Torcello
Torcello was one of the first settlements in the lagoon, inhabited by people from the Roman town of Altino on the mainland, already in the late 500s or early 600s. In the early Middle Ages, Torcella was larger then Venice.
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Venice might not have been
Venice was an independent state for almost a millennium, but it might note have been. It all hinged on a single battle fought in the Venetian lagoon in 810.
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Invasions of Italy in Late Antiquity
In late Antiquity the north-east of the Italian peninsula suffered many invasions. The wars caused people to move to the safer lagoon areas, and hence to the foundation of Venice.
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‘New’ frescoes in the Torcello basilica
Recently discovered frescoes in the church of Torcello, former seat of the bishop, attest the close connections early Venice had to the Caroligian empire.