Byzantine Basilica di San Marco

Venice was a secular republic. The Papacy had little influence and the culture was oriented towards the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire, based in Constantinople. The church decorations were almost exclusively mosaic - glass tiles with extensive gold leaf. There is an estimated 6 tonnes of gold on the 8,000 sqm of tiles.

Venice

May 16th 2017
Geo: 45.4343, 12.339Venice comprises 118 islands connected by 400 bridges. For ten centuries (until conquered by Napoleon) Venice was a republic with a figurehead Doge (Duke) elected by the Senate. Napoleon gave Venice to the Austrians and Venice then became part of the Unified Italy in 1866.We said farewell to our coach and water-taxied into the city. After lunch we toured the Doge's P ... read more

Europe » Italy » Veneto

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more

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