Venice - floating on its calm lagoon with its labyrinth of canals, bridges and narrow streets - is a captivating city facing a new millenium crisis. Visitors still flock in their thousands to see the blend of Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance architecture for which Venice is renowned. Splendid palaces (palazzi) and numerous churches are filled with Renaissance art in the form of frescoes, sculptures, paintings and mosaics. Works of art by Leonardo da Vinci, Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto and Canaletto adorn the walls of galleries, including St Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) and the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale).

Venice is built on 117 small islands and has some 150 canals and 409 bridges (only three of which cross the Grand Canal). The historic centre is divided into six sestieri (quarters): San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Santa Croce, Cannaregio and Castello. It covers a deceptively small area. The city's 'main street' is the Grand Canal, which passes each of the districts as it twists along the length of Venice from the railway station to San Marco. Venice goes well beyond the six sestieri. The shallow waters of the Laguna Veneta are dotted by a crumbling mosaic of islands, including Murano, Burano and Torcello.