Colour photo: Torcello's bell tower and part of the basilica seen from the water. In the foreground the water of the lagoon and mixed vegetation.

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The bell tower and basilica of Torcello seen from the Venetian lagoon. - (Marco Trevisan, Bazzmann+Venipedia)

One of the oldest lagoon settlements and an evocative island par excellence. Set against the bright colours of nearby Burano, it is an area steeped in history, with monuments that tickle the imagination such as Attila's Throne and the Devil's Bridge.

Located a short distance from the islands of Burano, Mazzorbo and Mazzorbetto, the current name of the island of Torcello seems to derive from Dorceum - a marshy islet - or from Turricellum, probably the name of one of the ports of ancient Altinum.

In the past it was the heart of the social and economic life of the Venetian civilization, permanently inhabited since the 7th century by a population dedicated to hunting, fishing and salt harvesting, and there were probably some peripheral villas near fishermen’s houses as well. Today it is an island inhabited by a few dozen people

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