ITALY - Europe by Eurail 2015: Touring Europe by Train - page 354

Day Excursion to
Venice (Venezia)
Grand Canals and Gondolas
Depart Milano Centrale Station
Distance by Train: 166 miles (267 km)
Average Train Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
City Dialing Code: 41
Tourist Information Office: In Santa Lucia rail station
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]
www.turismovenezia.it
E-mail: [e-mail]
Hours: 0800-1830 daily
Notes: Proceed to the head of the train platform, and enter the main hall of the sta-
tion. The train information office is on the immediate left. No tourist information is
available at this office. Beyond that, you'll see a sign directing you to a self-service
buffet. Digital train information is prominently displayed above the buffet sign. Tele-
phones, ticket windows, newspaper stands, and specialty shops are on the right-
hand side of the station hall. Just prior to exiting the station, you'll see tourist inform-
ation.
Upon arrival in Venice (Venezia), the American humorist Robert Benchley tele-
graphed his publisher, “Streets are flooded, please advise.” Things have changed
little since. Venice is situated on 120 islands surrounded by 177 canals in a lagoon
between the Po and Piave Rivers at the northern extremity of the Adriatic Sea. The
islands on which the city is built are connected by 400 or so bridges. Not only by its
site but also by its architecture and history, Venice is known as “the Queen of the
Adriatic.”
Venice was founded in A.D. 452 when the inhabitants of several northern Italian
cities sought refuge there from the Teutonic tribes invading Italy during the fifth cen-
tury. The Venetians improved their fortifications and erected bulwarks of masonry to
protect their growing city from the sea and from their enemies.
During the Crusades, Venice developed trade with the Orient and quickly became
the center for commerce with the East. Venice became the leading wartime power