Built on a string of more than 100 islands, Venice is interconnected by hundreds of canals and bridges. Cars are banned, but you'll find all sorts of water transportation to get around, like the vaporetti and the iconic gondolas. It's a city of wonder as stone structures on wooden pilings sunk in clay are literally what have kept its impressive Venetian-Gothic architecture afloat these past 1,500 years.
As the "romance capital" of Italy, Venice has played a leading role in both literature and Hollywood. The city is also a major art center known for its Venetian glass industry and the brilliant colors of Murano glass.
From its rise and fall as a maritime powerhouse to its incarnation as a world-class art house to the ever popular tourist destination of today, Venice delights all visitors who step ashore.