"Summer in the City of Water" a Venice Travel Page by Lhenne1

A city without cars. Venice has great food, music and history. As you wander around, you'll come across plenty of street music and picturesque settings.

I visited Venice for the first time when I was about 12 years old and loved it. So I was very excited when, over a decade later, I returned with my mom while on vacation. The summer after that I decided to study Italian in Florence and made it a point to hit up Venice once again with friends and had a blast.

Venice was first settled in the 4th and 5th centuries by the Lombards and Goths, who weren't safe on the mainland. In the 6th century, the various islands joined under one authority (the dogate) and became a major port for trade from Asia.

A huge naval power, Venice endured many wars during the 13th and 14th centuries, but retained its' independence. In the centuries following, Venice maintained a neutral stance with its European neighbors.

Napoleon and his army violated Venice's neutral state and in May of 1797, after fourteen centuries of independence, foreign troops marched into Venice. In fall of1797 Venice was ceded to Austria.

On 22 October 1866, after the third war of independence in Italy, Venice joined the Kingdom of Italy.