Place · Italy
The history of Venezia-Murano-Burano, one place at a time
Assembled from 3 dug tiles · 44 sourced records · last reviewed 23 August 2026
Venice was built as a city without roads, entered only by water until the nineteenth century, when a rail causeway and later a road bridge tied it to the mainland. The Ponte della Libertà, completed in 1933, remains its sole land approach, bombed during the Second World War for that very reason.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Venezia-Murano-Burano — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Venezia-Murano-Burano
A clock tower was built for sailors, not for timeclock tower timed to be seen from the sea Siege of Venice
300–1912 A causeway built by fascist Italy still carries Venice's only road
Bridge built by fascist Italy, 1933 Ponte della Libertà
1273–2010 A causeway built to end isolation was bombed for it
Liberty Bridge scarred by wartime bombs Ponte della Libertà
1273–2010
Venezia-Murano-Burano in layers
Piazzale Roma, 386 metres off, marks where the Ponte della Libertà delivers mainland traffic to the only motor-accessible edge of Venice's historic core. Wikipedia — Piazzale Roma
Venezia Santa Lucia station, 463 metres off, is the city's central terminus, linked to Mestre across the lagoon by the same Ponte della Libertà underfoot here. Wikipedia — Venezia Santa Lucia railway station
Palazzo Adoldo, 596 metres away, stands on the Grand Canal between San Simeone Piccolo and Palazzo Foscari Contarini. Wikipedia — Palazzo Adoldo
pre-1846
Before the 1846 railway bridge, the Cannaregio Canal, 799 metres north, served as the principal entrance route into the city. Wikipedia — Cannaregio Canal
At the end of the Ponte della Libertà, Piazzale Roma and Tronchetto remain the only points where cars and buses can enter Venice's island core. Piazzale Roma
Santa Maria delle Penitenti operated as a Magdalene-style asylum, offering former prostitutes an alternative life at the lagoon edge of the Cannaregio canal. Santa Maria delle Penitenti
c. 300 AD; installed after 1204
A porphyry sculpture of four embracing Roman emperors, carved around 300 AD in Constantinople, was seized during the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and fixed to St Mark's Basilica ever since. Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs
6th century – 1807
San Geminiano, founded by the Byzantines in the 6th century, was torn down in 1807 on Napoleon's orders to make way for a new wing of the square. San Geminiano, Venice
1079, rebuilt 1105 and 1661
Founded in 1079, this small church beside the Clock Tower burned and was rebuilt in 1105, and again in 1661 to designs by Baldassarre Longhena. San Basso
1204–1815
The bronze quadriga was seized in the 1204 sack of Constantinople, mounted on St Mark's façade, later stolen again by Napoleon in 1797 and returned in 1815. Horses of Saint Mark
1273
Santa Croce, 429 metres away, was administered in the 13th century by Giovanni Renoldi, a Hungarian nobleman and crusader knight from one of Hungary's great Christian families. Wikipedia — Santa Croce (Venice)
1273
The sestiere of Santa Croce was administered in 1273 by Giovanni Renoldi, a Hungarian nobleman and crusader knight from one of Hungary's great Christian families. Santa Croce (Venice)
from 1291
From 1291 the Republic barred glassmakers from working outside Murano, and a 1295 edict made it a capital offense for a master to try to leave with the city's glassmaking secrets. Venetian Glass History sources
1329, rebuilt 1475
Sant'Andrea della Zirada, 219 metres off, was founded in 1329 by four Venetian noblewomen and largely rebuilt in 1475, its portal still carved with 14th-century reliefs of Christ and the calling of Saint Andrew. Wikipedia — Sant'Andrea della Zirada
1329, rebuilt 1475
Sant'Andrea della Zirada, founded by four Venetian noblewomen at 'cao de zirada' in 1329, still shows its Gothic portal with 14th-century bas-reliefs of Christ and the calling of Saint Andrew. Sant'Andrea della Zirada
1468
In 1468 Cardinal Bessarion donated his collection of classical texts, founding one of the earliest surviving public libraries in Italy on this square. Biblioteca Marciana
1490s
The Torre dell'Orologio was raised in the 1490s where its clock could be read from ships entering the lagoon, announcing Venice's wealth. St Mark's Clocktower
1496–1499
The astronomical clock installed by the Rainieri family between 1496 and 1499 still marks the hours over Piazza San Marco. St Mark's Clock
early 16th century onward
Santa Maria Maggiore, 591 metres off, was completed as a convent church around 1500, then after Napoleonic suppression served in turn as a stable, a tobacco warehouse, and finally part of a prison. Wikipedia — Santa Maria Maggiore, Venice
suppressed early 19th century
Santa Maria Maggiore, completed as a convent church around 1500, was deconsecrated under Napoleonic rule and later used as a stable, tobacco warehouse, and prison. Santa Maria Maggiore, Venice
1536–1548
Built between 1536 and 1548, the Zecca housed the Republic's mint, its thick rusticated stone designed specifically to resist fire and theft of the silver and gold stored inside. Zecca of Venice
around 1675
Around 1675 Leonardo Loredan, of the family that had given Venice a Doge, was found dead in a boat near a Contarini palace, and no one ever explained whether it was accident, family murder, or an execution ordered by the Republic's feared Inquisitors. Wikipedia article on Palazzo Contarini-Sceriman, Venice
18th century
San Simeone Piccolo, 578 metres away, rises across the Grand Canal in domed neoclassical form, greeting most visitors as they step off the train. Wikipedia — San Simeone Piccolo
1720
Established in 1720 in the Procuratie Nuove, Caffè Florian has served coffee continuously ever since, one of the oldest cafés on Earth. Caffè Florian
Questions about Venezia-Murano-Burano
What is Venezia-Murano-Burano known for historically?
Venice is known for having no road access into its historic core; the only land approach is the Ponte della Libertà, a causeway completed in 1933 that carries every train, bus and car to Piazzale Roma, where the road ends and the city of water begins.
What happened at the Ponte della Libertà during the war?
The Ponte della Libertà was struck repeatedly from the air during the Second World War, because it was Venice's only physical link to the mainland. It rests on fill and piles driven into ancient submerged seabed.
When was the Ponte della Libertà built?
It was rebuilt for motor traffic in 1933, after opening as a rail causeway in the 1840s, giving Venice its first and only land approach.
Why was a clock tower built at Venice?
A clock tower recorded here was built to be seen from the sea, timed for sailors rather than for telling the hour to those on land, marking Venice's long orientation toward maritime arrival rather than road approach.
Where do vehicles stop when entering Venice?
Vehicles stop at Piazzale Roma, near where the Ponte della Libertà lands, since no train, bus or car travels further into the historic city.