It all started in the year 452, when inhabitants of northeastern Italy took refuge on the islands of a large freshwater lagoon, on the edge of the Adriatic Sea, to escape the barbarian invasions that put an end to the Roman Empire. In that place, part of a region called Veneto, there were 120 islets, cut by 177 channels, and the first inhabitants occupied precisely the dry areas, of terra firme. When the islands were already completely taken, the city began to advance on the waters. Suspension walkways were built next to the facades and 40 canals ceased to exist, as residents built annexes to their homes. Embankments became commonplace, with canals becoming narrower as the city grew. The disorderly growth in landfills has even proved to be responsible for the biggest problem the city faces today: floods.
This initial construction stage was exceptionally slow, due to the difficulty in establishing foundations in such unstable soil; the scarcity of building materials brought from afar; and the inability to keep workers on site in such unfavorable circumstances. In the beginning, the city was all built in wood, with the foundations of the houses planted between 2 and 5 meters deep. A few centuries later, stones became the main building material, also used, from the 10th century, to line the banks of canals. This measure was especially useful in providing greater stability to the foundations of the houses and in facilitating boarding and disembarking from boats. Until then, this was the only means of transport for the population and there were almost no bridges. The rare ones that existed were just planks suspended on pillars, joining one island to the other.
The first bridges made of stone appeared in 1170, but until the 13th century the city had only 11 of them. In 1500, however, it already had 166. Due to its strategic geographical position, Venice profited greatly from trade between East and West, becoming, from the 13th century onwards, the main commercial power in Europe. But, with the discovery, by Vasco da Gama, of another navigation route to the Indies, the city began to lose importance and suffer defeats in successive wars. In 1797, Venice ended up being conquered by Napoleon and, in 1866, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Portrayed by the Swiss painter Joseph Heintz, the Venice of the 16th century was no longer a commercial power to become one of the greatest tourist attractions on the planet
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