The Rough Guide to Venice and the Veneto

9
The Southern Islands
The section of the lagoon to the south of the city, enclosed by the long islands
of the Lido and Pellestrina, has far fewer outcrops of solid land than the
northern zone. Once past San Giorgio Maggiore and La Giudecca, and
clear of the smaller islands beyond, you could look in the direction of the
mainland and think you were out in the open sea – an illusion strengthened by the
tankers that move across the lagoon on their way to or from the port of Marghera.
But these huge ocean-going vessels are edging along a few narrow deep-water
channels that have been dredged out of the silt; the Venetian lagoon is the largest
in Italy, yet its average depth is not much more than 1m, a fact that might be
brought home to you with a jolt by the sight of a fisherman standing on a barely
submerged sandbank a long way from the shore.
The nearer islands are the more interesting; the Palladian churches of San Giorgio
and La Giudecca are among Venice’s most significant Renaissance monuments,
while the alleyways of the island are full of reminders of the city’s manufacturing
past. The Venetian tourist industry began with the development of the Lido,
which has now been eclipsed by the city itself as a holiday destination, yet still
the southern islands
|
217