In the beginning there was the lagoon. A mineral universe, crossed by the bed of an ancient river, whose sediments have formed a network of islands along the water. On this dry Apennine land, people have lived since ancient times – archaeologists trace them back to the beginning of the Eastern Roman Empire. At the time, the most populated island was Torcello. Legend has it that Venice was born on 25 March 421, when the first Venetians decided to settle on the high banks, in Latin, rivus altus, the current Rialto. Two centuries later, in 697, the first doge for life was elected, and thus the Republic of Venice began.

Venezia – Piccolo Atlante Edonista. Lucie Tournebize & Guillaume Dutreix