DK

TORCELLO

Reached by a beautiful 60-minute ferry ride from northern Venice, the laid-back island of Torcello is home to the lagoon’s oldest building – the basilica – and has an intriguing history. From the 5th century, mainlanders fleeing invading Lombards and Huns ventured across tidal flats to found a settlement here that grew to 20,000 and lasted 1,000 years. However, few clues to the past remain, as the canals silted up, malaria decimated the population and the power base shifted to Venice once and for all. Today, Torcello is home to a handful of gardeners and fishermen.

NEED TO KNOW

prac_info Boat line 12 from the Fondamente Nuove to Burano, then change to boat line 9

prac_info Basilica di Santa Maria dell’Assunta (Torcello Basilica): 041 730 119; open Mar–Oct: 10:30am–6pm daily; Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm daily; closed 1 Jan, 25 Dec; adm €5 (€4 concessions)

prac_info Campanile: Open Mar–Oct: 10:30am–5:30pm daily; Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm; adm €5; audio guide

prac_info Santa Fosca: Open 10am–6pm Mon–Sat, 9am–6pm Sun

prac_info Museo dell’Estuario: 041 730 761; open Mar–Oct: 10:30am–5pm Tue–Sun; Nov–Feb: 10am–5pm Tue–Sun; closed public hols; adm €3

Google Map

1. Torcello Basilica Exterior

A miraculous survivor, this striking cathedral was founded in 639, but underwent radical restructuring in 1008. It retains its Romanesque form, light-brick walls and an arcaded 9th-century portico.

TopTen

Romanesque structure of the Basilica

2. Doomsday Mosaics, Basilica

In these 12th–13th-century marvels, the Last Judgment is dramatically depicted in superbly restored scenes of devils, angels, wild beasts and fires.

TopTen

Last Judgement depicted in the doomsday mosaics

3. Apse Mosaics, Basilica

This moving 13th-century mosaic shows the Virgin in a blue robe with gold fringing, cradling her radiant child. Below are the 12 apostles standing in a meadow of flowers.

4. Iconostasis, Basilica

Marble panels show peacocks drinking at the fountain of eternal life, small lions posing under a tree full of birds, while six columns support 15th-century paintings of the apostles with the Virgin.

TopTen

Elaborate marbel panels

5. Paving, Basilica

In vivid swirls of colours, rivalling the flooring in Basilica San Marco, are brilliant 11th-century tesserae of stone and glass. Cubes, semicircles and triangles are laid into square designs. The floor level was raised 30 cm (12 inches) during the basilica’s reconstruction.

6. Santa Fosca

Alongside the basilica is this elegant church based on a Greek cross design, encircled by a five-sided colonnaded portico. The inside of the church is closed to visitors during services.

7. Campanile

The views from this simple 55-m (180-ft) bell tower reach over the vast expanse of the lagoon, with its meandering canals and tidal flats, to the Adriatic Sea, Venice itself and even north to the Alps on a clear winter’s day.

TopTen

The lofty bell tower offers scenic views

8. Throne of Attila

By popular belief this marble armchair was the throne of the king of the Huns, though historical sources claim it was for the island’s magistrates.

TopTen

An armchair built out of marble

9. Museo dell’Estuario

An intriguing, if modest, collection of archaeological finds from the island and priceless treasures from the church are housed in the adjoining Gothic buildings.

10. Locanda Cipriani

A favourite of American writer Ernest Hemingway, who stayed here in 1948, this guesthouse has a quiet charm that has attracted VIPs since it opened in 1938 (see Locanda Cipriani).

TopTen

Charming guesthouse where Ernest Hemingway once lived

ATTILA THE HUN

The “Scourge of God”, or the King of the Huns, ruled from AD 434 to 453 over an empire that stretched from the Alps and the Baltic towards the Caspian Sea. As part of his campaign against the Roman Empire, Attila attacked Milan, Verona and Padua, and refugees fled to Torcello. Burning the cathedral town of Aquileia gave him great satisfaction – his men raised a hill in Udine so he could enjoy the sight.

..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset
44.212.50.220