1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Gondolas and gondoliers, Venice and its lagoon.

2
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,000
Venice, where tourists flock from the world over,

3
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:15,000
is an archipelago made up of 120 or so islands.

4
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,000
The canals connecting the islands and the gondolas and gondoliers

5
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,000
are a central part of the way of life.

6
00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:25,000
Oi!

7
00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,000
Oi, premando!

8
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,000
Venice was founded on a shallow lagoon

9
00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,000
around the 6th century in the Common Era.

10
00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,000
Venice reached its height in the 15th century

11
00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000
as a key commercial centre.

12
00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,000
Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice

13
00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,000
gives an insight into the wealth that came into the city.

14
00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,000
Just as it was inaccessible to horse and carriage in the past,

15
00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,000
today there are no cars.

16
00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000
The city's beauty is unrivaled.

17
00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,000
Cruising along the canals,

18
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:07,000
the passing buildings reveal stories of the past.

19
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000
The architecture here includes Byzantine,

20
00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,000
Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

21
00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,000
The city's foundations were built by driving poles

22
00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000
into the sand and mud and piling stones on them.

23
00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000
The canals are maintained.

24
00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,000
Dirt has to be removed to ensure free passage

25
00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:31,000
for the gondoliers and for hygiene purposes.

26
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,000
The city's main square is the Piazza San Marco.

27
00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,000
The water level is 1.5 metres.

28
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,000
The city itself is said to be slowly sinking.

29
00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,000
But lovers still come to Venice

30
00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,000
to enjoy the ride on the gondolas

31
00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,000
and to listen to the rippling of the waves under the moonlight.