Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Queen of the Adriatic



Venice is a city in northern Italy. It is the capital of region Veneto. Together with Padua, the
city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area. Venice has been known as the “Queen of
the Adriatic”, “City of Water”, “City of Bridges”, and “The City of Light”. The city stretches across
117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy.
Venice is world-famous for its canals. It is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed
by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands on which the city is built are connected by
about 400 bridges. In the old center, the canals serve the function of roads, and every form of
transport is on water or on foot.
You can ride gondola there. It is the classical Venetian boat which nowadays is mostly
used for tourists, or for weddings, funerals, or other ceremonies. Now, most Venetians travel by
motorised waterbuses (“vaporetti”) which ply regular routes along the major canals and between
the city’s islands. The city also has many private boats. The only gondolas still in common use
by Venetians are the traghetti, foot passenger ferries crossing the Grand Canal at certain points
without bridges.
You can see the amusing city’s landmarks such as Piazza San Marco, Palazzo Contarini del
Bovolo, Saint Mark’s Cathedral or villas of the Veneto. The villas of the Veneto, rural residences
for nobles during the Republic, are one of the most interesting aspects of Venetian countryside.
They are surrounded by elegant gardens, suitable for fashionable parties of high society. The city
is also well known for its beautiful and romantic view, especially at night.

Soure: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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