Torcello Island

Torcello is the real precursor of Venice. It was founded on the island as early as the seventth century and in the 12th century was a flourishing commercial town with palaces and churches, shipyards and docks, its own nobility, its own laws and a large population. The large town has vanished leaving only two churches and a handful of houses dotted over this large island.

The cathedral serves as the main proof of its former importance.