About
On the island where Venice began, this 10th-century campanile offers stunning views of the lagoon.
Torcello was the first Venice. The island was settled in the 5th century by refugees from the mainland hoping to escape the depredations of barbarian invasion by settling on land no one wanted and was difficult for an invading army to get to: mudflats in the middle of salt marshes in the middle of a lagoon. Against the odds, Torcello thrived, but plagues and malaria depopulated the island, and silt and growing swamps made reaching it increasingly difficult. By the 14th century, most of the population relocated to present-day Venice.
