ITALIAN JOURNEY – PROGRAMME 2

VENICE – THE ISLANDS OF THE LAGOON

Another piece of  history, where you can see the other islands in the lagoon floating in the mist.

James: What can we see on these islands?

Gerolamo Fazzini: This is Burano, with the leaning bell tower. That island with lots of trees, cypresses, is the Island of St. Francis of the Desert, an island inhabited by Franciscan monks.  And then you can see the bell tower of Torcello.

James: Ah, the first Venice?

Gerolamo Fazzini: Yes, the first Venice. The origins of Venice are in Torcello.

James: Why are there so many abandoned islands?

Gerolamo Fazzini: There are about thirty uninhabited islands in Venice, in the Venice lagoon.  They are historically important.  Why?  Because they were off the trade routes, away from the main traffic.  Once they were stopping-points along the rivers, along the canals.  Now Venice is joined inland by a bridge that spans the lagoon, a rail and motorway bridge, so the islands became less important.  They were used for military purposes, and then abandoned.  

James: What about the future. Is it in tourism?

Gerolamo Fazzini: Yes.  Quality tourism.  Specialist tourism connected to the history of healthcare, as far as the lazaretto is concerned, and the history of the fortifications.