Post date: Sep 15, 2015 12:49:26 PM
The city of Venice is truly a city of islands. It is comprised of approximately 120 islands in a 50,000 square kilometer lagoon and these islands can be broken down into various categories: Major Lagoon Island, Minor Lagoon Island, Inner City Island, and Lidos. As we begin our project, it is important to learn as much about each individual island as well as the category to which they belong.
In my preliminary research, I have put together a rough list of islands that is categorized by type. In this list you will find the population taken from the most recent census, the area of the island, any historic names of the island, and any notes about it's usage. This list was compile from various travel books on the city as well as from the Atlante della Laguna which is a database on Venice and the Venetian Lagoon that WPI students have worked with in the past.
The Inner City of Venice is made of of nearly a hundred tiny islands all separated by canals and connected to each other by bridges. To make classification of these islands simpler, they are listed by sestiere, or district. The main city center of Venice, or Venezia, is approximately 500 hectares and is broken into five sestiere: Castello, San Paolo and Santa Croce, San Marco, Dosoduro, and Cannaregio. Each of these districts has its own unique cultural atmosphere.
Several islands had very interesting histories: San Clemente, for example, is a small island in the southern part of the lagoon, that has transitioned from monastery to insane asylum to refuge for stray cats to a luxury hotel with rooms costing anywhere between $500 and $7,000 a night. San Servolo had a similar past and is now home to the Venice International University. Other Minor Lagoon Islands have sports complexes and functional monasteries.
The Major Lagoon Islands are some of the more well known islands, including Murano with its famous glassblowing industry, and Burano with its fine lace making industry. Further out on the Lido, or barrier island, you can find a seaside resort once frequented by Hollywood stars and writers.
Venice is a complex city with much to discover. As we continue to research the individual islands we will have a better picture of what life is like for the Venetians, but for now I hope you enjoy this rough outline of the islands.