Encyclopedia • Sestieri

The sestiere of Cannaregio, the most densely populated district of Venice, is located north-west of the city and is traversed by long, parallel canals.

Castello owes its name to a fortification present in the early Middle Ages on the island of Olivolo, today better known as the island of San Pietro di Castello.

It borders the sestiere of S. Croce and the sestiere of S. Polo with the sestiere of S. Marco across the Accademia Bridge. The presence of several branches of the Ca' Foscari University also makes it a university quarter.

The sestiere of San Marco is bounded to the north by the Grand Canal; to the south, where the Piazza overlooks the Venetian Lagoon, by the basin of San Marco; to the west by Rio del Palazzo; and to the east by Rio de San Zulian.

San Polo is a very lively and interesting sestiere. The name of the sestiere derives from the ancient church dedicated to St Paul the Apostle, located in the largest square in Venice after St Mark's Square.

Excluding the artificial island of Tronchetto, created in the mid-20th century and of which it is now part, Santa Croce is the smallest sestiere in Venice.