Torcello

People fleeing the mainland settled Torcello from the fifth century and it grew into a trading centre with, by some accounts, tens of thousands of inhabitants, larger than Venice at the time. The lagoon around it silted and turned marshy, malaria followed, trade moved to the Rialto, and the island emptied; stone was carried off for building elsewhere. What remains is the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded in 639 and rebuilt in 1008, with a Last Judgement in mosaic covering the west wall and a serene Virgin standing alone on a gold ground in the apse. Fewer than twenty people live on the island now.

History

Torcello was one of the first lagoon islands settled by Veneti from the mainland, especially after Attila took Altinum and the settlements around it in 452. In the 10th century its population is often put at 10,000 to 35,000, though recent archaeological estimates suggest no more than 3,000, and it was then a far more powerful trading centre than Venice, living mainly from its salt pans (Wikipedia, Torcello).

The main sights

• The Last Judgement mosaic - a full west wall of eleventh-century work.
• The apse Virgin - a single figure on a plain gold ground.
• The empty island - a former city reduced to a few buildings and fields.
• The campanile - a climbable tower with views across the lagoon.

When to go

April to October; the basilica closes for a midday break in some seasons. Mosquitoes are heavy in summer evenings. Winter fog suits the emptiness.

Practical notes

There is very little on the island beyond the basilica, and no shops to speak of. Photography inside the basilica is not permitted. Mosquitoes are a real nuisance.

Nearby

Burano is a few minutes by boat; Venice lies southwest.

Key facts