Metropolitan City Of Venice
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The Metropolitan City of Venice () is a metropolitan city in the
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
region of
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, one of ten metropolitan cities in Italy. Its capital is the city of
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
. It replaced the
province of Venice The province of Venice () was a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Venice. It had an area of 2,467 km2, and a total population of 836,916 (2021). The province became the Metropolitan City of Venice by 1 Janu ...
in 2015 and includes the city of Venice and 43 ''
comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (: ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
''). It was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990) and then established by Law 56/2014. The Metropolitan City of Venice is headed by the Metropolitan Mayor (''sindaco metropolitano'') and the Metropolitan Council (''consiglio metropolitano''). Since 15 June 2015, as the new mayor of the capital city, Luigi Brugnaro is the first mayor of the metropolitan city.


History

The area was settled by the 11th century BC. According to legend, Antenor fled from
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
, leading the people of Eneti from
Paphlagonia Paphlagonia (; , modern translit. ''Paflagonía''; ) was an ancient region on the Black Sea coast of north-central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus (region), Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia (later, Galatia ...
to inhabit the shores of the Adriatic. In 102 BC, The Romans defeated the Cimbri and the
Germanic tribes The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts ...
in the area, thus increasing their influence in the region to form the Regio X Venetia et Histria. The exact date when Venice was established is unknown. Still, about 570 refugees from the hinterland, especially from
Aquileia Aquileia is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river Natiso (modern Natisone), the course of which has changed somewhat since Roman times. Today, the city is small ( ...
, fled to the islands of the
Venetian Lagoon The Venetian Lagoon (; ) is an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, in northern Italy, in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Italian and Venetian languages, ' (cognate of Latin ' ), has provided the English name for an enclosed, ...
to escape the frequent barbaric invasions. At that time, the territory of the province was part of the Byzantine Empire, belonging to the
Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...
. Over the centuries, Venice became more independent and in 697 it had its first Doge. With the destruction of Eracliana in 805, the capital was moved to Rialto (Venice). In the Middle Ages, Venice became an important maritime republic, completely independent from Byzantium, and began its expansion into the hinterland. In 1260, the Ezzelini family was defeated. Threatened by the expansionist ambitions of the Visconti of Milan, in 1365, Venice began to invade neighbouring territories. By 1410, the Regio X Venetia et Histria had annexed
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
and
Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
. By the 16th century, the Republic included territories from the
Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , , , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large part of the Julian Alps is inclu ...
to Crema,
Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; ; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian: ; ; ) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. Located at th ...
,
Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
and part of the
Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...
. In 1797,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
invaded the Republic and, following the
Treaty of Campo Formio The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
, it was ceded to Austria. After the final defeat of Napoleon, the Austrian Empire founded a province of Venice on the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. In 2015, this was converted into the current metropolitan city.


Geography

Facing east on the northern
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
, the metropolitan city is bordered to the northeast by the
province of Udine The province of Udine (; ; ; ; ) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia, with the capital in the city of Udine. Abolished on 30 September 2017, it was reestablished in 2019 as the Re ...
and province of Pordenone, south by the province of Rovigo, and to the west by the
province of Padua The province of Padua () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Padua. Geography It has an area of 2,142 km2, and a total population of 936,492 (2016) making it the most populated provi ...
and
province of Treviso The province of Treviso () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso. The province is surrounded by Province of Belluno, Belluno in the north, Province of Vicenza, Vicenza in the west, Pro ...
. The municipalities of
Chioggia Chioggia (; , ; ) is a coastal town and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is located on a small island at the southern entrance to the Venetian Lagoon about sou ...
, Cavarzere and Cona constitute an
exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
, separated from the rest of the metropolitan city by the Paduan municipalities of Codevigo and Correzzola, bordering the provinces of Padua and Rovigo. The Brenta and
Livenza The Livenza (; ; ) is a river in the Italian provinces of Pordenone, Treviso and Venice. Its source is near Polcenigo and Caneva in Pordenone. It flows in a southeasterly direction past Sacile and forms the border between the provinces of Porden ...
rivers flow through the metropolitan city. The Piave flows into the Adriatic Sea after passing the town of Eraclea. The long Brenta runs from
Trentino Trentino (), officially the Autonomous Province of Trento (; ; ), is an Autonomous province#Italy, autonomous province of Italy in the Northern Italy, country's far north. Trentino and South Tyrol constitute the Regions of Italy, region of Tren ...
to the Adriatic just south of the
Venetian Lagoon The Venetian Lagoon (; ) is an enclosed bay of the Adriatic Sea, in northern Italy, in which the city of Venice is situated. Its name in the Italian and Venetian languages, ' (cognate of Latin ' ), has provided the English name for an enclosed, ...
. It was first channeled in the 16th century when a long canal was built from the village of Stra to the Adriatic, bypassing Venetian Lagoon. A branch of the Brenta, the ''Naviglio Brenta'', was left to directly connect Venice and Padua. The river runs through Stra,
Fiesso d'Artico Fiesso d'Artico () is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. The town is connected by the SR11, and is part of the Riviera del Brenta. Fiesso d'Artico has almost reached the remarkable age of one thousand years of official life ...
,
Dolo Dolo may refer to: Places *Dolo, Veneto, a town in the province of Venice, northern Italy *Dolo (river), a river in the Reggio-Emilia province of Italy *Dolo, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso *Dolo, Côtes-d'Armor, a town in France *Dolo, Eth ...
,
Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...
, and to in the northeast. In the area known as the that borders the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, it is estimated that 29% of the population speaks fluent Friulian. The language has been officially recognized and protected as a minority language since 2006.


