Torcello

Torcello, today an island of gardens inhabited by only a few dozen people, was the cradle of the entire Venetian civilization 1500 years ago. In the year 638, the Catholic bishop of Altino, then the main Roman city in the area, moved to Torcello with a significant part of the Altino population under the pressure of barbarian invasions, thus giving life to the first major settlement in the lagoon.

Torcello experienced its peak development between the 7th and 10th centuries, reaching a population of 20,000 due to the prosperity of its trade. Over the subsequent centuries, it progressively and irreversibly lost its significance as all major productive activities became concentrated in nearby Venice. Of the numerous noble palaces, various churches, and monasteries that once crowded the island, only a few surviving monuments remain today. Among these, the extraordinary monumental complex includes the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (founded in 639), with its Byzantine-Romanesque interior mosaics from the 11th and 12th centuries, and its 11th-century bell tower that stands prominently, dominating the entire lagoon. Another notable structure is the church of Santa Fosca (also from the 11th century), surrounded by a five-sided portico on a Greek cross plan.