VENICE LIDO

Venice Lido is an island located one kilometer away from the east of the city, and is considered as a fraction. It is also known as Isola d'Oro (Golden Island) by the Venetians and its inhabitants, the "lidensi". Venice Lido has a length of 12 km, the width ranges from 300 to 1000 meters. It extends between the two ports of Malamocco and Lido and thus separating the Venice Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. Venice Lido has about 16,500 inhabitants and its main resource is tourism, especially in the summer period when thousands of holidaymakers flock to the beautiful beaches. The name "Lido" is derived from the Latin Litus which means "coast". This island was used in 1202 to house the 30,000 French crusaders waiting to set sail for the fourth crusade. In 1378-79, the Lido was fortified to protect Venice from Genoa's invaders. The Lido was protagonist of the latest war episode in the history of Venice, on 20 April 1797 the commander Domenico Pizzamano fired a cannon ball from there to the French warship "Liberator of Italy", who tried to enter by force in the lagoon. This event gave the pretext to Napoleon to declare war on Venice and end his millennial independence. Between 1816 and 1819 the Lido was the favorite place of the poet Lord Byron that loved to take long rides.

The boat stop of Venice Lido is called S. M. Elisabetta. You can go to Venice Lido from Piazzale Roma or from the station by public waterbus service (vaporetto) Actv lines 5.1 and 6 that pass through the Giudecca Canal (journey time approximately 37 minutes, fare 7,00 euro). If you do not hurry, you can get a 1-hour ride to get to Venice Lido by vaporetto line 1 that passes through the Grand Canal and stops at Rialto and St. Mark's. From Chioggia we reach Venice Lido by line 11, who uses a combination of bus and ferry boat. From Marco Polo International Airport or Murano to go to Venice Lido you can take the Red Line or Blue Line managed by Alilaguna. From Punta Sabbioni you travel by the Actv line 14. From Punta Sabbioni or Tronchetto you can reach Venice Lido by ferry boat of the shipping company Actv. Finally, you can reach the Lido with water taxis, but this solution is the less affordable. Just getting off at Venice Lido are available bus lines A-B-C called "Giralido" and car taxis.

Getting off at Santa Maria Elisabetta stop you see on the left the votive temple of Santa Maria della Vittoria (architect Joseph Torres, 1925). The stop is located in front of the red church dedicated to St. Mary Elizabeth, founded in the sixteenth century and restored in 1620. From this point you can go to three different directions: Riviera Santa Maria Elisabetta, Gran Viale and Via Sandro Gallo. The first road goes along the lagoon (to get there take bus line A) to the oldest part of Lido which is called S. Nicoletto. Close to the vaporetto and ferry boat stop is the Jewish Cemetery, where since 1389 were buried the people died in Venice Jewish Ghetto. Near to this cemetery is located the Protestant Anglican Cemetery (1684), where were buried British consuls who lived in Venice in eighteenth century. Beyond the bridge you see the Church of St. Nicolò del Lido, which was founded in 1043 but was rebuilt in 1626. Inside there are some paintings by Palma il Giovane ("St. John") and Palma il Vecchio ( "The Virgin and the Cherub"). Over the church is the "Nicelli", who was the city airport until 1967.

Restaurants in Venice Lido

Ristorante Gran Viale, Viale S. Maria Elisabetta 10, ph. +39 041 5260322. It offers some excellent specialties of fresh fish. Closed on Wednesdays.

Ristorante Belvedere, Piazzale S. Maria Elisabetta 4. Phone +39 041 5260115. Close to the vaporetto stop. Specialties: fish plates. Open 12am-2,30pm and 7pm-9,30pm. It closes on Mondays.

Discotheques in Venice Lido

Davidia - Lungomare Guglielmo Marconi 22
for infos and reservations:
Monica +39 347 8642056, Matteo +39 348 8214771.

Aurora Beach Club (B.each) - Lungomare Gabriele D'Annunzio 20.
Phone: +39 041 5268013.

In front of Venice Lido stop begins Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, commonly called Gran Viale, which crosses the whole island to Piazzale Bucintoro and then arrives to the beach. This is the main street of the island, (at number 6A is located the Tourist Information Office, phone 041 5265721), full of shops, ice cream shops, bars and restaurants. Gran Viale is very crowded during summer because many people go on foot to the beach. From Piazzale Bucintoro starts left the Lungomare D'Annunzio in the direction S. Nicoletto-Ospedale al Mare. To the right begins the Lungomare Marconi, in which are located many bathing establishments and the two most important hotels in the island, the Hotel Des Bains and the Hotel Excelsior. The coast continues to Alberoni, and the landscape is dominated by the Adriatic Sea and the remarkable Murazzi, some protections built at the Lido of Venice between 1716 and 1744 (project by Vincenzo Coronelli). The Murazzi were the first attempt to protect Lido and Venice Lagoon from the fury of the sea, three centuries before the building (still in progress) of MOSE. On Lungomare Marconi had his summer seat in the period 1938-2000 the Venice Casino. Further ahead is the Cinema's Palace of Lido in which is held at the beginning of September the renowned Venice Film Festival. However actually is available only a cinema "Multisala Astra", Via Corfu 12, phone +39 041 5265736.

Cheap hotel in Venice