It’s difficult to describe Venice in a word or two. It is beautiful, and that is probably an understatement. It is absorbing. It is romantic. And it is most definitely unique.
If you're looking for a short escapade in the middle of water, Venice is the perfect place for you.
Venice is often associated with music, Gondolas and obviously the tourism industry. But one thing that it's not often associated with is Geographical explorations.
So, how is it that Venice led to the discovery of America?
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| The Lost Canals of Venice of America |
Before we arrive at the answer to that, let us briefly study the history of Venice.
In the first few centuries, the territory which is now modern day Italy was subjected to repeated attacks from the corridor in the North-East of the region.
As a result of that, some members of the Venetian tribes decided to explore the Lagoon which lies at the head of the Adriatic sea.
They soon arrived at a group of 118 swampy islands in the Lagoon.
Although one would think the islands were extremely unsuited for construction, they provided the tribes with one thing that they craved the most, i.e. A natural defence from invasion.
The water of the Lagoon served as a natural barrier between the islands and the invading troops. Thus the tribes settled these swampy islands and in the 5th century they established the city of Venice.
But Venice didn't stop there. The venetians kept expanding their powers and conquered regions such as Cyprus, Southern Greece, Crimea and even parts of Turkey.
This collective region was known as the Republic of Venice.
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| Abbot Kinney's original plan for Venice of America. All the canals pictured here are now paved roads. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection. |
It became the center of trade in Europe. It was a connecting link between Europe and Asia.
The Venetian might reached its peaked during the 15th century when they monopolized the spice trade from India through the Arabs using exclusive trade agreements. This prompted the Spanish and the Portuguese to embark on the search for the new route to India.
Initially they went across the cape of good hope and all the way back up. But one fine day, an explorer called Christopher Columbus decided to take a different route and eventually ended up in America.
And that's how Venice led to the discovery of America.