Venice

One of the world’s most important tourist destinations, Venice is an elegant city of art, famous for its musical and cultural heritage, its beautiful fading architecture, and its exquisite Venetian glass. Capital of the region of Veneto in northeast Italy, Venice derives its name from the ancient Veneti tribe inhabiting the region in Roman times. This romantic city has been variously known as "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Bridges" and "The Floating City". It stretches across more than one hundred small islands in the marshy saltwater Venetian Lagoon along the shoreline of the Adriatic Sea. In the 19th century, it was a fashionable resort for the rich and famous, who stayed and dined at its luxury establishments. In the 1980s, the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become an international venue for events such as the Venice Film Festival, which attracts thousands of actors, critics and celebrities from the film industry. Tourists in their millions come each year to see such beautiful sights as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, as well as to take a trip along its waterways in a traditional gondola.