Venice didn’t appear out of nothing – there was something before which led to the Venice we know as the Serenissima.
Archaeological digs in the Piazza San Marco have uncovered parts of the ancient church of San Giminiano and a grave of four persons
Once a year — on February 2nd — the Doge of Venice received a gift of two oranges and two straw hats from the guild of the box-makers.
Dr Sandra Toffolo of the University of St Andrews has found a drawing of Venice from the 1300s in a manuscript in Florence
The Birthday of Venice of is traditionally on March 25th, 421 CE, but this is far more legend than historical truth.
Recently discovered frescoes in the church of Torcello, former seat of the bishop, attest the close connections early Venice had to the Caroligian empire.