Images of Venice

Venice Italy • There are not enough superlatives to describe the experience of visiting this island city on the Italian Adriatic.

The nobility of Venice created a myth that their city was founded by refuges fleeing Troy after the Trojan War. While not true, Venice has been a city for well over a thousand years. In the year 992, Venice earned special trading rights from the Roman Byzantine Empire in return for accepting Byzantine sovereignty. The city became incredibly rich, and independence was gained in 1082. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw Venice established as a major trading empire with outposts over much of the Mediterranean.

That immense wealth is still the foundation of modern Venice and is on display in its Cathedrals, palaces, squares and canals. Everyone needs to visit Venice at least once in their life.