Dorsoduro

Location of Dorsoduro within Venice
Gondolier's workshop in Dorsoduro

Dorsoduro is one of the six sestieri of Venice, in northern Italy.

Dorsoduro includes the highest land areas of the city and also Giudecca island and Isola Sacca Fisola. Its name derives from the Italian for "hard ridge", due to its comparatively high, stable land.

History

The original heart of the area was the Giudecca Canal, along which buildings were constructed from the sixth century. By the eleventh century, settlement had spread across to the Grand Canal, while later religious buildings including the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute and the Zattere quay are now its main landmarks.

In the nineteenth century the Accademia was set up in Dorsoduro and the Ponte dell'Accademia linked it to San Marco, making it an expensive area, popular with foreign residents. The western quarter end and the Giudecca, became industrialised around this time.

Main sights

Landmarks and visitor attractions in Dorsoduro include:

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dorsoduro (Venice).

Coordinates: 45°25′51.60″N 12°19′33.60″E / 45.4310000°N 12.3260000°E / 45.4310000; 12.3260000

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 31, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.