Demographics


Municipalities

There were 44 municipalities (''
comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'') in the province. The 10 most populous are: The full list of municipalities in the province is: * Annone Veneto * Campagna Lupia * Campolongo Maggiore * Camponogara * Caorle * Cavallino-Treporti * Cavarzere * Ceggia *
Chioggia Chioggia (; , ; ) is a coastal town and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is located on a small island at the southern entrance to the Venetian Lagoon about sou ...
* Cinto Caomaggiore * Cona *
Concordia Sagittaria Concordia Sagittaria is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. History The town was founded in 42 BC as ''Iulia Concordia'' by the Romans, where the Via Annia and the Via Postumia crossed each other. The establi ...
*
Dolo Dolo may refer to: Places *Dolo, Veneto, a town in the province of Venice, northern Italy *Dolo (river), a river in the Reggio-Emilia province of Italy *Dolo, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso *Dolo, Côtes-d'Armor, a town in France *Dolo, Eth ...
* Eraclea *
Fiesso d'Artico Fiesso d'Artico () is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. The town is connected by the SR11, and is part of the Riviera del Brenta. Fiesso d'Artico has almost reached the remarkable age of one thousand years of official life ...
* Fossalta di Piave * Fossalta di Portogruaro * Fossò * Gruaro * Jesolo * Marcon * Martellago * Meolo *
Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...
*
Mirano Mirano is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, Italy. Toponymy The town's name comes from its ancient Latin name ''Miranum'', derived from ''mira,'' meaning "observatory" or "spectacle". This etymology is shared wit ...
* Musile di Piave * Noale * Noventa di Piave * Pianiga * Portogruaro * Pramaggiore * Quarto d'Altino * Salzano * San Donà di Piave * San Michele al Tagliamento *
San Stino di Livenza San Stino di Livenza (Venetian language, Venetian: ''San Stin'') is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy. It is connected by the SP61 provincial road and by the motorway Autostrada A4 (Italy), A4. The main square (piazz ...
* Santa Maria di Sala *
Scorzè Scorzè is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, in the Italian region of Veneto, located about northwest of Venice. The country is bordered by Zero Branco, Trebaseleghe, Venezia, Noale and Salzano. The municipality of Scorzè c ...
* Spinea * Stra * Teglio Veneto * Torre di Mosto *
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
* Vigonovo


Economy

Tourism was an important contributor to the provincial economy with over 26,000 establishments (including 1,277 hotels) offering overnight accommodation and accounting for a total of 34 million tourist nights spent in 2012 (down slightly from 2011 but substantially higher than some 29 million nights in 2002). The
gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...
of the province was 25 million euro in 2010, down slightly from 25.973 million euro in 2007. In 2012, the service sector represented 73% of the economy, while industry covered 19%, construction 7% and agriculture just 1%. Footwear represented 9.6% of provincial exports, petroleum products 7.2% and machinery 6.7%.


Government


List of Metropolitan Mayors of Venice


Metropolitan area

The spread of the larger Venice metropolitan area has dramatically accelerated over recent decades. The Padua–Treviso–Venice metropolitan area (PATREVE), or Venice City-Region, is an urban agglomeration including the Metropolitan City of Venice as well as the cities of
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
and
Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...
and their respective provinces, all in the
Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...
region of northeast Italy. It is defined statistically and does not correspond to a single area of local government. Administratively it comprises 240 ''
comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (: ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
''), 104 in the province of Padua, 95 in the province of Treviso and 44 in the Metropolitan City of Venice. The metropolitan area has a total population of 2,600,000.


Main sights

In addition to the city of Venice, the province offers several other attractions, including Caorle on the Adriatic Coast with its narrow streets, coloured houses, and cylindrical bell tower, and Jesolo, with its long sandy beach, tourist attractions, and nightlife. The second largest municipality in the province,
Chioggia Chioggia (; , ; ) is a coastal town and (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Venice in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Geography The town is located on a small island at the southern entrance to the Venetian Lagoon about sou ...
, on the southern side of the Venetian Lagoon, includes numerous canals, bridges and mansions as well as St. Felice Castle and the Piazza di Vigo.


Transport


Motorways

*
Autostrada A4 The Autostrada A4, or Autostrada Serenissima (" Serenissima motorway"), is an '' autostrada'' (Italian for "motorway") long in Italy located in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia which connects Turin and Trieste ...
:
Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
-
Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
* Autostrada A27:
Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the comune of Venice on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo, one ...
-
Belluno Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...
* Autostrada A28:
Conegliano Conegliano (; Venetian language, Venetian: ''Conejan'') is a town and ''comune'' of the Veneto region, Italy, in the province of Treviso, about north by rail from the town of Treviso. The population of the city is of people. The remains of a 10th ...
- Portogruaro * Autostrada A57:
Dolo Dolo may refer to: Places *Dolo, Veneto, a town in the province of Venice, northern Italy *Dolo (river), a river in the Reggio-Emilia province of Italy *Dolo, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso *Dolo, Côtes-d'Armor, a town in France *Dolo, Eth ...
- Quarto d'Altino


Railway lines

* Milan–Venice railway * Trento–Venice railway * Venice–Trieste railway * Venice–Udine railway * Rovigo–Chioggia railway


Airports

*
Venice Marco Polo Airport Venice Marco Polo Airport is the international airport of Venice, Italy. It is located on the mainland near the village of Tessera, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Venice located about east of Mestre (on the mainland) and around the same ...
* Venice-Lido Airport


See also

*
Province of Venice The province of Venice () was a province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Venice. It had an area of 2,467 km2, and a total population of 836,916 (2021). The province became the Metropolitan City of Venice by 1 Janu ...


References

{{Authority control
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...