the island itself to enjoy the empty square at dawn and dusk.
What to eat nearby
Squid-ink pasta (Spaghetti al nero di seppia); mixed fried seafood (Fritto misto); Venetian liver with onions (Fegato alla veneziana); cicchetti (bar snacks) in a bacaro with an ombra (local slang for "a small glass of wine"); tiramisu (said to originate in Treviso — a Veneto classic)
The bacari wine bars around the Rialto Market, and the canal-side places in Cannaregio
In a bacaro, eating and drinking standing up is the proper way, and cicchetti are priced per piece; after squid-ink pasta, do not wear white to anything important (blackened lips and teeth are normal, and they fade)
A sit-down meal €35–60 (approx. RMB 273–468, for reference only); bacaro snacks €15–25 per person (approx. RMB 117–195, for reference only)
Prices can differ by as much as 30% just two lanes away from the square; gondola fares are charged per boat at official rates (daytime, roughly the €90-per-30-minutes level; follow the posted municipal rates, for reference only) — confirm before you board.
Source leads: Venice municipal government / official site of St Mark's Basilica; UNESCO materials on the Venice World Heritage site.
Image source · LukasLa · CC0
Source leads are being checked individually; confirm travel details with local official notices.