Hunters and fishermen were living on the mudflats of the Lagoon 2000 years ago, but Venice really grew as a place of refuge. The ravaging of Attila the Hun drove many to seek shelter here in the fifth century, and a century later the march of the Lombards into northern Italy saw more settle here. By now the city was ruled by Byzantium, but in 726 Venetians elected their own leader, the first Doge (or Duke).

San Marco became the patron saint and by the end of the tenth century Venice was a powerful and rich trading nation. It profited from the Crusades, from the sacking of Constantinople and from the splitting of the spoils as the riches of the Roman Empire were finally divided up. During the Middle Ages, Venice battled Genoa for supremacy in the region, but in the early sixteenth century Venice found itself at war with Spain, the Pope and practically every European power. Victorious yet bankrupt, and with its trade routes superseded by the new powers of England, Holland and Portugal, Venice went into decline.

By the 1800s Venice, though a popular tourist destination, was poor and decaying. Saved by mass tourism - the Lido became a fashionable resort, immortalised in Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice. With 116 islands, 150 canals, and 409 bridges, this city is an intricate maze - some of the most unexpected architectural delights are to be found as you lose yourself on your walks.